Box turtle habitat – species considerations
Box turtles are found in North America as well as in Asia, and the various species and subspecies inhabit a wide range of different habitat types. If you purchase box turtles native to different box turtle habitats, you should usually avoid housing them together since they will be resistant to different strains of bacteria, parasites etcetera. This is not only true for box turtles; all turtles and tortoises may carry micro organisms that can make turtles and tortoises from other habitats lethally ill. This is only a general rule; some subspecies have overlapping box turtle habitats and have developed similar immunity.

Box turtle habitat – American forest 
Several types of box turtles live in forested box turtle habitats in North America, including Florida Box Turtle, Eastern Box Turtle and the Three-toed Box Turtle. During the summer, this type of box turtle habitat will usually be warm and moist, with plenty of shade. The box turtles will typically choose a habitat where they have access to a permanent stream or pond. 

Box turtle habitat – American dry land
A very different type of box turtle habitat is the American dry land environments. These habitats are characterized by vast open grassy areas. Scrubs can grow, but large trees are uncommon. During droughts, the habitats can become truly desert-like. The most capable dry area survivor of all box turtle species is the Ornate box turtle who lives in Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico.

Unlike the forest environments described earlier in this article, the American dry land habitats provide hardly any shade in the form of large tree canopies. Turtles found in this type of box turtle habitat will instead burry themselves in the ground to obtain shade and stay cool and moist. They are capable diggers, but will also gladly take over discarded prairie dog burrows. If you keep a turtle form this type of box turtle habitat, you should provide it with deep, good soil into which it can dig.

Box turtle habitat – Asia
Several Asian species of box turtle, such as the Indochinese Box Turtle and the Amboina Box Turtle, are native to a hot and humid box turtle habitat. Asian box turtles are commonly found along the edge of shallow swamps where vegetation is dense. A majority of the Asian box turtles spend a lot of time swimming and should be provided with access to water when kept in captivity. The swimming area should be at least eight inches deep. It is also important to keep in mind that the sides must slope rather than be straight, since straight sides can be exerting for the turtle to traverse. You can increase the humidity in your artificial box turtle habitat by keeping it densely planted.

The Keeled Box Turtle differs from the other Asian box turtle species by being less aquatic. This species will do best in a medium moist environment, but just like all the other Asian box turtle species it will appreciate dense vegetation. If you want to create an artificial box turtle habitat for a Keeled Box Turtle you should therefore include a lot of plants.

Box Turtle Articles:

Box Turtle Care
Eastern Box Turtle