Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you guys think a 40gallon breeder tank would be pretty good for a 4½ Eastern Box turtle?

I was going to get a glass tank and put paper up on 3 sides to prevent stress. I'm getting the turtle from a store. They told me its wild caught and just came in. I figured I could take it to a vet and hopefully keep it indoors. What do you think?
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Grunngg@yahoo.com

Hello: A 40 Gallon tank is fine. Make sure you have a good substrate for your turtle to burrow into. Keep the tank moist
and get a good UV light. Make sure to remove the glass to allow
the light to pass to your turtle unrestricted. At least 10 hours of light is good. No need for the paper on the glass. If he/she is a box turtle, one of the best foods is dry cat food Moistened. It is high in vitamin A. Don't worry about stress, your turtle will soon learn who feeds him. Good Luck

I really feel that the advice you've given is poor.

A 40 gal. breeder tank might be suitable for short term housing of a hatchling or young juvenile CB box turtle: keeping a wild caught sub-adult or adult in such a small glass tank is not advisable at all.

Advising that a visual barrier is not necessary is also off the mark. CB or WC, a box turtle that can see out of its enclosure will try to get out.

Cat food is far from being an adequate diet for a box turtle. Vit. A is only one dietary component that is necessary for turtles.

10 hours of UV light is less than recommended, too.

What you have prescribed is a recipe for trouble, stress, illness, and deformities.

Ideally, box turtles should be housed outdoors, year-round if possible (presuming you live in a region to which the turtle is native, or with a comparable climate), in the largest enclosure that you can possibly create, because the pen will never be big enough. It should be fed a variety of natural foods that provide a good balance of required nutrients.

First guy advice was kida off i would have to agree.

Personally i would not house a box turtle in a tank, they are really not good for tortoise or box turtles, they have poor vetalation, see through sides make them stress, and tank even the 40 gallon tank is not big enough floor space wise. I would either build a table with good floor space, i reccomend like 5x5 but 8x5 would be better. Like said before you can ever get big enough, i have a 10foot by 20 foot and it still seems small for my adults. If all possible outdoors would be best and healthies, and will be easier on you. I find box turtle do poor in indoor housing, humidty is hard, and UVB never seems to be enough they do better with real sun.

Diet, consist of more then just cat food. I feed mine all types of insect protein, from worms, meal worms, ect. to boiled chicken. Also i feed veggies and fruit of all kinds. The diet should be a big menue and not just one item.

In all that said, a box turtle should be kept outdoors as much as possible, they really can live outdoors in most states all year with out a problem, I have my 3 inch baby in a 8x5 foot outdoor enclosure. If you had to house indoors, a 40 Gallon breeder WOULD NOt be good, stay away from tanks, build a tortoise table, or at the least use a big rubbermaid. Lighting should be around 12-14 hrs. UVB and heating. And you should have humidty at around 70 percent. Box turtles arnt really begginer turtles, but can be easy with right setups, but works both ways can be really hard with out right setup.

Yeah, i have read a few times that box turtles are better in outdoor habitats. The only reason I question is, I have a friend who has had box turtles for years indoors kept in aquariums and theyre doing fine. one lives in a 75gallon tank and the other in a 33gallon long tank. He doesnt mist the tanks or anything. He just provides large water dishes. He also has the UV bulb and a heat pad. I would get a lower watt basking bulb instead. Maybe 50 watt.
His turtles are wild caught but are taken to the vet regularly, and as far as I know, theyre perfectly healthy and tame.

Is my friends settup flawed, and he's just been lucky?
Thanks for your help. If it comes down to it I wont get the turtle. But i've always wanted one and would really like it to work out.
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Grunngg@yahoo.com

Housing a box turlte in a tank does not mean sure death, its just really not the best for them, Tanks dont have the room a box turtle needs. YOu can do it, but its not fair to the turtle. Just like you can keep a dog in a kenal for its life but it wount be happy, and its not enough room. Its better to have a 8x5 foot enclosure for a adult boxie, indoors or outdoors, if you can go bigger then you should. box turtles will never have enough room unless you have few achers. If i were you friend i would move the boxies in a table, or outdoors he would see a big change in attitude, health and personallity.

