Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm currently trying to do some research to learn about turtles because I want to get one. Reading all the postings on here, I see that people prefer to keep turtles outside. I have two questions.
One, what are the temperatures that are acceptable for them (highs/lows during the day and night)?
Two, I live in an apartment but have a balcony that we don't use. I was thinking about building some kind of pen on there, but don't know about what materials are safe to use and what kinds of substrate to put in there.
Suggestions? Or some good websites that discuss these topics?
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My froggy website: http://members.fortunecity.com/civicchick

I would forget about trying to keep a box turtle in an apartment balcony. Its way to small and it really needs to be on the ground. I would suggest that you might want to look into a Musk Turtle. They are very small, water turtles that can live in a fish tank very nicely. I had one for 6 years and they are great little turtles.
mud and musk turtles

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Jack

"One, what are the temperatures that are acceptable for them (highs/lows during the day and night)?"
-It really depends on what type of turtle you are considering. Just for instance, a Desert Box turtle can handle temperatures into the 90's quite well. A Spotted turtle will begin to seizure if kept too long at temperatures above 90. You'd really have to tell us what types of turtles you are considering.

"Two, I live in an apartment but have a balcony that we don't use. I was thinking about building some kind of pen on there,..."
-Balconies can be really tough. Their microclimates can be very extreme. I lived in two different apartments at the same complex when I was first married. At the first, I could only grow ferns and fuschia. At the second, I could only grow desert plants. They were literally 50 yards from each other. I wouldn't recommend using a balcony for anything except a temporary outdoor "play pen" when conditions are safe. Of course, you may have the perfect balcony...morning sun, evening shade, light occasional wind, adjustable canopy, etc. But, you'd have to do some serious monitoring over a range of seasons to determine that. Also, balconies can be a pain just for the fact that you also have to have an indoor pen to resort to if conditions outdoors become unkind. The "weather men" in my area are terrible! More than once, I've left a few hatchling turtles sunning outdoors on a sunny and warm spring/fall day in tubs on my deck only to have to race home when a thunderstorm rolled in.

"...but don't know about what materials are safe to use and what kinds of substrate to put in there."
- Again, it really depends on the specific type of turtle you are considering. You have a lot of options. You're doing your research, and that's fantastic. Which turtles are you considering?

THanks for the great info. I do have really good sun/shade conditions, I've been monitoring for the last couple weekends I've been home all day. Maybe I'll stick a thermometer out there this weekend to see what the temp. is compared to what TWC says it is outside. It's very unique, though...you can picture it almost like they built the whole building, then decided they wanted balconies, so they cut out sections of the building. It doesn't stick out from the wall, instead, we have the huge sliding door that opens onto it on the back side, the wall that's shared with my roommates bedroom on the left, the wall that's shared with our living room on the right, and then the front is only....60% (?) exposed to the air. There's still some wall there on the sides. I'll try to take a picture tonight....
So far, I've been looking at box turtles, Hermann's tortoises, and Russian tortoises. If you have any suggestions at other species, I'm up for adding any to my research list. I do realize that I will have to bring whatever I get inside during bad weather. I was just noticing that lots of people on forums and on care sheet pages really lean toward having the animal outside. I'm trying to get all the information I can so that I can make an informed decision about what/when to buy, and how to have a nice home for it prepared before I get it.

Hats off to you for doing your homework before purchasing, unfortunately a lot of the opposite occurs, not pointing any fingers, I've made that mistake before as well. If considering a box turtle, I think your biggest challege would be overheating and drying out in the middle of summer and nothing would survive Ohio outside in the winter on a deck, so you would have to bring it inside in the winter, and then it wouldn't be able to hibernate, which most sources will tell you isn't healthy in the long run for a box turtle. Perhaps a redfoot, russian, or greek tort., would be a better option provided you have the space to provide sufficient sized pens (glass aquariums are not sufficient no matter how big) both indoors and outdoors to transfer as weather dictates, with good uvb lighting indoors, those 3 torts all stay reletively small. Having lived previously in condo with a second story deck that faced east but was exposed to the south, It was hard to keep plants alive other than cactus, but sounds like your deck is more protected, keep in mind that the exposure will change as the sun moves thru the seasons, so you might consider putting locking wheels under an wooden outside pen so that it can be moved easily. I like cypress mulch, you can keep it moist or dry depending on needs of animal and it drains well and it's cheap and readily available in most areas in the midwest at big box store garden centers, so you can change it often inside or outside let it break down from the rain and sun into a dirt-like compost. Opinions vary but I hope this helps. Also you are probably aware that box turtles and torts are a long, sometimes very long term commitment, it should be like marriage, ....ect,ect... till death do you part.Hee Hee Good luck, turtles and torts are way cool pets

OK here is a picture I took of my balcony. As you can see, from this view, the right side is the only side exposed. And there is partial wall all the way around it.

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My froggy website: http://members.fortunecity.com/civicchick

I'm also in Ohio and have kept quite a few turtles outdoors. In my experience heat is the biggest concern, and from the looks of your balcony there is plenty of shade. Assuming that turns out to be true, you should be able to build a decent enclosure and keep your pet outside. As others have mentioned, I would keep a close eye on the sun's position and the temperatures on your balcony. An unprotected balcony can easily climb over 120 degrees in many places, which will cook the majority of reptiles fairly quickly. Cold is generally less of an issue outside of winter- you can (and should) provide a sheltered area with a heat source. Keep this area out of the wind and pile it with substrate the animal can dig into. Turtles and tortises will generally figure out where the warm and cool areas of their habitats are and will move themsevles accordingly. You will have to winter the animal elsewhere of course, as attempting to hibernate it on the patio will probably kill it.

As for enclosure materials, you have a lot of options. Depending on how much space you are willing to sacrifice you will probably find regular plywood to be the most economical solution. You will want to make sure you coat it so that it doesn't deteroriate, but you also need a material that is safe for your pet. I recommend the two-part epoxy used by DIY aquarium builders, as it is both completly waterproof and non-toxic. Make sure whatever you build has sufficient drainage!

For substrate I would use cypress mulch- I've had good luck using it with all manner of reptiles, including box turtles. It's cheap, readily available, holds just the right amount of moisture, and is easy to work with.

If you plan ahead, you can easily turn the entire balcony area into a suitable habitat- adding some appropriate plants will not only make the area look better, it will make your turtle or tortise much happier. I suggest using the heavy-duty plastic pots for any plants, as you need something sturdy yet lightweight during routine cleaning.

Good luck