Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all.......yesterday I looked out my bedroom window and low and behold there sat Blue in the pen just looking around. I went out and cleaned out the water dishes and refilled them and pretty soon Blue was sitting in one just a soaking and drinking. He sat in there for a long time. I had to come in the house though and when I went back out he had already disappeared again. I had picked him up when I first went outside to fill the dishes and he seemed fine. His eyes were clear, no noisy breathing or runny nose......so I presume he was just thirsty and wanted to soak a bit too. Hopefully he buried back under good as it still is cold here at night and most of the time during the day too. (though the days are getting to warm up nicely. I will sure be glad when the warm weather is back to stay.)

Has anyone else had a boxie appear yet? Just wondering. ..........9boxies

were do you live?

Haven't seen any here. Of course, if they did come up, I still wouldn't see them as there is about 2 feet of snow on the ground! lol!
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.11.0 chickens
1.0.0 Dutch(rabbit)
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Oh, I live in Texas. I think I once wrote that I was from Southwest Tx. Don't know what I was thinking. I believe we are considered the West Texas area.

I need to put a cover over the top of the pen this year I think. I have a neighbor whose cat has been walking through the pen and sticking his paws under all the cubbies. It worries me that he might claw one of the turtles. I will have to cover the pen with chicken wire or something to prevent the cat from getting in there. Shucks.....I will have to frame the whole thing I guess so I can put some sort of hinged door so I can get in there to feed and change the water each day.

Anyone have any ideas of how to put a stop to this cat playing in the turtle pen? I have a dog, but the only time he chases the cat is when he hears me coming out there. Then he is the ultimate protector and chases the cat back over the fence to his own yard. Any advice would be appreciated. ....9boxies

Bury orange peels in the turtle pen, or hang them around the perimeter. Most cats do not like the smell of citrus and will avoid it. You will need to replace them every couple of days though. After a couple of weeks you shouldn't have to put them out anymore, the cat would then be in the habit of avoiding the area. There are the occasional cats who are not bothered by citrus, but most don't like.
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aquariphiles.com-where I blog about aquarium stuff

Thanks for the idea about the orange peels. As luck would have it DH loves oranges and has been eating them every day, so I will have fresh peels each day to put out there. I will give it a try. Thank-you again. ........9boxies