Three Toed Box Turtles outdoors year round?

[Henry-flash]

Is it possible to keep them in an outdoor setup year round in the UK? If so what sort of setup would you need to make it possible?

All replies much appreciated.

[Kirkie]

Hello Pete,

I'd say it's a big yes and quite feasible. I'm in the middle of redoing my three toed setups, around 8 ft x 4 ft would be ok for a small group, they're not exactly huge. A coldframe is good, sink a tub in the ground under the coldframe, fill it with soil and mulch and you have a suitable hibernation site for them. Plenty of plant cover, they live in places like the edge of woodland and plants help keep the humidity up. I feel planting helps them overcome their shyness. Plenty of hiding places, logs, curved cork bark. Logs help attract slugs, snails, worms and stuff, natural forage for them. I use big seed trays with about 3-4 inches of water as pools for the adults. My substrate is peat based compost, sphagnum moss, mulch all mixed together. Boxies like to build scrapes in the ground called forms. They'll sit for hours mostly buried with their head and neck extended, sitting in a little humid microclimate. I also spray the enclosure daily during the summer. I do grow weeds in there and the three toed have eaten them on occasion.

In some ways they are more suited to our climate than med tortoises. They are very active on warm overcast days though they do bask, mine will choose a secluded spot to do so.

All in all great little animals, more like very small puppies than turtles at times. I find three toed a little more shy and aloof than my Ornates, who are nutters. They are very bright and also great climbers, very powerful and have no trouble pulling their body weight up vertical surfaces so enclosures need either very high climb proof sides or a good wire mesh cover.

I don't provide any additional heat and they are excellent hibernators. The wind down takes a little longer, maybe as temperate animals they're more cold tolerent and as you may know they're not afraid to get up half way through and stretch their legs if there's a warm day during the winter. It was a bugger trying to get them down artificially.

I took the precaution of hibernating mine away from their enclosures this winter, my first with them but I will be following Sandys sunken tub in the coldframe idea for the adults this winter I think. This year just gone, I gave the youngsters a short hibernation of between 4-8 weeks, no extremely low temperatures for the small ones during this period, around 10-15 degrees. Its a "cooling period". They just bury themselves until it gets warm again but come out raring to go.

[Ozric Jonathan]

Thats really got me interested as well. And I've got so many slugs for them to eat!

[Kirkie]

Hi Jonathan,

They will solve your slug problem in weeks. You'll be wondering where they all went. Snails too, no problem. Even the big ones. Ornates go in through the top of the shell, no messing about.

[Ozric Jonathan]

I mustn't get too carried away but they do sound like they might do alright here. So the boxies do well in damp conditions? I wouldn't have any problem providing that, or the temperate climate.

I would have to think carefully about my garden space because they would need some sun on their enclosure. Think I'll read up on them a bit!

[Henry-flash]

Thanks for the info Dave! As with most things it's all come upon me all of a sudden having been asked to rehome 7 of them. I've been looking at keeping them for a while, but hadn't planned on it being so soon. Obviously before I take them I need to be sure I can provide the right environment for them.

I have an empty enclosure in mind, previously housing Hingebacks until I had a reshuffle. It already has a coldframe and is heavily planted, so with a little modification to the coldframe base it should hopefully be the making of a decent enclosure for them.

[egyptiandan64]

It shouldn't be any problem at all Pete with keeping most T.carolina subspecies outside 24/7 where you are.

Danny

[Kirkie]

Good for you Pete. I can't stress enough how much fun they are once they've settled in.

Try and have a word with Sandy if you can, she's been keeping hers outside for some time now, I just copy her!

If you can, get hold of a copy of "North American Box Turtles - A Natural History" by C Kenneth Dodd and "The complete American Box Turtle" by Carl Franklin and David Killpack.

[Kirkie]

Originally Posted by Ozric Jonathan

I mustn't get too carried away but they do sound like they might do alright here. So the boxies do well in damp conditions? I wouldn't have any problem providing that, or the temperate climate.

I would have to think carefully about my garden space because they would need some sun on their enclosure. Think I'll read up on them a bit!

They like a bit of humidity Jonathan, thats for sure. And they do all their best hunting during and after a rain shower.

[Box girl]

A short note to add to Kirkies good info the enclosure must be secure both below and above as they will burrow and will climb! I use chicken wire buried 6" down and cover the enclosure with the same. Makes sure you don't lose any!
What species of box turtle are you rehoming?