I made a cave out of bricks for my ornate box turtle and dug a 6 inch deep ditch under it to get him started on a burrow. I was wandering if i can collect lawn clippings and start a compost pile to better insulate his cave. i was gonna bury the cave with about two feet of compost. Is that enough do you think? Will he be able to dig through it come spring time?
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good insulation for hibernation?
johnnymo
Sep 13, 2007 01:06 AM
Replies (3)
patsy1
Sep 13, 2007 01:31 AM
whenever we mow, I throw in lawn clippings. For the short time they exist, the boxies prefer them to any other hiding place in their enclosure.
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Patsy
PHRatz
Sep 13, 2007 02:53 PM
>>whenever we mow, I throw in lawn clippings. For the short time they exist, the boxies prefer them to any other hiding place in their enclosure.
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>>Patsy
Ditto.
That's exactly what I've been doing. I tried mulch once, they hated it. They seem to not just accept but actually like the lawn clippings.
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PHRatz
mj3151
Sep 13, 2007 02:54 PM
My Easterns hibernate under oak and maple leaves mixed with pine needles, spread over top of about 10 inches of dirt mixed with peat moss. Don't bury the turtle under compost in the cave. Pile up the insulation material and let him dig in as far as he wants as it gets colder. You don't need to dig or build a burrow at all. He knows better than you or I how deep he needs to be. After he's under for good, you can add more insulation, but I wouldn't pack any compost or dirt on top, just lighter stuff like grass clippings, leaves and pine needles.
