General Care Discussion :: Nest Box

[johnQguy]

Hi everyone!

Is there a thread on this forum somewhere that discusses nest boxes? I am looking for ideas and suggestions given that the outdoor pond we have does not have a suitable land area for egg laying.

Our pond was designed and built before we understood the husbandry requirements that are optimal for the health of females. After the pond was constructed, we received a couple very large females and they occasionally lay their eggs in the water, but (of course) nowhere near the normal clutch size and of course, they never make it.

I want to give our females an easy way to access a land area (filled with the best type of soil) safely and lay their eggs so they are not retained. My initial idea is to build an enclosed nest box with ramp that straddles the end of the pond. It would be constructed and located in a way that will not allow the turtles to escape, and would be removable when it is not needed.

Here is my design idea...

- Wood construction to straddle the skimmer\intake end of the pond
- Located over the flagstone.
- Wood ramp allows females to enter from middle of pond, over flagstone.
- Locking chicken wire wood-framed roof with hinges for easy access and sunlight.
- Dimensions can be extended to make the box bigger, if necessary.

Here is the end of the pond that I want to to add the box to. (Note the basking area in this picture has since been shifted away from the end)




Is this a good plan? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks!

[megcornell]

I don't think an enclosed box would entice gravid turtles inside.
It's my understanding that they lay their clutches in open soil. I would keep the top of the "box" open. You certainly can wall it up a little higher to prevent sand from entering your pool and the pond. As for removing it when not needed, with multiple females this may not be a good idea, you don't want one to be gravid when the box isn't there and retain her eggs. I think it'd benefit you more to make a great looking nest site that you'd like to keep up all the time.

Here is a link to the site's section on nesting:
http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html
In this section there is also a good link to the tortoise trust website on nest sites.
There are a few good pictures of aquatic turtle nest sites on it, maybe one or two can inspire your set site.

[johnQguy]

Thanks! Yeah, this idea is out. I am going to work on a permanent beach addition instead.

[SpotsMama]

A beach would be nice. Turtles tend to be fussy about their nesting area. Some people haven't been able to entice them to use and indoor nest box but have had luck simply letting them wander around the yard when they start acting gravid (always supervised of course) and choosing their own spot. I think they usually choose a flower bed or someplace similar that's sheltered where the ground is somewhat soft.

Beautiful setup, by the way. Wish I were your turtle!

[untsmurf]

You could build a ramp into a box where the floor is lower than the top of the ramp. Then you can build up the walls so they can't escape. Here's a pic of what I'm thinking:

[johnQguy]

Yeah, I suggested letting Big Mama roam (supervised) around the yard to my wife and she didn't feel comfortable with that idea. :/ Besides, 11 of the 13 we have are females, so we definitely need a permanent beach-type fixture added.

Christi... that's exactly what I ended up designing before I realized that long term, I'd hate how awkward it would look. Even if I made it with bricks, it would still stick out.

I am now planning on building an island out of a 50 Gallon Rubbermaid Stock Tank, filled with 50/50 sand and organic compost. It will be submerged in the small side of the pond with the pass through removed so the turtles can move into that area freely. If that works out, then I may do a permanent conversion of the small chamber into a beach zone.

Thanks!

[steve]

I did see some beach-like nesting areas before. Not on our forum, it was someone else's photo gallery. I think I have them saved locally, I'll see if I can dig them up...

Although sand won't be the best substrate, it would be a good idea to let them roam around (one at a time ). They will have the instinct to pick the safest spot.

[steve]

This isn't mine, but might give you an ideas:




*update* The beach version was an indoor setup. That's all I can find for now...

[johnQguy]

That's nice! Ugh.. I'm disappointed that I didn't include a beach in the design of our pond. Unfortunately, it would take a ton of work to re-frame it with a beach around the perimeter. We ended up getting a 50 gallon stock tank, submerging it to the water level on top of bricks and filling it with the compost\sand mixture. It makes for a good basking area also.



I have the webcam trained on it now with video recording any movement. We'll see how it goes. They are swimming around checking it out at the moment, but I am sure as they get used to it being there, they will use it to bask at least. I change the logs around a lot and it usually takes them a couple days to build confidence and use them regularly.

Thanks!

[Swaypippin]

looks wonderful! You could even plant some type of bushes or flowers in there, maybe that would make the egg laying females feel safer because it gives them somewhere to hide.

[steve]

Wow, you guys work fast! From your webcam, it looks like a popular basking area

[untsmurf]

Wow, that looks great! I agree with the planting idea.

[johnQguy]

These pics should update every time motion is detected. They have been exploring it all day. I also added a ramp to the front end.

[untsmurf]

There's like nine turtles basking right not [heaven]

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Sorry,you couldn't do the beach thing,but it looks nice!