Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have my 2 Easterns inside for the winter (I live in Utah). They are in a 40 gallon breeder tank w/ coco fiber, some cork bark, a large water dish & a ceramic heat lamp at one end. They don't seem thrilled with it, maybe because it's much smaller than their outdoor enclosure, but I do have all 4 sides covered.
Anyway, my male, Yurtle, has been hanging out in the water dish ALL the time over the last few days. He continues to eat & drink normally (Squirtle has slowed WAY down on eating for the season). But it's weirding me out that he's spending all his time in the water. What do you think's up w/ that?
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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena

I guess i'm curious why you brought the easterns in for the winter in the first place. It sounds like you are set up pretty good with an outdoor enclosure and all.
Anyways,alot of times when these guys are brought in late in the season after spending the sumer outdoors, they will go on auto pilot and prepare for hibernation, despite warm temps indoors. The water bowl could be any number of things including if he is planning on sleeping for a while, this is a good damp spot (like along marshes and bogs here in New England.)
Theres also the shorter daylight hours to consider. Are they in a room with a window?
By the way, awesome names on your critters lol Buffy the cricket Slayer lol
Thanks, Leo
Skin & Scales

They are in a room with a sliding glass door, plus the other herp cages all have lighting set to the natural cycle outside.
I brought them in around the end of Sept because their outdoor enclosure is a kiddie pool (pictured), which people advised wasn't deep enough for hibernation. I suspect they are around 3 years old & were born & raised in TX, so I wasn't sure if they'd ever hibernated before, so I didn't figure I'd start.

They have both been exhibiting digging behavior since I brought them in, although I've placed them in their water about every other day & have offered food on those days as well. Yurtle has continued to eat, Squirtle, not so much.

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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena

Its difficult to tell their size from the picture, but I would definately guess their ages as well over three. Its likely that they were wild caught in the East. My reasoning is that its very difficult to find captive borne animals greater than hatchling size offered for sale. Very few people produce enough captive Easterns to make it likely that they would hang onto to them that long.
This doesn't matter anyway, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Its likely that even if your Box Turtles become less active, it won't be a full blown hibernation if the temps are good in doors.
Also looks like you know the general captive requirements to keep them happy, loose soil, plenty of water and plants etc.
Interestingly, I know you were told that the soil wasn't deep enough for hibernating, but here in Massachusetts, its not unusual to find Easterns hibernating with the carapace exposed above the ground surface.
I keep my Box Turtles outdoors year round in enclosures I have built on the ground against the house. The turtles use the window wells as hibernaculum.
Thanks, Leo
Skin & Scales

"Interestingly, I know you were told that the soil wasn't deep enough for hibernating, but here in Massachusetts, its not unusual to find Easterns hibernating with the carapace exposed above the ground surface."

That may be true, but they aren't in an above-ground containers.

Wild turtles, even at a shallow depth, have the sheer mass of the surrounding soil to help protect them from sudden temperature fluctuations., That, and they can go deeper or even move to better cover if needed.
A turtle in a kiddie pool would have a few inches of substrate surrounded by cold air and no other options.

They look like they've grown well!

Any time you switch habitats, it may take a little while for the turtles to acclimate and become familiar with their surroundings. You should consider using artificial light so they get 14 hours of 'daylight' and stay wide awake and active for the winter.

Thanks to both of you. I was guarenteed they were captive born. They came from a man who had a colony in his greenhouse. They were born there & raised. The man had to go into assisted living & the person I got them from bought the colony from him.

They do seem to be doing well. They both eat & are active. I had thought about giving them their own light. Everyone else in the herp room has one, why not them. I'll do that. I think I'll also add more soil so they can dig deeper if they want while they're inside. Maybe that'll make them happier.
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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena