Box Turtle Care
Most American box turtles are friendly and because box turtle care is minimal, they have become one of the most popular turtles for household pets. However, because most pet stores are obtaining box turtles that have been poached from the wild, it’s necessary to really check out the turtle’s health before bringing him home. There are many reptile farms that breed turtles that can provide you with a healthy box turtle and even give you some help in the area of box turtle care. Also, look into getting a turtle from a humane society or other pet rescue organization. They are often looking for homes for turtles.
One unique feature of the box turtle is that they can hide within their shells and close themselves up so that no part of their body is exposed. They can do this because they are one of the types of turtles that have a hinge on their lower shell. While all turtles can withdraw into their shells for protection, not all can cover 100% of their bodies.
Box turtle care begins with providing your turtle with a safe home--either an outdoor or indoor enclosure. Most people keep their turtles inside but if you happen to have the right outside conditions, such as a pond, a sunny location, and some ground cover like weeds, your box turtle will love being outdoors. More people, however, build some type of indoor home to give the best box turtle care. Small aquariums are not necessarily the best answer--sometimes a large, plastic or wooden box will do the trick.
Whatever your choice, you will need a substrate of sand, grass, planting soil or something into which your bog turtle can burrow, some slabs of rock, and something like those hollow logs you can buy at the pet stores to give your box turtle a place to hide. You will have to have a light that comes on and goes off and a heater to keep your turtle warm. Box turtle care also means keeping the container humid. Box turtles like warm, moist air.
Box turtle care means providing plenty of clean water every day. They like to swim and lie in the water to soak. They need light and water to control their body temperature. Box turtles are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and meat. It’s best to give them a different assortment of food at every meal--do not feed the same food every day or they will get picky. They need many kinds of food for a healthy diet. Box turtles are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat anything they can find.
Give your box turtle such foods as insects, earthworms, mollusks, vegetables, greens, fungi and fruits. They can even eat canned dog or cat food but it shouldn’t be given every day. Feed your turtle on a rock as that will help control his toenail growth. Also make sure to provide extra calcium by having a calcium block or high calcium foods in the turtle enclosure at all times.
Giving good box turtle care means keeping the turtle box at just the right temperature--they need a cold area and a warm area. The warm area should be around 85 degrees while the cold area is good around 70 to 75 degrees. You should never let the temperature drop below 60 degrees or your turtle can get very sick.
Box turtle care is easy but it is also time-consuming. So, before getting your turtle, consider the responsibility you have for caring for him. A box turtle can live as long as thirty years. All it takes is proper box turtle care and both you can your box turtle can have a long, healthy life together.