Habitat - Indoor :: Questions on.. is it okay if..?

[tracksweetie_15]

I have a mixture of peat moss and soil(plain without styrofoam beads) and then plants?? then of course a water dish and lighting

Also, how do you recomend i put the light on it.. theres no screen and i have a light that would normally be set on something

this is for my new box turtle that my friend and i are taking care of

THANKS EVERYONE!

[bently11]

Well, I would recommend getting a screen top, or you could find a clamp attachment so you can clip it to the side. Also, I would post this in the other turtle discussion because people will think you're talking about a red ear slider turtle.

[tracksweetie_15]

is there any way to move it? otherwise, im stuck with it here.. sorry!

[theartbook35]

Uh... Not to be invasive, but we have a box turtle and tortoise discussion board here. Could a moderator move this please? The thread starter would get more answers that way.

[tracksweetie_15]

I know, i found that out after i posted it.. sorry guys

[theartbook35]

I know, i found that out after i posted it.. sorry guys

It's no big deal, really. You don't have to apologize. This is a very big forum, and it took me two months to realize there was an equipment discussion board, as well as the box turtle/tortoise board.

[tracksweetie_15]

okay, yeah, im just tryin to look around for different forums, i own painted, but have never owned a land turtle

[papoopeepoo]

Hopefully your friendship lasts as long as your boxxie does.

I would recommend a potting or top soil that does not have the foam balls (generally perlite). I'm pretty sure they're just there to help retain moisture for plant roots, but I'm not sure how turtle-safe it is. To be on the safe side I'd stick to the peat moss and plain potting soil.

For lighting, Exo-Terra (?) has a lamp stand you can find in various locations that will position your lamp over the cage. Make sure your bulb/s emit UVB and heat.

Is your turtle in an aquarium with glass walls? If so, put construction paper along the outside of the glass so that the turtle cannot see outside. If he can see out, he won't notice the glass and will try persistently to walk right out.


Check out http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for very good care sheets. If you know the type of turtle you have it will speed up your process very much. If you don't then post a picture of him and someone here will be able to identify him for you.

Good luck!

[tracksweetie_15]

he is an eastern box turtle.. sorry forgot about the specifics, he(99% sure a she) is going to be in a glass tank with construction paper(thanks) and thanks for the reassurance on the soil mixture.. im not sure about my lighting, thats the problem, it doesnt say anything on it, i used to use it for my gecko, i have that and i also have a red infered light?? i think.. its a red bulb.

[papoopeepoo]

The red bulb isn't much good unless you want to use it for heat. Red lights are usually used for night basking (because reptiles cannot see them well). If you're worried about the temp getting too low at night you can keep that on overnight, just don't let the tank overheat.

Light bulbs that let out UVB will specifically say so. There are coil flourescent bulbs for reptiles at pet stores. I had trouble with these in the past so I don't have one to recommend for you. This leaves you with a source of heat to take care of. You can either use that red bulb, or a variety of other things (regular house hold bulb [75watt works for many], ceramic heat emitters). Additionally, you can buy a slightly more expensive Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) which will give off UVB, UVA and heat. I recommend the Mega-Ray 100SB bulb from http://www.reptileuv.com. Their measurement are very precise, and the UVB given out is in healthy amounts.

[tracksweetie_15]

okay, i also wonder what kind of bulb i have in the silver thing haha, very hard to describe and i cant take a pic right now, but a whitish bulb .. i have no clue used to use it for lighting or uv for the gecko, i cant remember it was about 2 years ago.. i also have a heating pad, should i use that at all or no?

[papoopeepoo]

The heating pad is useful. Keep it on one side (such as the side with the basking area) to help the turtle thermoregulate when she needs to. Thermoregulation is vital for a happy turtle, or any reptile for that matter.

I may be able to identify your bulb if you'd like. But if it's been working for two years I doubt it's an UVB bulb.

[tracksweetie_15]

i used it for a couple months, then the gecko died of an illness, havent used it since

[tracksweetie_15]

here is my light fixture, can you tell me what it is?
first::

second::

and here is sammie hiding, haha, you can barely see him underneath the plants, we were changing his tank! now he is in his home all hidden haha
sammie::

[tracksweetie_15]

anyone?!?