Like Boxielover stated, your friend's turtles would probably become alot more active if they were moved outside, or at least given more room. Unless you have a basis for comparison, it can be hard to tell if a turtle's behavior is 'fine'.
As an example, years ago, I had to house one of mine indoors over the winter because he was recovering from an ear infection: he seemed fine all those months, but boy, when I put him in the outdoor pen in the spring, he had a completely different personality. He became MUCH livelier: the difference was huge.
Now, if any of my turtles have health problems that require that they stay indoors, I make every effort to make that stay as brief as possible, because they tend to get stressed.
Another consideration is expense: our indoor 4'x8' infirmary setup cost us as much as our 750 sq. ft. outdoor enclosure!
I really would reconsider a box turtle as a pet if you can only provide indoor housing with limited space.

all the money the friend is spending on vets could easily be avoided if the turtles lived outdoors.. and the money could go toward a MUCH larger enclosure.
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In a word: NO!

Ok well you guys were a help. And I have reconsidered getting the box turtle. But I have another question. Would the turtle be happy if it were kept in a sizeable breeder tank to a 75gallon tank, but taken outside for a good exercise daily? Like, lets say I wasnt able to have an outdoor enclosure, but I can let the turtle out for a good long time every day?
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1.1.0-Tokay Geckos
1.0.0- Leopard Gecko
0.1.0-Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1-Armadillo Lizard
0.0.1-Pyxie Frog
0.0.2-Pacman Frogs
1.0.0- Fire Salamander
1.2.0-African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0-Madagasgar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1-Desert Hairy Scorpion
0.0.4-Florida Bark Scorpions
Grunngg@yahoo.com

75 gallon aquarium or 200 gallon aquarium......?

Were still trying to push an environment than's not adequate for a boxie. Consider that a person can live in an 8x20 cage with all the food, water, and some light; but he will be stressed, his appetite will be affected, his physical and psychological health will be poor, etc... Boxies need variety, a sense of security, new sights and areas to explore as they are naturally curious, a clean substrate free from the buildup of bacteria and pathogens, fresh water daily, UBV light, and a proper diet.

Young Boxies do need sides covered if in an aquarium.

Your friend's boxie may appear to be fine....But how are you measuring stress levels, blood sugar, his bone structure, growth, development of his senses affected by variety, and physical activity? (aquariums affect all in a negative way)

I have to agree with Steph. At best what your proposing is a temporary setup for a juvi. You state that you would be able to take him out every day for long periods of time....? That's a big commitment and assuming you won't have any realistic times when weeks gets crazy with all the things you weren't planning on having to do. A boxie's life span is 60 plus years.

If impossible to keep him outside I'd consider a solarium attached to you home....Or a room set up as close to one as possible...with both flourescent and incandescent lights.

I'm glad you inquiring and want to set it up right!

Ric

Well, if I did it that way, taking the turtle out every day, it would only be for a year or two. Then I would have my own place and be able to have an outdoor enclosure. It wouldnt be to hard to do.
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1.1.0-Tokay Geckos
1.0.0- Leopard Gecko
0.1.0-Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1-Armadillo Lizard
0.0.1-Pyxie Frog
0.0.2-Pacman Frogs
1.0.0- Fire Salamander
1.2.0-African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0-Madagasgar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1-Desert Hairy Scorpion
0.0.4-Florida Bark Scorpions
Grunngg@yahoo.com

"Well, if I did it that way, taking the turtle out every day, it would only be for a year or two. Then I would have my own place and be able to have an outdoor enclosure. It wouldnt be to hard to do."

Only you know how committed you can be. I sure wish you were considering a c.b. one.

Buying from the pet shop a wild one will only strengthen their policy of continiuing to buy wild.

I'd recommend that you read all you can on the care of box turtles; especially the subspecies Eastern Boxies. You will find a great deal of information. Since the one your deciding to get is wild caught.... Expect that it will take longer to get him established and also parasite free. Keep us posted .....

Enjoy him!
Ric

I think you should just wait 2 year or till you can make a outdoor enclosure. In that time you can read up on them study them, and be a pro on them when you get one. I would wait and not try the 75 gallon take it out everyday or everyother day deal. Turtles are still Reptiles and retpiles stress when there enviorment changes, and they are moved, carried, ect... all the time. Moving them indoors outdoors can stress the boxie out.

Why not get a lizard? there are a lot of good lizards that can use that 75 gallon. Or possibly a aquatic turtle, or semi aquatic turtle? Those are some options.