Indoor Ornate Boxie Setup - for Sandy

[Kirkie]

This is my indoor setup for Terrapene Ornata.

About 6x4' with a two foot cold frame at one end. One side is covered with a sheet of twin wall polycarb and there is a raised basking/nesting site front right.

[animalmad]

wow lovely set up, lucky terrapene

[sandy]

Thanks Dave, gives me some good ideas.

[Kirkie]

Your welcome. One small problem with the tall plants and grasses is sometimes the "lunch" can get away.



But it gives the turtles something to do.

They haven't been outside much at all this year. I won't risk the Ornates in cold and damp again, after losing one to a Respiratory Infection in similar conditions last year. Outside isn't always best.

[sandy]

As you know all of mine are three toed, and all have been outside since the end of May. I do keep a close eye on them after what happened to yours.
I try and monitor when they are out and about, and when they are not. I have found first thing in the morning if its sunny/warm, they are out basking. Once it gets hot (not that often this year so far) they hide away.
I also have checked when its warm and raining. They are all usually out hunting:0)
Cold and wet they are in there housing hiding under grass cuttings.
Now I am wanting ideas (as you know) for getting one of my greenhouses set up for the boxies.
Thanks for your help so far Dave.
If anyone else has an input I would be grateful.

I will try something like blue grasses and black they dont grow as tall:0)

[Kirkie]

I've found the same with my three toed box turtles but warm and raining is a rare combination so I'll hose them down on warm evenings. I also find three toed a little more gregarious than the Ornates (except my two big males who still fight if the come into contact). The reason for all the logs and plants in the above is so that the Ornates aren't in constant visual contact, they get a bit stressed if constantly in the presence of other turtles. Funnily enough my hatchlings all live together fine but each has it's own den within the same enclosure, very little sharing.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I've found the same with my three toed box turtles but warm and raining is a rare combination so I'll hose them down on warm evenings. I also find three toed a little more gregarious than the Ornates (except my two big males who still fight if the come into contact). The reason for all the logs and plants in the above is so that the Ornates aren't in constant visual contact, they get a bit stressed if constantly in the presence of other turtles. Funnily enough my hatchlings all live together fine but each has it's own den within the same enclosure, very little sharing.

Any pictures of the hatchlings set up please?

[Kirkie]

I weighed up all the options and this came out tops. Its four foot and houses four hatchlings. Tables are too easy to escape from and dry out, tubs work well for humidity but are high maintenance to do so. This viv keeps them warm and the humidity is nailed on all the time. I dont have a basking lamp in there, I use an AHS Microclimate unit which is a ceramic heater with built in stat. With the probe positioned mid way I get a good gradient. The substrate is a layer of activated charcoal under a layer of cactus potting compost and a layer of terrarium moss over the top.

Rather than making it look like the adult exclosure in miniture I thought about where hatchlings would inhabit and why they are hardly ever found in the wild.

It has introduced colonies of earthworms and wood louse but I'm having to add these regulary now as they've worked out how to catch them all (wait by the water dish early in the morning).

(The cables were just in there whilst I was checking the temperatures when setting it up).

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I weighed up all the options and this came out tops. Its four foot and houses four hatchlings. Tables are too easy to escape from and dry out, tubs work well for humidity but are high maintenance to do so. This viv keeps them warm and the humidity is nailed on all the time. I dont have a basking lamp in there, I use an AHS Microclimate unit which is a ceramic heater with built in stat. With the probe positioned mid way I get a good gradient. The substrate is a layer of activated charcoal under a layer of cactus potting compost and a layer of terrarium moss over the top.

Rather than making it look like the adult exclosure in miniture I thought about where hatchlings would inhabit and why they are hardly ever found in the wild.

It has introduced colonies of earthworms and wood louse but I'm having to add these regulary now as they've worked out how to catch them all (wait by the water dish early in the morning).

(The cables were just in there whilst I was checking the temperatures when setting it up).

Looks great Dave. Great ideas.

[Catwoman63]

Looks great, and if you were lunch wouldn't you climb up high to get away ha ha, great picture x