The american animal hospital association recommends a minimum aquarium size of 20 gallons for a box turtle.
Eastern box turtle habitat aquarium.
With that said the best indoor habitat for your little pets is a custom built turtle table with a built in water feature.
Just because box turtles don t need even 1 of the water that aquatic turtles do doesn t mean that they can be put into tiny aquariums.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about eastern box turtles.
They can be found in forests wetlands meadows prairie edges and freshwater lakes streams and ponds.
It prefers land to water but enjoys very moist conditions.
You can use a plastic container a glass aquarium or a turtle table but avoid wire cages since they re not safe for turtles.
Eastern box turtle habitat.
Due to their slow metabolisms they reach maturity at around 4 years old.
In the temperate united states eastern box turtles have a very wide habitat range.
They re highly susceptible to human activity and are often hit by cars and agricultural machinery.
The eastern box turtle is classified as vulnerable due to habitat fragmentation and destruction as well as illegal collection for the pet trade.
A good size for your indoor box turtle habitat.
If you can t house your aquatic turtles outdoors in a pond due to your local climate or that they are still small juveniles you can keep them indoors in an aquarium.
They do not reach their full size until they are around 20.
To create an indoor box turtle habitat start by getting a container that s at least 3 square feet per every 8 inches long your turtle is.
Eastern box turtles live at least 40 years.
You may also need to keep your turtle inside all year because you live in an apartment you have cool weather year round etc.
A common overlooked aspect of box turtle care is cage size.
In many areas the winter is too cold to leave box turtles outside and hibernating your turtle is risky.
Eastern box turtles are found in the wild across the eastern united states though their numbers are dwindling.
In the wild box turtles occupy relatively arge areas and providing an enclosure that offers plenty of room is essential to permanently keep them in captivity.
The eastern box turtle is the state reptile of both tennessee and north carolina.