We learned a lot by putting together that tortoise pen.

A lot of people keep both turtles and tortoises so I am adding this outdoor pen for your review.

We found the metal flashing at a local hardware store.

It actually keeps the turtles from climbing the fence (many turtles, including box turtles, can and will climb chain link and other fence materials). We buried the bottom edge to discourage digging under it.

The pond is a tarpaulin from the local Wal-Mart.

We dug a pit with sloping sides. Lined it with the tarpaulin. Buried the edges of the tarp. Added rocks for the turtles to grip when climbing out. Added water and hide spots. Voila! An outdoor turtle pen.

It may not look like much but with a deep enough mulch pile, our Chinese Box Turtles winter outside and produced eggs, which we did not find in their pen. The eggs hatched and The Boss was delighted to find 2 baby Chinese Box Turtles in the pen this past fall.

A couple of other helpful hints. The water hyacinths filter the water naturally. Mosquito Fish eat mosquito larvae (we supplement with fish food). Plants added to the pen provide additional hiding places and make a more natural looking habitat.

This picture was taken right after the pen was created. The rest of the plants grew in later. I will try to get some updated pictures of all of our pens when I visit my home in April.

Whenever possible, I believe that turtles and tortoises benefit from living outdoors (at least in the southeastern US).

Karl H. Betz & The Boss

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