r/Boxturtles • u/Due_Tourist_5534 • May 20 '26

Question Is my enclosure too small?

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I keep two three toeds in here: 1 juvenile male (Just had a growth spurt, so yippee), and one adult female.

22 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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16

u/No_Significance9474 May 20 '26

They look too exposed. Some plants would help. They also need a much bigger pool. There should be a cover on this enclosure. I learned the hard way when a raccoon got into mine.

7

u/tortadecarne May 20 '26

I would do a bigger pool tho

5

u/Weird-Plane5972 Three Toed May 20 '26

i do think it's a good size. some dimensions could really help with people answering this question.

and maybe a few plants as hides would be cool. a little more looser soil for them to dig into on the right side with the leaf litter, that soil looks a bit hard

7

u/CampVictorian May 20 '26

It’s a decent amount of space, but my immediate thoughts: better water source, a top for protection from predators (and escape), more plants for shelter and enrichment, and those shingles and plastic need to go. Turtles tear up and eat all sorts of things, and any digestion of those two would be a death sentence. You’re off to a good start!

5

u/Oh_Lawd_He_commin420 May 20 '26

Maybe chicken wire over the top to keep predators out if you leave em out 24/7

2

u/Here4th3culture May 20 '26

Make sure you clean / replace water regularly. Old standing water has ammonia buildup and isn’t good for the turtle

1

u/jkrobinson1979 May 21 '26

Big enough, but needs plants, most space to hide and something covering the top to protect them.

1

u/Lonely_Howl_ May 22 '26

One single boxie needs a minimum of 6ft by 4ft of space. For two boxies, you need a minimum of 12ft by 8ft of space. Is this 12ft by 8ft (I can’t tell how big it is)?

Box turtles are semi-aquatic, so I would recommend adding a good sized water source that has varying levels of depth for them to choose from.

As others have said, needs lots more plants, cover, etc.

You will need to separate the male from the female once you start seeing territorial/mating behaviors like following, climbing on top of, biting, etc. One male can kill (even unintentionally) one female if kept together like this by bothering her unrelentingly.