The Complete 3 Toed Box Turtle Enclosure Setup!!!

in this video I will be giving you a comprehensive overview of my three-toed box turtle setup everything that I show you in this video will be in the description so that you the viewer can easily access any of the content on the internet with the links that I've provided I also put approximate prices of each item so that if you are new to owning a three-toed box turtle then you will have a basic idea of what the startup costs will be [Music] I've been a three-toed box turtle owner for over 30 years in that time I've done a lot of research on what the best setup for my turtles should be all these things that I will be sharing with you in this video is based on my experience and research to start off I have a terrarium placed on either a fish tank stand or an end table I've seen many different types of stands on the internet but these fish tank stands seem to be the best fit for each terrarium I found them online at the PetSmart website but supply for these specific stands seem to come and go quick each terrarium is a 40 gallon Zoo Med double door naturalistic terrarium the terrarium is complete with SNAP and place lockable doors front and top ventilation and a stainless steel screen on top to place light fixtures it also comes with a nature-like backdrop that I've placed outside on the back side of the cage for the turtle to have scenery pretty much every pet store will have these in stock if you have a chance to go to a pet or reptile expo I highly recommend visiting one the prices of all these items are considerably cheaper when you purchase them at an expo for the lighting I use two different light sources I use a deep dome lamp on the hot or basking side with a 100 watt UV bulb on the cold side I use a fluorescent 5 watt UVB bulb housed in a terrarium Hood fixture both lights are plugged into a Zoo Med terrarium controller power strip on one side of the power strip the outlets act like that of any normal power strip on the other side anything plugged into these Outlets is linked to a timer dial there is a main switch that controls the entire strip and a smaller white Switch that is linked to the timed Outlets I have all my lighting plugged into the timed Outlets while everything else is plugged into the standard outlet this strip is super helpful in allowing your turtles to have a proper circadian cycle within their habitats [Music] for the turtle substrate I'm currently using one bag of repticip coconut bedding it comes in a compressed block and needs to be hydrated in order to break apart and separate the 72 quart size is enough to fill an entire terrarium floor a thick layer of bedding gives the turtles ample depth to hone their Natural Instincts of digging and hiding in nature this would take place after a big meal to avoid Predators thus allowing for undisturbed digestion it is best to change the bedding every six months but if kept clean it can last up to a year I feed my box turtles in separate containers outside of their terrarium this not only prolongs the life of the substrate but it also trains your turtles not to bite you while handling them inside their habitat using their mouths for biting or any other means will only be associated with them eating any feeding container keep an eye on your turtle's hind leg pits as some of the bedding can get stuck the next time that I replace their bedding I will be switching to two bags of fine coconut fiber this type of thing only seems to happen to the bigger adult turtles but I think overall according to recent research the fine coconut substrate will be much better for them along with heating the terrarium from above with lighting it is also important to give your turtles a heat Source From Below on the hot side I use an under the tank heating pad it comes with a sticky side to it to adhere the pad to the glass but the sticky substance eventually wears off because of this I use professional grade foil tape to keep it permanently in place the under the tank heater is also connected to a rheostat which can adjust the heat manually I have it set to high which gives me a reading of around 85 degrees Fahrenheit on the hot side with my digital thermometer [Music] the cold side should read no less than 75 degrees Fahrenheit both temperatures should be read right at the turtle's ground level directly above the substrate water and humidity are also an important part in the daily life of a three-toed box turtle for each terrarium I use a Zoo Med repto ramp large bowl I also use a water conditioner in their water supply which removes and detoxifies contaminants while also adding ions and electrolytes this ensures that each Turtle has the best water supply available [Music] I changed the water consistently throughout the day this is super important it is wise to check the water even if it looks relatively clean because turtles like to pee in the water as well as poop in my experience a turtle will drink from the clean water then poop or pee in it soon afterwards and then exit the water bowl they typically will not come back to the Water Source again until it is clean if the water remains unclean the turtle May poop or pee on the substrate with that said changing the water regularly will prolong the life of the substrate ensuring a happy Turtle environment [Music] for humidity I use a garden sprayer to mist the cages daily on each terrarium I place dry towels to trap in that humidity a digital hygrometer also placed at floor level should read up to 85 percent it is unwise to over hydrate and not beneficial to under hydrate some areas of the home may be too dry or too humid so it is important to find the right balance of humidity within each habitat when the baby box turtles were younger I gave them access to a small ruptive ramp bowl that was filled with moistened sphagnum moss they've since outgrown the need for that and presently have the same setup as the adults one of the bonuses that I share with my reptiles is that we have a reverse osmosis water system for drinking three filters under our sink get rid of contaminants so that all of us have access to clean drinking water the easiest way that I've found to give my Turtles the best water is to fill up a watering can along with the Water Conditioner to make the whole process that much easier for changing their water [Music] a tunnel or hide located above ground gives your turtle safety so they can still view what is going on around them there is a plethora of different choices on the internet to choose from the most important concern is that any hide placed within their habitat is safe for the turtle anything that is too small or that can scratch their shells should not be used beaks and Nails will always grow and it's very important that they are trimmed with proper diet and nutrition a cuddle bone can help the beak stay at a proper length the turtles will have a natural tendency to bite the cuttlebone periodically which in turn will keep their beak filed Nails can be trimmed with clippers I like using dog clippers because they last long and make the clipping quick and easy a newer addition that I've added to each habitat are nail scratching tiles not completely sure if these really work that well but these are meant to file their nails as they walk over it if you have trouble trimming their nails or their beaks become too long then I would recommend taking your turtle to a reptile vet who can easily perform these tasks with professional equipment that they will undoubtedly have on hand other than these Essentials here are a few extras that may help if you own cats you may have to train them to stay off the terrariums we've trained our cats to stay off the terrariums using pet spray deterrence they have a motion detection sensor that will spray air in their Direction and deter the cat from going in that area again another option is using an egg crate Light Panel and cutting it to shape this allows the cat to take some of the pressure off the top screen of the terrarium if you do allow your cat access to that area thanks for watching this video on the complete three-toed box turtle enclosure setup please like And subscribe for more videos if there's anything that I've missed or any suggestions to make the box turtle experience better for both turtle and human I would love to hear from you

Channel: 3 Toed Box Turtles

Views: 4,789

Keywords: Box turtles, box turtle pets, baby box turtles, baby three toed box turtles, adult box turtles, three toed box turtles, three toed box turtle enclosure setup, keep cats off of terrariums, keep cats off of turtle tanks, three toed box turtle terrarium setup, box turtle setup, box turtle indoor habitat

Id: q-ing_PAc14

Length: 10min 5sec (605 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 26 2022