Eastern Box Turtle Enclosure

[Chris Steele]

I am getting ready to make a box turtle cage outdoors. I plan on it being 4' x 4' and about 2.5' tall. I was wondering if I need a top or if it would be safe to leave the top off. I will probably be making a large area either inside or outside of the cage that has a lid, a hide box. I also want to know about the water. how do you guys go about getting clean water in your outdoor cages?

[reptiledude21]

hey, what i used to do is use a siphon like the kind u use to take gas out of a car and take out the old water with it then scrub the water hole and put new water into it. its just a suggestion.

[Herpkingdom]

One of the things to remember when building an outdoor box turtle enclosure is to dig a hole the size of your enclosure about 6 inches deep. Line the bottom and sides with a chicken wire or like screen. Box Turtles are known diggers and will dig right under any enclosure.

As for a top, yes put one on. This is not to keep the turtles in, but to keep predators out. Racoons and possums will try to get the turtle, and crows and other birds will not only annoy the heck out of it, but will eat all the food you put out for your turtles.


Here is directions on building an outdoor enclosure. Unfortunately, the photos on this site don't work, but the measurements and directions are acurate.

http://www.amphibiancare.com/turtle/main.html

[Chris Steele]

I am no stranger to box turtles and outdoor enclosures. My old boxie enclosure rotted, Ive had it for about 8 years. I used lanscape timbers on it to put underground and I used a cut off 5 gallon bucket for a waterbowl. I also ran a pipe through the ground so that I could drain it. I was trying to be lazy by not putting the lid, but I guess your right, better safe than sorry. My old cage had a lid of chicken wire and a door. What is an easy way to put the lid on, so that I will be able to remove it when I feed them?

[Chris Steele]

????? I used to have a cage with wood dug into the ground and chicken wire fence...would babies get out of chicken wire? Well anyway, that cage rotted but I had it big and tall enough to have a door on it. I want to make this one only a couple feet tall! Give me some advice on a top, I would just lay chicken wire on top of it, but I figure this would get stuck to the sides and be very agravating!

[LISA127]

mine had a wooden frame top with the wire stapled to the frame. the frame was hinged so i could lift it open.

[Chris Steele]

Thanks Lisa, I believe that is what I will do as well.