Florida Box Turtle Raising and Care

Facts about Raisin Florida Box Turtle. "Scientific name for the Florida Box Turtle is Terrapene carolina bauri". Mainly found in Florida their a medium sized turtle as turtles go, and they can grow up to 5 to 6 inches (12.7 to 15.2 cm). The Florida Box Turtle is one of the well known cousin of eastern box turtle and can be sometimes found as far as northern Georgia. They live to about 50 to 60 years of age or sometimes longer. The Florida Box Turtle can be recognized, by it's almost orange and black background and it has thick yellow stripes on each side of its head and the back of its shell flares out slightly. The Florida Box Turtle highly elongated domed shell with a hinge on it so it can completely enclose its body within its own shell.
The Florida Box Turtle do not bite, they like to be handled and they are very gentle, this make them a very good pets to have and they do not need any other turtles to live with.
The Florida box turtle can be kept in indoor or outdoor housing. Outside if you live in a warm climate is the best, it mimics the turtles natural environment and usually you can make a bigger habitat outside.
A Florida box turtles is an omnivore. When they are young they eat basically a carnivorous diet, as they become mature the Florida Box Turtle begin to include plants and vegetables, fruit and berry's,and earth worms, crickets, snails, for for protein, its very important to have in their diet and a Calcium supplements .
Glass enclosures are not recommended for Florida box turtles. large outdoor pens are the best way to keep them housed if you live in a warm climate. Direct sunlight early in the day and shaded light the rest of the day is the ideal sun combination. The substrate should be leaf litter about 1 inch (2.5 cm) and use coffee size gravel on the bottom and a layer of sand. You can cover a portion of your pen with at least 6 inches (15.2 cm) of hay. This gives cover for bugs and worms to live so that the Florida box turtle can us for feed. Outdoor pens can be planted with shade, plants such as ferns and similar plants.
Florida Box Turtles need a water source for drinking and soaking. You need a bowl that comes only halfway up the turtles body, they just us the bowl for soaking, sink it in the ground for getting in and out easily. Make sure to change water everyday.
Indoor pens, a minimum sized pen can be made from a 50 gallon (190 liters) Rubbermaid container.
You can also build a pen out of wood if you are handy with a saw.
If outdoor sun light is not provided, a fluorescent full spectrum UVB bulb is recommended, so your Florida Box Turtle can develop in the proper environment along with the proper heat. UVB is necessary for the turtle to produce Vitamin D3, which aids in calcium utilization for a healthy shells growth. The box of the bulb must specify a UVB bulb. Don't get confused between a heat-basking bulb and a fluorescent bulb. Make sure you have two thermometers, one for the floor and one or two for the walls, so you don't get a false reading with one. A large flat rock or slab of slate or allows the turtle to (sun) itself under the bulb. When kept indoor, keep some moisture in the tank with a wet sponge.