Land Turtle Care Guidelines

Housing and Temperature Requirements:
A 20 gallon aquarium or larger is a good choice. For best results cover the bottom with artificial grass.  Do not use sand, gravel or corn cob bedding.  Locate the aquarium away from direct sunlight.

Box turtles must be kept warm or they will become inactive, and will stop eating. Maintain a temperature of 75-85 degrees in the cage. In the fall and winter months you will have to provide some warmth in the cage. An under-tank heating pad should be placed under the aquarium.

Outdoors: You can keep your box turtle outdoors in the summer. Place it in a fenced-in area with a shallow water dish, and a shaded area.

Sunlight:  Sunlight is very good for your turtles shell. So during warm weather let your turtle bask in direct sunlight whenever possible. A fenced in area of your yard with a shallow water dish is great. When the turtle is basking in direct sunlight make sure it also has access to a cooler shaded area.

Maintenance: Clean the bottom covering of your cage once or twice a month.

Food and Water Requirements:  Box turtles are mainly vegetarian, and like to feed by browsing. They should be offered a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables such as chopped carrots, lettuce, peas, beans, broccoli, strawberries, cucumber, ripe bananas, plums, chopped apples, and cantaloupe. Avoid lettuce.  They will also eat mealworms, and small amounts of canned dog food.  For convenience we sell special land turtle foods that provide all needed ingredients.

Turtles are creatures of habit. They should be fed about the same time and place each day. When you first get your turtle it will probably take at least a week before it begins to feed regularly.

Feeding Frequency: Offer your turtle food every day. Feed it a small amount. If it eats it all give it some more. Feed it as much as it wants, and remove any food that it does not eat after 3 hours. You may notice that some days your turtle will eat quite a bit, and other days little or nothing. This is normal, but be sure to offer food each day. If the turtle eats it all give him some more. You will find the turtles eat much more in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter. You will also find that most turtles fast at least one day a week, and sometimes eat less during the hottest summer days.

Water: Here is our recommended method of providing water:
Pick up your turtle and place it in a shallow dish of water once every two days. (Use a Kitty litter tray or a large dog dish) Allow your turtle to bath and drink its fill. Then allow it to crawl out or gently lift it out and place it back in its cage. It should be noted that the turtles mouth should not be pointed down when you pick it up. Empty the water out of the dish until the next time. This method prevents assures that your turtle baths and drinks only from clean water.

If you prefer to leave water in the cage all of the time be sure to change it daily. Water left in the cage too long may become foul, and can cause illness if the turtle tries to drink or bath in it.

Sexing and Breeding:  Box turtles are not always easy to sex, but in general the underside of the males are more depressed than the female. Sometimes the males also have a longer tail. In the case of the Eastern Box Turtle the males will have red eyes. Turtles mate shortly after coming out of hibernation. Females nest in June or July. Between 2 to 7 eggs are laid, which are buried in the ground. If you happen to find an egg from your turtle, just keep in dry and warm, and it may hatch in about 3 months.

Winter Care:  In nature box turtles dig a hole in the ground and hibernate through the winter. If you are keeping a local turtle you may want to release it back into the woods in early September.  To sustain you pet turtle through the winter you must keep it warm (78-84 degrees) so that its body metabolism does not slow down. Turtles which are not kept warm through the winter will often stop eating, loose weight and become ill.
Even with the best of care your turtles food consumption will be greatly reduced during the months of November to April.

Book:   We sell several books on box turtles.  If you plan on keeping one as a pet a book is essential.  Be sure to review the specific requirements of the species you own.

Problems:  If you keep your turtle in a warm, clean tank, and feed it well it should live a long healthy life. One problem to watch out for is swollen eye. This is usually caused by a vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin a supplements , and Cod liver oil are available at the store. If your turtle is sick give us a call. We may be able to recommend a solution, while in some cases we will recommend a veterinarian.
 

Elmer's Aquarium    Mon-Fri  10-9:30  Sunday   12-5    4005 William Penn Hwy.  Monroeville Pa 15146    412-372-6535

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