Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Getting a box turtle
• Part 2 of 3: Making a home for your turtle
• Part 3 of 3: Taking care of your turtle
• Tips
• Warnings

Box turtles are small tortoises that can close their shell completely. They are fascinating, independent little creatures and should only be cared for by adults or very responsible children. Their needs are complex and - because they are reptiles - they don't like being forced into cuddling or other interactions like puppies and kittens do. But if you want to take this charming scaly little creature home with you, then you also need to know how to take care of them.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Getting a box turtle

1. Get your turtle from a nearby turtle sanctuary or reptile club. Research the internet to find one in your area, or contact the biological department at a nearby university. There are more than enough unwanted reptiles that need a good home. Don't give your trade to pet stores, especially as some are obtaining turtles from increasingly common illegal ones harvest or poaching in swamps and other natural environments of the turtle.
   • Pet stores pretty much only sell wild-caught turtles, and you should instead look for breeders and sellers on reputable websites, or check out shelters that have turtles in need of a good home.
2. Find a good reptile vet. You can do this by asking around at reptile gatherings or searching the internet. Most vets don't know much about reptiles or others exotics because most of their training is focused on mammals. Don't go to a vet without specialist knowledge about reptiles if your turtle is in trouble. Dogs and cats make up the sandwich with toppings for a veterinary practice, so a veterinarian with a lot of knowledge about reptiles has amassed this as labor of love and is worth his or her weight in gold. Visit your vet once a year when it is healthy or when you think it is sick.
3. Decide whether to care for your turtle indoors or outdoors. There are advantages to both options. If you take care of your turtle indoors, you can keep it in a large glass tank, which can be easier to maintain. If you take care of him outside, you may need to make a large wooden casing (or buy one). Indoor care is easier because you don't have to go outside or worry about things like temperature or other animals or elements that could affect your turtle. However, turtles are used to living in the wild and can be a little happier living outside.
   • Even if you decide to take care of your turtle outside, you have to not give the whole garden for themselves. This is just too dangerous and will make the turtle susceptible to attack from other animals.

Part 2 of 3: Making a home for your turtle

1. Make an outside hutch for your turtle. Make the outside pen at least 1.2 by 1.8 meters for a box turtle; bigger for more. Use smooth-planed wooden planks, about 12 inches wide. On top of each corner, make a triangular piece of wood making contact with each side. This will give extra stability to your walls and a lip shapes that a turtle cannot climb over. They always try to climb out in the corners!
2. Instead, consider making an indoor cage for your turtle. If you are going up the glass tank side, you should get a shallow tank that is at least 155 liters in size. You can also make a cage out of plywood or concrete. The walls should be high enough so that the turtle does not crawl out. If they are high enough - at least 60 cm - then you don't need a lid. If you do have a lid, make sure there is ventilation so the turtle can breathe. You can also try a Rubbermaid tub instead of the glass tank. These baths and wooden tubs could be better because the sides are not translucent so your turtle doesn't get scared or stressed by all the activities he sees in the room.
   • Cover the bottom of the cage with bedding such as sand and soil or wood chips mixed with peat moss. This is known as moist substrate. If the substrate is drier, your poor turtle's skin can crack.
   • Provide a 75-100 watt light bulb with a reflector on one side of the cage. Turtles need light to stay warm. If your room is normally 24-26 degrees Celsius, you may not need the light bulb, but place the cage near a window so that the turtle gets some sunlight for at least 2-6 hours a day, while also having the option to get out of the sun.
   • Bins can be harder to clean than wooden hutches, so be diligent when it comes cleaning time.
3. Get the right substrate. The substrate is what should be on the bottom of the cage, it should give your turtle the moisture and care it needs. For outdoor turtles, you can make a mixture of potting soil and leaves, making sure that your turtle has a place to burrow and hide, and that there is enough soil for hibernation. You will need to replace the soil around the wading pool when it gets wet to avoid danger of freezing. For indoor turtles, you can use plain simple rabbit pellets and stir the bedding daily to keep it light enough. You can also use wood chips or reptile substrate if you don't want to make your own.
   • Make sure to mist the cage daily to keep your turtle moist.
   • Some swear by the mixture Bed a Beast while others warn against it. Talk to a vet or turtle keeper before making a decision.
4. Clean the cage regularly. Whether you care for your turtle indoors or outdoors, it is important to keep its habitat clean. You should be diligent about cleaning his bedding at least once a week, cleaning his water bowl daily, and cleaning the entire hutch every month, using dish soap with a few drops of bleach (just make sure the soap is ammonia free ). Take out the turtle before cleaning and make sure the soap mixture is completely gone before putting the turtle back so that the chemicals in the soap or bleach won't harm him. If you use bleach and you don't dry it, the turtle could die.
5. Create a beautiful landscape in the turtle house. Fill his space with edible plants such as mint, regular grass, or culinary herbs such as thyme or chives. Make it an adventure playground with small blocks to climb, flower pots to hide in, rocks to sunbathe on and of course a water bowl for soaking and drinking. Part of the area should be in direct sunlight (especially early in the morning so your turtle can bake and warm up in it to get an appetite) and some should have shade. Turtles appreciate a pile of clipped grass that you moisten daily; they will settle in and sleep there.
   • You can do this whether you care for your turtle outside or inside.
6. Give your turtle plenty of water. These turtles love to wade through the water, so make sure you have a small pool for your turtle to play in. Clean the water daily. If the turtle is indoors, you should put it in the water every day to keep it from feeling too dry. They are not the most fantastic swimmers in the world, but if they sit outside you should make a bigger pond for them to swim in. Some love to swim for more than an hour every day, while others prefer to wade alone - they're like people.
   • Make sure to keep the water warm.
   • The water area should have an easy exit.
   • Place the water in a plate, pan, glass or bowl, making sure it is at least 2 inches deep, deep enough for the turtle to go all the way in, but not so deep that it struggles to swim.

