Southern (DFW) Texas, 3 toes box turtle?

[JRG94]

Hello!

My husband found this 3 toed box turtle trying to get out of our pool and after we released it twice it kept coming back roaming our yard. I have dogs that are let out supervised thankfully and I was able to save it the third time it came back. Well, here I am with the turtle and I don’t mind it at all. I made it a quick DIY habitat (total of 1 week today) until I understand the best habitat to build it in my yard. Here are some questions I have here:

1. How can I build these enclosures but make it safe for desert flat land where it can flood easily?

2. Are these enclosures I found only good for summer days?

3. What do I need to ensure it makes it through the spring and winter?

4. Do I need to keep this turtle inside? How long and how big does the enclosed indoors need to be?

5. Generally, anyone have a ball park on this turtles age? Do I need to get it a friend?

Any pics or suggestions would help!

Thanks!

 

[wellington]

What you need to do is let it go outside of the yard boundaries and see if you can fix the area he is coming in at. Turtles should not be taken from the wild.
Now if they are not native to your area, three toes are native to your location, then first the owners should try to be found. If they aren't found then it's yours.

 

[wellington]

Btw, one way to possibly keep it out of your yard is to put a low sided clay saucer of water out for it. It may be coming in for the water only.

 

[JRG94]

What you need to do is let it go outside of the yard boundaries and see if you can fix the area he is coming in at. Turtles should not be taken from the wild.
Now if they are not native to your area, three toes are native to your location, then first the owners should try to be found. If they aren't found then it's yours.

I posted him on Next Door in my neighborhood to see if he belongs to anyone, but I got several people who stated they wanted to take him to add to their collection and others stated o need to put a fence around my pool. I already have a fend separating half of my yard, others stated to let it go, but I let it go 3 times while I put the dogs away and went to work but it would leave and come back. So I’m assuming it’s better where I can see it nearest the spot it keeps going, so my dogs know to leave him be. At this point I’m trying to figured something out before we travel in August and my family won’t be so careful.

 

[wellington]

Has it gone into your pool every time?
If so, I think if you could put a water source outside your yard, where he is coming in at, he would use that source instead of your pool.
If he doesn't, can you block where he comes in for about a week and see if he moves on?
He really needs to be left in the wild.

 

[JRG94]

Has it gone into your pool every time?
If so, I think if you could put a water source outside your yard, where he is coming in at, he would use that source instead of your pool.
If he doesn't, can you block where he comes in for about a week and see if he moves on?
He really needs to be left in the wild.

It only fell in that one time and that was the first time we noticed it then released it. The other 2 times it would go near the side where our air conditioning unit is near my back window going under another gate we put there to keep the dogs from going back there. I wondered if it actually lived there and just started looking for water further in our yard. My dogs are put away during the day and only out when supervised, so we get a lot of wildlife like owls under our patio and squirrels taking the dogs bones up the tree. It’s basically a free for all. I’m thinking it may have been there for some time roaming and going back and forth unnoticed up until recently? This is the ‘temp’ set up I have now. Actually I’ve added several new items and a canopy for shade since. But I need someone more secur. we’re away and especially more weather proof.

I posted him on Next Door in my neighborhood to see if he belongs to anyone, but I got several people who stated they wanted to take him to add to their collection and others stated o need to put a fence around my pool. I already have a fend separating half of my yard, others stated to let it go, but I let it go 3 times while I put the dogs away and went to work but it would leave and come back. So I’m assuming it’s better where I can see it nearest the spot it keeps going, so my dogs know to leave him be. At this point I’m trying to figured something out before we travel in August and my family won’t be so careful.

 

[mark1]

Hello!

My husband found this 3 toed box turtle trying to get out of our pool and after we released it twice it kept coming back roaming our yard. I have dogs that are let out supervised thankfully and I was able to save it the third time it came back. Well, here I am with the turtle and I don’t mind it at all. I made it a quick DIY habitat (total of 1 week today) until I understand the best habitat to build it in my yard. Here are some questions I have here:

1. How can I build these enclosures but make it safe for desert flat land where it can flood easily?

2. Are these enclosures I found only good for summer days?

3. What do I need to ensure it makes it through the spring and winter?

4. Do I need to keep this turtle inside? How long and how big does the enclosed indoors need to be?

5. Generally, anyone have a ball park on this turtles age? Do I need to get it a friend?

Any pics or suggestions would help!

Thanks!

that turtle is old enough that unless there are some large wild spaces around your home the chances of that not being an escapee are pretty slim.... in my lifetime i've seen what urbanization does to box turtle populations.......turtles in general do rather poorly in urban areas, box turtles especially so.... my guess would be she's somewhere around 10yrs

 

[wellington]

Yeah that's not big enough and the water dish is a drowning hazard.
It really needs to be left in the wild and do what you can to block it from coming in.
Tortoises/turtles taken from the wild don't do good in captivity.
If you insist on keeping it, you need to give it a much bigger space. Remember, she has unlimited roaming space before you took her.
The best though is leaving her in the wild.

 

[JRG94]

Yeah that's not big enough and the water dish is a drowning hazard.
It really needs to be left in the wild and do what you can to block it from coming in.
Tortoises/turtles taken from the wild don't do good in captivity.
If you insist on keeping it, you need to give it a much bigger space. Remember, she has unlimited roaming space before you took her.
The best though is leaving her in the wild.

That’s just a temp spot. I’m here to get suggestions beyond what I find on Pinterest and YouTube. It’s only been in here going on the 2nd week. The little dish only goes up to the feet not past the full legs. The dish is much smaller than the picture displays. I actually get worried that it wasn’t enough. It’s hard to show pictures on here because it does not show the full size of anything m, but the pool is standard. What is the minimum square feet to a decent size for this turtle? I read 100 feet minimum? I have a half acre, so I can definitely get a comfortable spot for it.

 

[wellington]

The dish is a flipping hazard. If he flips and can't right himself he will drown. You need to not use it and get a large clay saucer that he can easily get in and out of.
I would build as big as you can. Again, it's from the wild with lots of roaming area. In captivity you can't give him that so give as big as you can and still keep safe from varmits
A pop up portable greenhouse comes I believe 12 feet long, maybe more, see pic. They are inexpensive and can have the top opened so it doesn't get too hot. Or get a large dog/chicken run like pictured.

 

[JRG94]

The dish is a flipping hazard. If he flips and can't right himself he will drown. You need to not use it and get a large clay saucer that he can easily get in and out of.
I would build as big as you can. Again, it's from the wild with lots of roaming area. In captivity you can't give him that so give as big as you can and still keep safe from varmits
A pop up portable greenhouse comes I believe 12 feet long, maybe more, see pic. They are inexpensive and can have the top opened so it doesn't get too hot. Or get a large dog/chicken run like pictured.
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Perfect! That’s what I was looking at and wondered it would be quicker than trying to build it. I’ll return the water and get a large saucer.