Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am planning to enlarge my outdoor habitat, hopefully to have it ready for the "emergence" in the spring. The current set-up is covered -- sorry I couldn't include a photo, but my software isn't cooperating right now. I'm just not sure HOW I'm going to be able to cover all the new space, which bothers me as I'm super paranoid about predators getting to my babies!

From this forum's collective experiences, just how much of a problem can predators be and are there other ways of combatting them besides covering? I've seen about as many photos of uncovered habitats as I have covered ones. I read one post where someone planned to put electrified wire around the perimeter, but doubt that would keep big birds out. What about judicious plantings?

So far, all we seem to have around here that would have access to my yard are cats, an occasional opossum, birds, and birds of prey (hawks & kites).

The 1000 sq. ft. pen here is open and we have not had any predator problems in the years that we've housed turtles in it.

Thanks! That's encouraging! My current space is roughly 600 sq. ft. and I plan to double or triple that.

Finally able to do photos! The first 2 are with the cover up/down. The 3rd one shows one of my babies, Morgan (with yellow paint on his shell).

You must be very careful and serious about protecting your turtles. If you live in a rural or suburban area then there is a risk that raccoons will "find" you once you have a herd of turtles living outside for any lenght of time. Many people have lost turtles due to raccoons.

I live in the Mid-west in a suburban area and raccons visit me almost nightly. One year I live-trapped 16 before I gave up. I put all my turtles up at night into night-time pens. These pens are about 10 to 20 square feet per 1,2 or 3 turtles. I separate them to reduce stress. Since I put them in the evening, the turtles don't seem to mind the small quarters, or the handling. During the day they roam freely in large pens. Better safe than sorry!
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

Tess, have raccoons ever gone after and/or injured any of your turtles?

I know that we certainly have raccoons and possums come in to the pen here, but they have never harmed a turtle. They seem to be most interested in the water, as they drink and then leave.

The raccoons have yet to harm my turtles or chickens. DH did fine a coon in the hen house one evening and shooed it out, but it didn't hurt anything.

I have plenty of out-of-hiding places for the turts. And I never leave food out over night.
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
2.0.0 eastern box turtles
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.8.0 chickens
1.0.0 Dutch rabbit
3.2.0 adult children
1.0.0 husband
AND
0.1.0 grandbaby!!

I have never given them the chance, but my neighbor had all her penned-up quail killed by them and I have seen their paw prints all over the turtles' nighttime pens. (I put plastic on the pens during the cooler months.) I know people who have had their turtles killed by raccoons. The ones near me are big enough to pass for toddlers I would never give them the chance to injury, kill or mess with my turtles. Tess

>>Tess, have raccoons ever gone after and/or injured any of your turtles?
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>>I know that we certainly have raccoons and possums come in to the pen here, but they have never harmed a turtle. They seem to be most interested in the water, as they drink and then leave.