I wanted to keep a box turtles, and wanted to know if a 20 inch by 10 inch tank would be large enough.?

Question

The tank is 20 inches long, and 10 inches wide. It is a ten gallon tank. I have another tank that is ten gallons, but with different dimensions, that I'm not sure of, but it looks larger than this one.

The turtle is probably about 6.5-7 inches long.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g301/chubbs838/IMG_1637.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g301/chubbs838/IMG_1636.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g301/chubbs838/IMG_1640.jpg

Forgive my boyfriend's horrid pictures, and his probably horrid caretaking skills of the turtle, he is only keeping it for 2 days until I can come and get it.

Also, can anyone tell me if I will need a heating lamp of any kind, and if I regular aquarium lid and light would be enough to heat the tank.

Answer 1

If you must keep your boxies in a container in the house, a good suggestion would be a plastic cement tub, which is about $16 at Lowes and Home Depot.  If you have room outside and are unable to build a pen or use a flower bed, you could also use a rabbit hutch (3 feet by 4 feet) so they will have room to walk around.  Do not plan on keeping a male or a female together in such a confined area however.   The female will be totally stressed and may become injured because the male will constantly bother her.  Also, if a female becomes pregnant, she will need dirt to lay her eggs, or she will become egg bound and die.  Box turtles really do need to be outside.

Answer 2

you really need at least a 20 gal tank for this turtle for it to have a little room to move around in

you won't need a heat lamp unless you use it during the winter

Answer 3

That is incredibly small for a box turtle that size. I personally wouldn't go any smaller than 4 feet by 2 feet. Box turtles like to be able to move around or they will become stressed.

Answer 4

not big anoth way bigger

Answer 5

10 gallons is nowhere near large enough. You can buy huge rubbermaid containers for like 8 dollars or less to make an enclosure for it. Each pair of my box turtles have a homemade pen that is 6 feet long and 3 feet wide but I have used rubbermaids if I run out of room.That is an adorable boxie. Here is an excellent caresheet for box turtles

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs...

You will also need a UVB light as well as a heat light for the turtle. Not a UVA light a UVB light to keep it's calcium levels up for the shell growth and to .aintain it's health

Sorry forgot to answer about the superworms. You can absolutely feed them superworms.

Answer 6

If at all possible, build an outdoor enclosure for them.  Make it as large as you can.  Natural sunlight is so much better for them and they will be healthier and happier.

If you must keep them inside, forget about the tank.  It's too small.  Get the largest rubber made container you can find.  Get one that is not see through.  You will need a heat source and a UV lamp (unless you can expose him to sunlight every day.)

You can feed them meal worms (super worms are better) night crawlers, earthworms ... etc.  They also need greens, fruits and vegetables.  Don't forget a calcium supplement.

Box turtles are not easy pets.  They require a lot of specialized care.  The best site to learn more about their care is:

www.boxturtlesite.info

Good luck to you and your turtles!  :)