May get a boxie...

[TigerBluEyez]

I may be getting a male box turtle (ornate or 3 toed not sure yet) for my graduation present! I was wondering about what kind of setup to use. I have a barely used, fairly large cage that was for my rabbit before she passed on, with a plastic bottom I could fill with substrate and some wire around the sides to prevent him from climbing out.
What do I do about lighting, and since I live in the Boston area and I own a dog who uses the fenced in backyard a lot, should I attempt to find it a safe spot outside or is it okay to keep one inside? Thanks for any input!

[Chrysemys]

Well if you were to get a boxie you should really keep it outdoors. Boxies do not do as well indoors. I would vote against the rabbit cage. Boxies tend to think they can get through wire/glass and will constantly claw at it. If you are to keep it indoors I would get a large, solid colored rubbermaid. Then for substrate I would do a peat/sand mix. With a shallow water pan and maybe a few rocks and plants scattered around. Temp and humidity wise, it depends on the kind of boxie. For Easterns you will need a pretty humid environment. I would say like 75%. The air temp should be about 75-80 with a basking spot of 90.
Hope this helps,
Chris

[TigerBluEyez]

Cool, thanks a bunch for the advice. Just was hoping to do something with the cage since it cost like $100 but I'll figure something out. And I can definitely keep him outside during the nice weather here. I got a book on how to keep a boxie and looked up more care sheets online, plus I somehow ended up with a small leaflet from a reptile expo with what sounds like good advice, so we'll see how things go.

[Chez]

Good luck with that. And don't forget to tell us about your new friend when you get 'em.
[glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow]

[Levi]

Did you get one or the other?