Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my boxie spends his days clawing up the corners of his habitat. he lives outdoors, (San Diego, CA)and has a pretty nice little enclosure. he has his own private little pond and a hiding place, and he has plenty of edible landscaping. i don't get it. does he really want to get away that bad? Anybody else have boxies that do this?
Thanks,
Shannon

what are his enclosure walls made of?

Yeah, I think I know where stunt is going with this. Most turtle keepers will tell you that if the walls of the turtle enclosure are see-through like a screen the turtle will constantly try to crawl out to the area beyond. I, myself, haven't had much trouble with this. They seem to settle down after a while and stop trying to escape. Maybe my luck is unusual? I'd definitely wait to hear from others about this. . . I’m not an expert.

some of my own turtles will act this way for various reasons...

in the spring my males can act this way if there is no female around

my males will sometimes act this way if there are other males in the pen and they have lost a battle with them and want to flee

my females can act this way when gravid and looking for a nest

all my turtles can act this way when put in a new pen, no matter how large. Once they get used to it they normally stop doing this except for the reasons above

Yeah, I think I know where stunt is going with this. Most turtle keepers will tell you that if the walls of the turtle enclosure are see-through like a screen the turtle will constantly try to crawl out to the area beyond. I, myself, haven't had much trouble with this. They seem to settle down after a while and stop trying to escape. Maybe my luck is unusual? I'd definitely wait to hear from others about this. . . I’m not an expert.

I have the same experience. My pen's walls are hardware cloth, and I have no problems with the turtles trying to "crawl to the outside." I HAVE had problems, however, with solid-walled enclosures I've used in the past.

My take on it is that the turtle gets into a corner and attempts to "burrow into it" because the corner is often a little darker than the rest of the enclosure, and the two walls on each side give a feeling of security, which the turtle tries to enhance with the incessant digging.

Chris

My turtle does that sometimes. The walls are solid, but kind of low and she tries to lift herself up to look out. When she does this, I take her out in the yard and let her run around and explore for a while and that seems to stop her for awhile.I think it's how she tells me she wants to go out to play!
Sharon

Yep, I think he was trying to burrow. He finally found a happy place that he feels secure, and he doesn't do that anymore. Now he hides behind his plants. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my message.

Shannon

I agree with posts, and just wanted to say that box turtles like to explore their "terretory", other food water sources. I also strongly agree that males like to go on the hunt for females, and this time of the year, females will try to find the best place to lay their eggs - I live in S. Cal. also, and these are the times for mating/laying - although my males will try and mate year round. Also, if they can see out, they will try and escape.

If your enclosure does not have many rocks and plants, the box turtle will have less to explore, and will just be focusing on getting out. Is it a male or female? Is it alone?

Bill