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Wintering Box Turtles

Turtles such as the eastern box turtle, Emydidae Terrapene Carolina, need to over winter out side in as close to their natural habitat as possible.    The process is absolutely required for breading.    There are many hazards to wintering tutles.    Some are poor health, food in the gut, poor habitat, and predation.    The enclosure shown in the pictures is meant to address two of the threats, habitat and predation.    Turtles do not go into a long lasting slumber but they do slow down and reduce thier activity.    In their natural habitat, they search out sheltered locations.    These locations are often at the base of trees or the trunks of fallen trees that collect deep piles of leaves and soft soil.    These conditions allow turtles to burrow down to escape freezing temperatures.    Turtles have been found deeper than thought possible, nearly two feet when the soil conditions are right.

This wintering pen attempts to create the optimal conditions.    The site was selected to a provide a woodland habitat, proper drainage, indirect sunlight and soft soil.    Drainage is important so that water does not cause drowning or mud that would make it hard dig out or deeper.    To prevent wide and sudden temperature swings direct sunlight was avoided.   

The design and construction contains the turtle and excludes predators.    The bottom is lined and the lid is covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. The sides are eight inch concrete block.    The hardware cloth extends to the outside of the block.    This excludes borrowing rodents which can attack the turtles.    The edges of the hardware cloth are folded over towards the block for safety.    There are fourteen block per layer arranged with gaps not to exceed 1/4 inch again to exclude rodents.    They form a 45 inch square on the inside.    The dirt dug from the hole is is used as backfill and returned to the the interior.   Next a large log is placed inside to replicated natural habitat.    Leaves from the forest floor are placed inside first.    Use gloves as the object is to include the creepy crawlers that are food for the turtles till they stop eating and again in spring.    On top of these leaves a few leafy branches are placed inside.    The leafy branches add loft to the leaves when the snow compacts leaves. Another eight to twelve inches of oak and tulip tree leaves are added.    Oak and tulip tree leaves tend to hold their loft while most other leaves compact.    Finally the lid is installed and secured to prevent raccoons and other predators from lifting the lid and entering the enclosure.    If the enclosure is is to be used for more than just the coldest months, a shallow water pond will be needed.