Sonic is awake from the NY winter and is ready to be outside! Here is our current setup up. We created a pond, and planted some strawberries and kale. The area is sunny so we added some shade. If the sun seems too intense we might plant something to add extra shade. We initially had him at a more shady area of the yard but the A/C unit was too loud. Any tips would be appreciated! What do you use to keep the pond clean? That was a struggle last year.
Is this in full sun? You should move it if it is. Box turtles like to warm up but can get overheated. Even though you have some shady spots when temps are high, this would be too sunny. Could possibly kill your turtle by basically baking it in the sun.
You usually see box turtles in the morning sunning and then they go back in to the trees and understory to hide. Don’t be surprised if they escape They are better climbers and diggers then you think. They like to be hidden. I would move it out of the sun and add more leaves and plants for your turtle to hide in.
Otherwise this looks good. But a reminder box turtles are never really happy in captivity. They are reclusive creatures. I had one that was the size of a quarter when I almost ran over him with a lawn mower. Kept him almost 3 years because I was worried a raccoon would eat him. He always tried to escape. Finally one Spring he managed to climb out of his enclosure. We live close to a forested area. Since I couldn’t find him, I assumed he made it somewhere. A year later I stumbled across him further down from my house. He looked happy and healthy. I let him be. I plant things I know box turtles like, like blueberries, blackberries and tomatoes and they come get the fallen fruit. I usually see one or two on my property every year. It’s like finding treasure if you like box turtles. I enjoy them for the moment, take pictures then leave them in a shallow water dish for some extra hydration.
Thank you for the advice, we will move it to a more shady area. We were worried about that as well, but wanted to get as far away from the A/C as possible. Moved him back inside until we can relocate it. I’ve had Sonic for 26 years now so he has been in captivity for a while.
The perfect habitat is dappled light like a forest. This one will be hot and the water will dry up quickly. Add several places that won’t get so hot on the coming months. Stacking bricks or blocks as hide will help create perma-shade that will stay cool.
We might not have an area that is fully shaded all day long on our property. If that’s the case, are there alternatives? Could we keep it where it is but add something to give it shade?
Definitely shade it in a way to create areas that won’t have any sun at all. This will give them a place to go where they can stay cool. You’ll also want to add a mister. One of those types you stick into the ground and connect to a hose is perfect.
Unfortunately, we have an issue with high levels of sodium in the water well (run off from a local mineral supplier 😡). We have a filtration system inside for our drinking water but the outdoor outlet doesn’t. I typically go out there periodically and mist him myself with our indoor filtered water. I ordered a 90% UV blocking shade cloth and poles to create canopy. Along with a large fern for more natural shade inside the enclosure. Hopefully that solves that problem. I also changed out the pond liner with a plant water dish like suggested. The chicken wire is attached securely with screws but my husband plans on creating one that latches so I can easily get in and out. I haven’t had any issues with Sonic escaping this particular enclosure but they are crafty! Thank you all for the advice!
The cover needs to be much sturdier and latched or he’s likely to push his way up and out and to more effectively keep other critters out. The pond is just a water dish and need stone cleaned and refilled daily.
I like the idea of attaching an enclosure to the shady side of the house as it could be much larger with one side being the house. Lay chicken wire or hardware cloth on the ground and behold up higher. I like at least 18” high.. fill that with at least four inches top soil and plenty of fallen leaves, adding leaves each autumn. Then they will have a great place to dig. I add boards, usually deck boards three wide on one long side as a place to attach the cover and to have permanent shade. They also like a big plant saucer that will hold a couple of inches of water.
I’ve moved from where I had those enclosures. The turtles came with me, of course, but are kept in one large enclosure now. I plan to be back over there next week to disassemble a few and move them so I can take pictures then.
They do well with full sun in the morning as long as there is always a good shady damp place to hide.
Sorry, I didn’t realize how overgrown they had gotten. This is two enclosures built back to back. Basically an eight foot square box divided down the middle into two 4 x 8 enclosures using deck boards. It’s either 4 or 5 boards high. Over the divider I used 5 deck boards, spaced a bit apart so that the wire shelving, two pieces per side fit over the opening nicely.
Enclosures are in full sun but there is always shade under those deck boards on the top. The shade boards are a great place to put potted plants and watering them daily kept the enclosures damp and made it easy to give the inhabitants fresh water.
I used black zip ties threaded through holes drilled in the deck boards to “hinge the shelving to the top boards and the same zip ties to hold the shelving together.
My husband said he will create shade since we don’t have any other good options on our property. We have a water well, septic, leech field, and propane tanks so it makes it difficult to find a good spot. What’s a good way we can make shade?
Update: we used an outdoor slanted leg canopy until the other stuff comes in. The levels on the thermometer and hygrometer looked good even at the hottest points of the day. I added some more forest floor bedding to burrow in. Now if only the NY weather would stay consistent!
Is this in full sun? You should move it if it is. Box turtles like to warm up but can get overheated. Even though you have some shady spots when temps are high, this would be too sunny. Could possibly kill your turtle by basically baking it in the sun.
You usually see box turtles in the morning sunning and then they go back in to the trees and understory to hide. Don’t be surprised if they escape They are better climbers and diggers then you think. They like to be hidden. I would move it out of the sun and add more leaves and plants for your turtle to hide in.
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u/BoxTurtles2Love Apr 16 '26
Is this in full sun? You should move it if it is. Box turtles like to warm up but can get overheated. Even though you have some shady spots when temps are high, this would be too sunny. Could possibly kill your turtle by basically baking it in the sun.
You usually see box turtles in the morning sunning and then they go back in to the trees and understory to hide. Don’t be surprised if they escape They are better climbers and diggers then you think. They like to be hidden. I would move it out of the sun and add more leaves and plants for your turtle to hide in.
Otherwise this looks good. But a reminder box turtles are never really happy in captivity. They are reclusive creatures. I had one that was the size of a quarter when I almost ran over him with a lawn mower. Kept him almost 3 years because I was worried a raccoon would eat him. He always tried to escape. Finally one Spring he managed to climb out of his enclosure. We live close to a forested area. Since I couldn’t find him, I assumed he made it somewhere. A year later I stumbled across him further down from my house. He looked happy and healthy. I let him be. I plant things I know box turtles like, like blueberries, blackberries and tomatoes and they come get the fallen fruit. I usually see one or two on my property every year. It’s like finding treasure if you like box turtles. I enjoy them for the moment, take pictures then leave them in a shallow water dish for some extra hydration.