Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This year I had to redo the box turtle pen walls, due to the shifting that occured during the winter. I used 8"x16" cinder blocks to add stability and the top row used the 2x8x16 blocks to create a 4" overhang. Pretty sure this will not shift this winter and there is no way any turtle can climb out.



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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

I love it!

How do you keep other critters out? Mine would not last one night outside in an open top pen area. I live on the river and have coons, possums, fox, and coyote in my area not to mention the eagles and hawks. I even watch my Chinese Crested and Chihauhau when they are outside as these birds could carry them off. My outside habitat has a heavy screen top complete with a locking system.

Great job! I really like your pond area.
Linda

Thanks, if you look closely you will see that I have a two wire electric fence that goes all the way around the pen. It is on a timer so that it turns on just after dark and turns off at sunrise. Last year when I first put it up, the first week or so we heard cats, raccoons, and possums screaming in the middle of the night. After that first week we haven't heard a sound.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Looks good, Jeff

Thanks Curtis, how about some updated pics of your pen
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

It nice to see all pics of great pens and box turtles.

My turtles have been gorging on mulberries. There are several trees in the neighborhood that I go to to pick them. I need to get a pic of one of the turtles with a purple beak-and many one of my purple fingers, lol. Tess

Nice! I re-did mine this spring, and will add more next spring so I can segregate my boys & girls (by then should know all the genders).

I am especailly interested in your waterin' hole! Can you give me some details on what you used & how you did it, how big it is, etc. -- I'm a newbie when it comes to ponds and such, so am trying to soak up all the info I can get

It's a rubber liner. I dug a hole sloped with a shallow end, then laid rock around the edges. It has a small box filter with fountain. The pond is about 6ft by 3 ft and a foot and a half deep in the deep side about 300-500 gallons total, I planted cat-tails on the west side to block afternoon sun and wind. It has goldfish year round in it and they have bred for 5 years in that pond. I put a donut heater in it in the winter so it doesn't freeze over solid.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Wow new and improved.....looks great Jeff.....wish I had that kind of room in my backyard.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius