Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was reading the new reptiles magazine and it had an article on eastern box turtles and it said they can be kept singaly in a 2' x 2' enclosure and a trio of adults in a 3' x 2'. so is that information incorrect? also i was curious as to why box turyles are in alot of cases considered a begginer reptile when i hear they really are not?

hmmm, smells like Marketing to me, lol.
Seriously, the enclosure size would be very, very minimalistic, but maybe not completely out of line, but I think the general concensus among keepers is "the more space the better", however that may be as much an ethical perspective as it is needs and requirement based. I wouldn't say they are really good "beginner pets", in the sense that they are not a good first choice for a pet to put in an aquarium in a childs bedroom as their first pet, but at the same time I have personally raised and can think of many far more, time and attention demanding, and difficult to keep alive animals, so I wouldn't put them in the advanced keepers or extremely challenging group either. Just my penny worth.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Wrong on so many levels. A trio (assuming 1.2) of box turtles in a 6 or 9 foot square pen would be incredibly stressed. The females would likely be harrassed incessantly by a male in an enclosure that small - which can result in injuries, lowered immune function, and improper thermoregulation (which causes a host of other problems). I've gotten these turtles in my rescue - I've seen the results of "care information" like that, and it's not pretty.

Plus, box turtles are very individualistic. One might be fine in a large "cement mixing tray", which is what, 3x2? Another might go nuts in anything less than 20 feet square. It just depends on the individual turtle, but most "professional hobbyists" and professional herpetologists don't recommend anything less than 10 square feet for a permanent enclosure.

I'll have to read the article when there's a chance. What did it recommend for substrate and diet?

Katrina

I don't know about the rest of the article, but in my case, they made excellent beginner pets. I caught my first 3-toe in 1958 when I was 3. My dad built a 4' x 8' box for her and I handled everything else. I caught insects, worms and anything else I could to feed her. Over the years I found 4 more and enlarged the enclosure. They bred, the eggs hatched and I raised babies. My original turtle finally died in 1981 and I adopted out the others at that point. She was the perfect pet for me because I gave her the best care I could for over 2 decades. I loved digging for worms, catching bugs, etc. What better way for a little boy to learn some responsibility?

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Greg Jackson