Part 3 of 3: Taking care of your turtle

1. Feed your turtle regularly. Adult turtles should eat at least three or more times a week, and young turtles should eat regularly. Turtles should be fed in the morning, and they eat a mixture of fruits, vegetables and protein (50-75% of a juvenile turtle's diet should be protein; adult turtles are 10-20%). All fruit must be washed and cut. You also need to make sure your turtle is getting plenty of vitamin A. Here are some foods that turtles love:
   • Protein: snails, slugs, grasshoppers, earthworms, crickets, baby mice, dog food, mealworms, cicadas and woodlice.
   • Fruit: tomatoes, grapes, mangoes, melons, figs, pears, strawberries, plums, nectarines, raspberries and apples.
   • Vegetable: cabbage, kale, spinach, red lettuce, bok choi, bok choy, sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, dandelions and pumpkin.
   • Diet with vitamin A.: whole mice, yellow vegetables, dark leafy greens, food sprinkled with calcium carbonate, citrate or gluconate (do this every 2-4 weeks if the turtle is not getting enough food containing vitamin A).
     • Know what to do if your turtle is stubborn and does not want to eat. Try feeding him or her bright red, yellow, or orange foods or live animals to pique his or her interest. Feed the turtles when they are most active, which is early morning or late afternoon. You can also try misting the cage with water before feeding.
2. Give your turtle plenty of sunlight and heat. Your turtle needs direct sunlight to metabolize vitamin D3 and prevent calcium deficiencies. The light will not be effective if it only comes through the glass. It is recommended that your turtle has full spectrum lighting for at least 12-14 hours a day in addition to other light and heat sources. The indoor loft should not get colder than 15 degrees Celsius and should be around 21-27 degrees Celsius during the day.
   • Turn off any lights at night, but provide extra warmth from heat tape or heat pads if needed.
3. Know when your turtle is sick. If your turtle is sick, you need to be able to recognize his illness as soon as possible so that you can take him to the vet. Here are a few things to watch out for:
   • Changes in eating or other behavior for more than two weeks
   • Gray or whitish areas on the turtle's shell or skin
   • Softening of the shield
   • A dry or flaky shell
   • Dry, flaky or transparent skin
   • Skin with a red tint
   • Secretion from the nose
   • Swelling or bumps, especially near the ear
   • Foam or discharge on the sides of the mouth
4. Be prepared for hibernation. Your box turtle will want to hibernate during the four to six months of cold weather, depending on where you live. Have your turtle examined in advance by your veterinarian who is experienced with reptiles. Your vet is the best to answer all your hibernation questions. Make sure your turtle is protected from danger and that its water stays warm during this time.
5. Be careful with your turtle. Turtles don't like to be handled a lot, but you can also build a relationship with your turtle without trying to cuddle it. Turtles can bite when they're not happy, and those bites can really hurt! If you are calm and careful around your turtle, he will trust and love you. Feed it at the same time every day and soon enough you will build up a routine and your favorite scaly creature will be waiting for you. The better you get to know each other, the stronger your relationship will be.
   • If you have to pick him up, don't let his little paws dangle in a vacuum. Put a hand under his paws to make him feel more confident. Ideally, enjoy watching your box turtle hunt from a distance. It will usually be most active in the morning and around sunset.
   • Sometimes they like to eat from a spoon, but don't make your turtle dependent on it.
   • If you keep your turtle indoors, take it outside on nice days. But make sure to put him in a cage outside and keep an eye on him as they can run really fast! This should get your turtle excited, but don't let the change make him feel anxious.
   • Wash your hands before and after handling your turtle or your turtle's bowls. Keep yourself and your turtle happy and germ-free.

Tips

• If your turtle doesn't want to eat, tempt him / her with the two tastiest turtle foods: earthworms (turtles are attracted to their movement) and strawberries (turtles love the scent).
• Box turtles are unbeatable escape artists. Keep your living space well lit for escape routes as they climb and dig. You would be surprised at their urge to escape.
• Feed your turtle carrots.
• If you keep it in a terrarium, provide UVA and UVB lights.
• Never keep a turtle in a terrarium unless it is recovering from an illness or is unable to hibernate for some other reason and you must let it hibernate in the house.
• Seek out an experienced reptile vet before getting your turtle.
• If your turtle stays in its shell, it does not mean it is necessarily dead. It probably means he's hiding from something, or he's just annoyed.
• Do not use bedding that contains whole or chopped wood chips. They will irritate the skin.
• Collect a sample of his stool to have it tested for salmonella in a lab.
• If your turtle doesn't want to eat, soak it in water for a few minutes and then try again.

Warnings

• Wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handling turtles or their water. Their shedding can contain salmonella and unless you have them tested in a lab you just won't know.