Outdoor enclosure

[Big Ol Tortoise]

So I have been slowly turning one of my 2 garden boxes into a Box turtle pin for Mrs.Turtle. This is it so far
I'm using a box as a hide since I don't know what else to use.
I'd like if it wasn't just dirt. Are there any safe grasses or weeds you guys use?
Are these peppers ok for her to eat? Or will it be too hot. I'm also wanting to make one end of the box be water but we will see. Also she hasn't hibernate in 15 plus years. Is she still able to?

 

[blueyedmama]

I'm a newbie to turtles but where are you from? I'm not sure three toeds could hibernate out of their natural climate range?

 

[Yvonne G]

There are all kinds of plants you can use. I just go through Lowe's garden shop and pick what I like. Since the box turtles aren't all that interested in eating plants, I don't really pay attention to if they're edible or not. A couple weeks ago I bought several small pots of mums, two or three different kind of daisy-like flowers, lots of pansies and violas and a few ferns. See if you can't find an old piece of rotten wood to replace that cardboard box as a hiding place. And for shade you can plant a small rose of sharon or banana tree.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

I'm a newbie to turtles but where are you from? I'm not sure three toeds could hibernate out of their natural climate range?

Central Texas

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

There are all kinds of plants you can use. I just go through Lowe's garden shop and pick what I like. Since the box turtles aren't all that interested in eating plants, I don't really pay attention to if they're edible or not. A couple weeks ago I bought several small pots of mums, two or three different kind of daisy-like flowers, lots of pansies and violas and a few ferns. See if you can't find an old piece of rotten wood to replace that cardboard box as a hiding place. And for shade you can plant a small rose of sharon or banana tree.

I just threw out an old log from a tree we cut down... do you think she could still hibernate?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't see why not. The weather here hasn't gotten cool enough yet for my three toe box turtles to consider going to sleep. They still come out daily. But I'm not offering food anymore. If they find any food on their own, that's up to them.

I would pile up some leaves in a corner of that nice habitat and see if she'll dig down into the pile. Then if she does and doesn't come back up, you can cover that corner of the fence so she can't climb out and pile more leaves on it.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

I don't see why not. The weather here hasn't gotten cool enough yet for my three toe box turtles to consider going to sleep. They still come out daily. But I'm not offering food anymore. If they find any food on their own, that's up to them.

I would pile up some leaves in a corner of that nice habitat and see if she'll dig down into the pile. Then if she does and doesn't come back up, you can cover that corner of the fence so she can't climb out and pile more leaves on it.

Right now it's almost 80 degrees. You think she'd try to hibernate? Also she weighs about 5 pounds a little more.

 

[Yvonne G]

No. Not until the night time temperatures get down below 50F and stay there every night.

 

[blueyedmama]

Central Texas

Oh my bad. I'm in PA. You will be pretty comfortable this winter.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

No. Not until the night time temperatures get down below 50F and stay there every night.

Should she weigh more? cause when I try to feed her she ignores it and just goes for fruits and protein

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

No. Not until the night time temperatures get down below 50F and stay there every night.

^

 

[Yvonne G]

Should she weigh more? cause when I try to feed her she ignores it and just goes for fruits and protein

If she feels like a rock when you pick her up, she's fine. If she feels like a shell full of air, then she's too light to hibernate.

 

[Eric Phillips]

Oh my bad. I'm in PA. You will be pretty comfortable this winter.

3 toeds overlap a wide range in the Midwest. My 3 toeds don't have any issues hibernating outside in Northwest Ohio, so long as an area of the enclosure is prepped for this purpose.

 

[Eric Phillips]

No. Not until the night time temperatures get down below 50F and stay there every night.

I agree with Yvonne however the internal clock of your box turtle will start ticking once the days begin to shorten. It was 76 on Sunday in Ohio and only 2 out of 6 3 toeds was seen. I checked the rest and they were all dug in. There enclosure is only getting about 4 hours of direct light now so they pretty much know.

 

[cmacusa3]

It's coming along!!!

I'm going to guess that she isn't 5 pounds. I have 3 huge three toed females that hit around 700 grams each. (Pound and half)

Make sure that soil is nice and soft, You can cut a hole in a plastic tub and it will last longer than the box. Pile up dirt and leaves inside it.

Do you have a water dish set up for her.

 

[blueyedmama]

3 toeds overlap a wide range in the Midwest. My 3 toeds don't have any issues hibernating outside in Northwest Ohio, so long as an area of the enclosure is prepped for this purpose.

Good to know. I'm not sure I'd ever be brave enough to let him hibernate outside but its cool that I could. [emoji4]

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

It's coming along!!!

I'm going to guess that she isn't 5 pounds. I have 3 huge three toed females that hit around 700 grams each. (Pound and half)

Make sure that soil is nice and soft, You can cut a hole in a plastic tub and it will last longer than the box. Pile up dirt and leaves inside it.

Do you have a water dish set up for her.

I take her to the vet once every year and they just told me she weighs 5 pounds

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

If she feels like a rock when you pick her up, she's fine. If she feels like a shell full of air, then she's too light to hibernate.

Oh I found the stump or log. We didn't throw it away

 

[cmacusa3]

I take her to the vet once every year and they just told me she weighs 5 pounds

I would suggest you weigh her, because I think the vet is wrong. I've never heard of a 3 toed at that weight.

Get a pair of scales that weighs in grams just so you can keep record. I looked up a study and in adults three toed this was the result

"When we weighed 129 north Louisiana three-toed box turtles we found the following: Sixty five males had a mean weight of 332 grams (range 220-449) and sixty four females had a mean weight of 435 grams (range 319-615). "

 

[cmacusa3]

That would put her at roughly 2267 grams and very impressive.

Checking weights is very important throughout the year just to check to see if she is healthy and not losing weight, and then come hibernation time you know how she is doing.