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As far as pets go, box turtles are pretty easy.  They don't shed, they don't bark and they don't pee on the carpet!

My husband has had Boxy since he was in first grade, which makes her at least 30 years old.  She was fully grown when he got her, so she could be significantly older than 30.  Boxy has such a sweet temperament.  She actually likes being handled and she enjoys people talking to her.  She is also incredibly intelligent.  If I say "Hello Boxy" she will turn and look at me,  but if I say "I'm hungry" in the same tone, she won't bother to look, she totally knows her name and when I am talking to her!  Isn't she a cutie!?

Boxy - checking out her new terrarium decor

Franklin is a male box turtle we adopted from the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.  He is quite feisty!  He was not in great shape when he came to us - his shell was cracked in several places and had deep ridges (a sign of malnutrition).  So, his temperament could be the result of being "stolen" from the wild as an adult, or he could have been mistreated as a pet.  In any case, he is with us now and we love him - spunky personality and all!

Franklin - munching on baby packet salmon.

Box turtles require large habitats, both indoors and out.  The smallest recommended size for a habitat is 18 square feet.  Unfortunately, ours have only 8 square feet (each) when indoors.  At one point I had built an outdoor enclosure that had about 20 square feet, but I built it back when I had about 1 month of woodworking experience and it quickly failed.  The lid broke, the wood I chose rotted - it was pretty much a disaster.  That enclosure sat in our yard for a year.  Useless.

First Generation habitat: it looked good at first...but quickly became a useless garbage pile in the backyard.

So, we finally got to work on building the NEW and improved habitat.  My husband worked his buns off leveling a huge space of dirt out back and then laying cinder blocks down as a "foundation". Then I got to work building the enclosure, a 16' x 4' turtle mansion! Today, Boxy and Franklin have been enjoying their new habitat for about a week, and they look happier already!  They each have 32 square feet of turtle heaven to enjoy!

The finished habitat, the legs go through a cinder block foundation, and then into the ground an additional 6".

My favorite part of the build - these doors!  Nicer than the ones in my house!

Here is the habitat in place on top of the blocks and filled with substrate!  Hooray! 

Habitat details:  the sides are made of redwood, the doors are all made of cedar.  I used S2S cedar 1x4 boards to save some money.  The doors all have thick gauge hardware cloth attached from the inside with heavy duty staples ( a LOT of heavy duty staples!).  I used Kreg pocket hole joinery throughout the project (including the paneled doors), and I used ALL Kreg screws for the build.  Finally, I finished it with a non-toxic oil finish made of vegetable oil and extracted wood oil.  I had randomly come across the finish at World Market, and it seems to be working GREAT!

Normally, all of my projects are done with free, nearly free, or clearance materials.  My bathroom remodel cost us around $75.  This project is the exception to my upcycling rule, it is one of the most expensive things I have ever built, costing us more than my full bathroom remodel and kitchen remodel COMBINED.  Total cost (including cinder blocks, lumber, screws, finish, hinges, handles and hardware cloth) rang in at approximately $340. But, I still can't complain!  I really love it, and it will stand the test of time out in the backyard....and I think the turtles love it too :)

If you are interested in building something like this on your own, please contact me for plans, tips and tools needed to complete the build.

For more information on box turtles and their habitat requirements, please visit:
The Box Turtle Care and Conservation Website
Box Turtle World

For information on what plants you CAN'T plant with your box turtles, please visit:
The California Turtle and Tortoise Club

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