Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a fairly new owner(six months) of a three-toed box turtle, and have recently moved him to an outdoor pen. I've followed advice from this forum and web sites to set the pen up properly, but would like to know if it is necessary to provide an electric heat or light source for him. Half of his pen gets sun all day, and the weather here is mild most of the year. He seems to favor the shady and cool spots--under bushes and old leaves.

I also would like to know if he is expected to hybernate and what I should do for him at that time.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

I also live in San Diego and keep my small herd outside year around with no additional heat source and they are reproducing, babies growing and seem to be quite healthy. Mine have a variety of enclosures (all bottomless so animals can dig down) and most do hibernate inside their houses but a couple just dig a hole in their favorite spot in the yard and crawl in to hibernate. You might want to consider joining the San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society - they have some very knowledgable people speak at their monthly meetings. Mary Beth

Thanks for the great information. One concern I do have for him is that he doesn't seem to eat much. I stock his pen with night crawlers, crickets, ladybugs, fresh water, and a variety of fruit and vegetables, but I don't see him eating much. I wonder if he eats the live food at night. He's active and alert, and apparently healthy otherwise. I am thinking about adding 2 females to the pen...maybe he'd show more interest in eating if others were eating too?

My turtles are meat eaters - they like their mealworms, nightcrawlers, slugs, snails, liver and that is about it. Once in a while they eat some cantalope and I have strawberries and tomatoes in the yard. On a good day a couple will eat some corn and one likes peas but you can't trick them into eating shredded carrots or squash. One day they will like something and the next day it is "poison" - go figure - as long as they are eating something, I try not to worry about them.

Thanks for the helpful information. I think I'll hold off on adding any females to the pen for a while. He seems comfortable. I read somewhere that they don't really need companionship. He just seemed to be quite restless in late spring (Mating time, I'm sure!). Any thoughts on leaving his pen as a single-turtle habitat?

Probably was the spring mating drive - they get that way in the fall too but otherwise are pretty much ok to be alone. My 2 female gulf coast turtles are often in the same house but think it just happens that way and they spend just as much time alone. My turtles have free run of my entire yard and most have "their" own areas.

My boxie didn't hybernate for me (I got him in February from one of my students.), so I am unfamiliar with how to "prepare" him for hybernation. I took him to the vet when I got him 5 months ago, and the vet said he was underweight, but otherwise, in good general health. The vet recommended that I NOT encourage hybernation until he has gained weight. So, I had him in a warm, large tank set up until recently. He has a great appetite lately, so I would imagine that he will want to hybernate in the fall. Should I provide any particular bedding for him at that time? Do I just look for a decrease in appetite? Do I place him in a special container? Thanks for any info you can provide.