Things You'll Need
- Wood pieces
- Fallen leaves
- Hammer and nails
Instructions
Create a box or pit using pieces of scrap wood. The box or pit can be any size you like, but it should provide adequate space for the turtles that will be occupying it. Nail the pieces of wood together to form a box.
Fill the box with fallen leaves when the trees in your yard begin to lose their leaves. These leaves will give the turtles plenty of space to hide and stay warm when the winter months arrive.
Make sure the ground under the leaf pile is soft, since the turtles will tend to dig into the ground during their hibernation period. If the ground is hard, raking it can loosen the earth and make it easier for the turtles to burrow into the ground for warmth.
Check on the turtles during their hibernation period. Many ground turtles will dig into the bottom of the leaf pile, then into the ground. You may see your turtles with their legs and lower bodies burrowed into the ground and the tops of their shells sticking up out of the ground. You may also see your turtles emerge from their hibernation when the weather is warm, even in the middle of the winter.