Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am just curios how much one of those guys needs?

You will find alot of differnt guidelines for evaluating how much room they need, and the bottom line is that you should provide as much room as you possibly can, because chances are, that won't be "enough".
Considering that box turtles roam around several acres of home range in search of food, water, a mate, shelter for hibernation, etc., each season, the more space you can provide for it in captivity, the better.
Another consideration would be this: if you live in a part of the US where the climate is very similar to that in which 3-toeds are found wild, then your turtles would probably be happier and healthier if kept outdoors for most, if not all, of the year.
I have Easterns that I rescued locally from a construction site, and my husband built a 25ft x 30ft outdoor enclosure where they live year round. It took some effort to establish, but once completed, it became very low maintenance, and all we have to do is feed them, pretty much. In contrast, he also built a 4ft x 8ft indoor setup as an infirmary which cost about the same as the outdoor setup, when you factor in lights, heaters, materials and energy costs, not to mention the added daily effort involved in monitoring the setup the one winter when it was occupied.
Indoors= higher maintenance
Outdoors=lower maintenance
Stephanie

Nicely said.