Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

I just acquired a healthy eastern box turtle yesterday. Today, I built an outdoor pen for it (about 5' by 3'), filled it with a mixture of sand, topsoil, peat moss, and random weed clippings and dried leaves. There are a few logs for hiding, a shallow water tray that allows bathing, and random lawn weeds that I've stuck into the pen hoping they would "green" up the enclosure. The turtle is about 4 inches, no scars, very active, bright eyes etc. Today I fed it an earthworm because I read that some times they won't eat anything but that in a new captive environment. The weather here in Houston, TX can reach 100 F but he's got shade and 6 inches of soil to dig. And I plan to mist his pen often.

What should I expect in the next couple of days/weeks? I know it's kind of hard to tell because every turtle is different but I was just curious and want to know if I'm on the right track with things. He/she hasn't dug yet and has been peeking through a thin crack near the corner of my pen (probably finding it a way to get out). I'll try to plug that up tomorrow. What about the fire ant issue? I have poison bait that I spread outside the pen. Anyway, I'm no box turtle expert but I have kept aquatics for 10 years now with no problems.

Any personal experience/tips would be very helpful. Thanks!

Johnny

Hmm...now I think about it, he/she might be an ornate...eyes aren't THAT red, markings similar to an ornate, etc. And my friend who brought him/her to me said he found him/her in his backyard of southern Texas pine forests.

Try a google image search for ornate box turtle and see what you find.

Sounds fine how you are keeping it. I'd encourage you to keep the poison a good ways away from the pen so no ants that are poisoned but not yet dead wander in there and get eaten.

You'll find that through the hotter parts of the year, box turtles are most active in mornings and evenings, and rarely during the heat of the day.