How to Build an Indoor Turtle Pen

The main consideration when building an indoor turtle pen for terrestrial turtles is space. Land turtles and small tortoises of a similar size are very active and need a lot of space in which to roam around. Organizations, such as the Reptile Channel, recommend an enclosure should be at least six times as wide, four times as deep, and two times as high as the length of the turtle's carapace (top shell). When building an indoor enclosure, make sure you have enough space to properly accommodate the size of pen you will need to construct.

Things You'll Need

  • Shipping crate
  • Non-toxic water sealant
  • Untreated 1-inch thick wood boards
  • Basking lamp
  • Substrate
  • Water dish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use a shipping crate as your base. Find one the appropriate size for your turtle and use that for your enclosure. Remove the front face and reinforce the bottom face with wood and non-toxic water sealant. Some crates have cardboard sides and wooden frames. If this is the case, be sure to add a layer of wood at least 1 inch thick to the entire bottom so that it is sturdy enough to hold the weight of substrate and the turtle. You may need to add a few inches of height to the sides to make sure they are too tall for the turtle to crawl over.

    • 2

      Add substrate on the floor of the enclosure. Substrate is the ground covering material that the turtle will walk on, sleep in, and possibly dig in. Some materials are more absorbent than others and may begin to mold quickly. This can be dangerous to your turtle's health, so it should be avoided. Sand and finely ground shells or husks may be ingested when the animal eats and cause an impaction, so they are also not a good idea. Coconut husks and hay are better alternatives.

    • 3

      Provide a basking area for your turtle. If you include a top to the enclosure, you can attach the basking lamp to that. If you do not have a top, or if you prefer not to have the lamp attached to it, you can suspend the basking lamp from the ceiling. Make sure the lamp hangs low enough to heat the basking area of the enclosure to the appropriate amount for your species of turtle.

    • 4

      Include a water dish that is big enough for your turtle to soak in. Some species of box turtles will lay in their water all day long if given the chance, so make sure they have enough room to get in and out of the dish. Do not give them one that is too deep, however, as they can drown. You can also provide them with a food dish, or a rough piece of tile to eat off instead. In the wild, their beaks are trimmed by eating off of rough ground and rocks, so having them eat off something similar in their enclosure can serve a similar purpose.