Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need some ideas for boxie nest boxes. The new enclosure is under a porch and get limited light compared to outside, but they seem to love it only staying the sunny or light parts only to eat. The entire substrate is compacted earth with the corners dug up and loosened by me. I have not found any eggs in the loosened soil. I am now finding egg shells in areas of compacted soil, but can not find any babies. I put some baby snapping turtles in front of the adult boxies and they went right for them and would have eaten them if i did not intervene. Has any one else had issues with adults eating the hatchlings? I am going to put some leafy branches in the enclosure for hiding places for the hatchlings. They are also laying a lot fewer eggs and not in the designated places so i am thinking of adding low wattage heat lamps, maybe they don't think the enclosure is a good enough nesting area. I would like some ideas and some info on what others are using for nest boxes. Thanks much for your time.

What kind of box turtles are you keeping? None of them will intentionally lay eggs in a shady area. They always seek out an area that's out in the open because the eggs need the heat of the sun to hatch. Your enclosure sounds pretty bare, from your description. They like lots of ground cover-low growing plants/shrubs, vines, leaf piles, etc., to hide among. Mine avoids laying eggs in her enclosure and will pace back and forth when she's ready. I just put her out in the back yard and if she's really ready, she goes to an open spot in the lawn and digs her nest right out in plain sight. She always starts in the early evening and lays her eggs after it gets completely dark. A lot of turtles are cannibalistic and can't be trusted around hatchlings. Females that aren't happy with their options for nesting will sometimes drop the eggs on the surface and eat or trample them.

Ditto, an open lawn area is the best for nesting females.

I have found that my box turtles (all species) do best if given at least full morning to noon sun. The Eastern subspecies seem to appreciate afternoon shade, but I do live in the South.

If the egg production of your females is decreasing, you may have a dietary issue. Stress, lack of proper brumation, and disease are other common breeding dampers.

I have never seen nor heard a credible story (that I can remember, said the old man) of an adult BOX turtle eating a hatchling. I have found many, many hatchlings in my pens, unharmed. I still don't risk it, though. Watching a large turtle chomp on a baby is literally one of the most horrific things I have ever seen (in an aquatic species)...like 'losing sleep' type of horrific.

Someone on the TT forums just posted pictures of an injured box turtle hatchling they just found in the mouth of one of their adults. I just don't take the chance. I have a subadult NA Wood Turtle that killed one of my box turtle hatchlings about a month ago. It was my own fault because I didn't think he could get into the enclosure. I had the hatchling in a black plastic (about 6" high) tub-type enclosure on my back porch. I let the Wood Turtle out on the porch to roam and he actually climbed the side of the tub to get into the enclosure and mauled the hatchling.