How To Set Up Baby Box Turtle Tank?
Box turtles aren’t difficult to keep, but there are a few things you need to prepare. As the first step, you’ll need to set up a suitable habitat for it. Consequently, a baby box turtle tank can be an excellent choice to give your little turtle its natural sweet home. And in this article, we’re going to see how to set up a baby box turtle tank so that you can build a perfect home for your pet.
Choose Your Box
The first question to any turtle owner is, what would be the perfect size of a turtle’s tank? Unfortunately, as the answer might be varied for different experiences, no one can give you the exact answer. But keep in mind some factors can help you. Such as the size of the box turtle and the number of pets.
It is said that a 20-gallon glass tank might be the right choice for one turtle’s indoor habitat. However, if you want a bigger tank, you can choose between a 30-40 gallon tank for your turtle. But for keeping multiple turtles together in the same habitat, it is essential to select the larger-sized tank. Just ensure they have enough room to roam around and stay healthy.
Prepare The Floor
After selecting your baby box turtle tank, it’s time to lay down a layer of the substrate about 3-4 inches thick on your box or tub. Box turtles live on land. So it’ll need proper bedding for its indoor home. And you can use different types of substrate or material for the bedding of your turtle. Your turtle will live on this layer. And there are a lot of excellent substrates to choose from. Combining coconut fiber with organic soil and covering it with sphagnum moss or bark is basic.
In general, Box turtles need substrates that mimic their natural habitats to facilitate their burrowing behavior. So, we recommend chemical-free topsoil and very finely shredded hardwood mulch as excellent substrate options. However, you can also try this Zoo Med Forest Floor Bedding to make comfortable bedding for your turtle. It is made with 100% natural cypress mulch, which is recommended for box turtle tanks. This substrate is also good for snakes, lizards, land turtles, tortoises, frogs, toads, salamanders, and tarantulas.
Turn The Heat On
Box turtles can’t stay warm without external heat sources. Your box turtle will need a relaxed and friendly side as part of its habitat. When raising your box turtle outdoors, it might get too hot from the sun. But if you are keeping your box turtle in an indoor habitat, it will need an outside heat source. Additionally, there are many options for heating the habitat, including lamps, ceramic heat emitters, and heat mats. In most cases, you can use different heat lamps or bulbs to offer heat to the tank.
Therefore, you can use mats or bulbs to keep your baby box turtle tank warm. Heat mats are the best option to use under your glass tank. You can use this iPower Reptile Heat Pad for fast heating of your terrarium. With its new PTC heating material and insulation, it increases overall heat transfer across the mat and reaches the desired temperature within a few minutes, and saves energy.
And for extra warmth, you can use a UVB bulb. It will provide vitamin D3 for your turtle to live indoors. You can use this Zoo Med Combo Pack Turtle Lamp for your turtle habitat. It has a heavy-duty splash-proof 50 Watt halogen lamp to use for your aquatic Turtles and other aquatic pets.
Put Other Accessories
Up next, you’ll need other necessary items to make your baby box turtle tank a perfect home. Such as, you’ll need a water cup, tray, or big area for your turtle. Although box turtles are land animals, they do require water to survive.
For that, you can use this PINVNBY Resin Reptile Platform to provide your turtle natural environment and water. It is made of premium resin and eco-friendly material, which makes it non-toxic, pollution-free, and completely safe for your turtle’s life.
Also, it is always good to have your enclosure as diverse as possible. So, you can keep a hideaway to entertain your little turtle. For that, a Penn-Plax Reptology Shale Step Ledge might be an excellent addition to your baby box turtle tank. It is made with resin, making it a beautiful and functional piece for their aquarium. In addition to the 4 entrance and exit holes, this hideout offers a variety of climbing, slithering, and swimming opportunities!
Monitor Temperature and Humidity
Additionally, don’t forget to have a hygrometer. Every species has different requirements in terms of temperature and humidity. After the enclosure has been set up, you’ll need to check the temperature and humidity frequently. It could be detrimental to your turtle’s health and longevity if your enclosure’s temperature and humidity are too cold, hot, moist, or dry.
You can use this REPTI ZOO Reptile Thermometer Hygrometer to check your turtle tank’s humidity and temperature. It uses a waterproof humidity sensor and temperature sensor for accurate and reliable measurements. This 2-in-1 thermometer and hygrometer measures both temperature and humidity with its built-in sensitive sensors in real-time
Put Your Box Turtle
If you’ve completed the previous steps, well done! You have successfully made your turtle’s new home. Now keep your little shell friend in its new home and take the best care of it.
Wrapping Up
Overall, these are all about how to set up a baby box turtle tank. Providing a safe and sound shelter is the first thing you need to do as a turtle owner. Thus we hope you have found this article insightful, and let us know when you are going to get your turtle.
