While many people enjoy a nice dog as a family pet, there are actually many people that find them very troublesome and opt for something a little less time consuming. There are a great number of retile enthusiasts out there these days, and with the choices and options as to what your pet will be are staggering. What has really become a very popular choice these days is the box turtle.
There are currently four varieties of North American box turtle that are in the pet stores, and two Asia breeds that are now becoming increasingly popular. Whichever box turtle you choose really means little, as they all tend to have the same traits and lifestyles. There are of course many things to consider when bringing home a new pet, box turtles are no exception to this rule. It is always best to have the pets environment prepared prior to bringing them home for the first time, as this will relieve some of the stress that will surely follow the trip from the store to your home.
The more sensible way to ensure your turtle will make a safe and happy transition is to have the dwelling prepared ahead of time and have everything that you will need right at your fingertips. While many people would consider housing the turtle in an outdoor enclosure, this is not the safest of practices and is not recommended for your pet. You will want to have an aquarium that is a minimum of 40 gallons and should not have any cracks or shards or glass sticking out where the turtle can hurt itself. You will need to make sure that the tank is tall enough that the turtle cannot climb out of and escape; generally a larger tank will be high enough to keep them contained.
It is not advisable for you to use sand or rocks for a substrate in the enclosure as it can scratch or cut the turtle’s shell giving way to a build up of harmful bacteria or infection for the turtle, which will be hard to treat. It is best to use a good potting soil that does not contain perlite or vermiculite, as that can be very harmful to the turtle and make them very sick. This potting soil should remain moist at all times. This does not mean that it needs to be saturated, rather gently misted with a spray bottle everyday will be sufficient.
You will want to place some mix of soil with shredded orchid bark. You may use plain fir or orchid bark, or deep drifts of alfalfa. This will offer the turtle something to burrow in, as they enjoy crawling in areas such as this. It is never a good idea to place anything in the tank that will be difficult for the turtle to get through as it can introduce stress or injury to the turtle. Make the substrate as soft and comfortable as possible, and your turtle will love you for it. As turtles are naturally shy animals, you will want to put a hide box into the tank as well. This will give them a shelter and offer them some privacy should they want to be left alone. This can be making from many different materials however; most turtle owners simply place a cardboard box inside the tank with an opening cut out of the front of the box. Inside this house there should be an ample supply of the same materials that are throughout the rest of the dwelling. This will give the turtle something to burrow in and allow them the chance to hide when desired.
Turtles love to swim and offering them their own wading pool is a good way to keep them happy. If your tank is large enough you could place a small litter box or Tupperware bowl that is rectangular in shape inside the tank. Make sure that it is recessed in the substrate and offer some form of ramp for the turtle to get in and out of the wading pool with ease. You will need to change the water in this pool regularly as it will become fouled and the turtle will more than likely defecate in their pool, which will lead to serious health issues if not changed and cleaned regularly.
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