While traveling several weeks ago,
I designed a few enclosures for a friend.
Charlie, to be more specific.
He stewards an incredible collection of turtles,
which are part of his initiative to educate others
on the importance of preservation and conservation.
Countless threatened and endangered species
find refuge in his garage-turned turtle sanctuary.
A considerable part of that is preservation done through breeding efforts
to proliferate the animals.
A few highlights are Egyptian Tortoises,
which are nearly extinct in their native range,
endangered Black-Breasted Leaf Turtles,
and critically endangered McCord’s Box Turtles.
The tortoises and box turtles have bred several times,
while the leaf turtles are a work in progress.
Habitat loss is the primary factor in their dwindling numbers,
but human activity,
use in folk medicine,
and illegal over-collection for the pet trade have also played a role.
And truly, that’s the case for a vast amount of turtle species worldwide.
However, I should mention that the ones Charlie works with
were all initially captive-bred.
Anyway, what does this process entail?
Everything starts by ensuring the animals are well cared for and thriving.
Proper husbandry is paramount.
Once the turtles are mature and comfortable,
they do their thing,
the eggs are collected,
incubated in controlled conditions,
and if all goes according to plan,
hatch into baby turtles.
Additionally, working with different organizations
and private keepers to exchange bloodlines is essential for success.
The goal, of course, is to produce as many hatchlings as possible
to mitigate poaching and, at the very least,
ensure these animals don’t go extinct altogether.
However, the babies need a separate place to grow
away from the adults.
He’s been doing this in bins like these for years.
Having many is inexpensive,
checking up on the turtles is simple,
and most importantly,
keeping them clean is easy.
Even though they’ve served him well,
after building a pond
with Dan the Turtle Man and Greg’s Turtle Haven last year,
he’s wanted to transition to more naturalistic display-style setups.
These allow the animals to exhibit a broader range of behaviors.
It’s also typically easier for non-animal people to become interested
when they're inhabiting spaces that are nice to look at.
Take the Three-Striped Mud Turtle Everglades Marsh Paludarium, for example.
I built it for Charlie earlier this year,
and it’s been the focal point of the turtle garage ever since.
A few 40 Gallon Breeder Aquariums that sat in the corner
were also perfect for this mission.
Nate and I transformed one into a Shell Dweller Cichlid tank,
and the other will be for showcasing and raising baby turtles.
This will house various turtle species over the coming years,
so to keep things as simple and usable as possible,
we created the scape mostly out of rocks.
Specifically, chunks of Granite
that we hand-picked from a local garden shop.
We also pulled pieces of driftwood from an outdoor stock tub
that are well-seasoned.
To ensure the weight of the stones wouldn’t crack the glass,
I installed Egg Crate Light Diffuser.
This will evenly distribute their weight.
I stacked a few of the larger ones to create a foundation to build upon.
This was also the best time to add the filter hardware,
so that we could hide it from view as we went.
That said, I did intend to drill the tank,
but when I checked the glass,
I determined it was tempered and couldn’t do it.
We worked driftwood into the foundation
and continued adding stones.
We aimed to create height above the waterline
that the turtle could easily access
And because this will house hatchlings,
a primary concern was them getting stuck between objects.
To prevent that,
I applied Spray Foam between every crack where this could be an issue.
This also acts as an adhesive,
ensuring the structure remains stable.
I let it cure until the tackiness was gone.
Then, I pressed it down to remove the expanded portions.
Generally speaking, I’d hide this after the fact,
but it actually blended with the rocks quite well,
so I simply sprayed it down to remove debris and continued.
For me, plants play a huge role when leaning into the naturalistic look.
Not only do they cool,
but in this case,
they'll also help filter the water.
I just made sure to thoroughly clean them off
before nesting them within the hardscape.
That alone will suffice since the turtles are so small
and likely won't damage anything.
That said, it's important to note that I selected
only non-toxic items should they do any grazing.
A proper substrate in the bottom was also crucial.
This sand has very fine grains and is typically safe if ingested,
which is important because we don't want the turtle to get impacted.
Before continuing, we also struggled to add a Frost Film to the back,
which should’ve happened sooner,
but we didn’t have a choice.
After filling it up, the scape was ready for details.
Another branch in the back,
followed by heaps of Java Moss on partially submerged hardscape areas,
brought the land to life.
I also added various floating plants
and an assortment of aquatics.
In the wild, pretty much everything is trying to eat baby turtles,
so by nature, they're quite skittish.
Having a lot of foliage will help them feel secure,
and I think it looks great.
We wanted it to keep things as simple as possible
for ease of maintenance
and to retain access to the turtles.
It was also important for this to be suitable
for a wide range of aquatic species.
It includes various hiding places in and out of the water
and a proper basking hot spot on the left.
Another cool feature is live food that will inhabit the tank,
which we sourced from tubs outside.
Not only will they provide natural hunting enrichment for the turtles,
but they'll also help clean things up.
Although I didn’t show much about aquatic turtles in the beginning,
as it you know, that's what this setup is for.
That said, it’s only intended to house them in the early stages of life
once they’ve acclimated to things outside of their eggs.
They’ll move outside
or to another responsible keeper as they mature.
We spent a lot of the video referencing various endangered animals,
many of which will inhabit this tank at some point.
However, what’s currently suitable to live here are of least concern,
which means their populations are stable.
That would be none other these two-week-old Southern Painted Turtles.
One day, they’ll be big and strong like mom, who lives outside.
For now, they’ll live and grow safely indoors.
After rounding up the five of them,
it was time for the release.
We tried to let them crawl in on their own,
but they tend to kind of just fly in.
And I mean, can you blame them?
They were eager to swim through the water
and explore what this setup had to offer.
Seeing them in the aquatic plants was probably my favorite part.
Like if I was a baby turtle, that’s where I’d want to be.
Knowing I’m making a difference in their early days
and playing a part in their journies is pretty cool.
As you know, this is primarily a foster home.
The hope is that most of the turtles produced and housed here
will end with other responsible keepers.
Take Cookie the Hybrid Snapping Turtle
and The Loggerhead Musk Turtle, for example.
Both were fostered here before ending up with me.
However, while here, the intent is to educate and inspire guests about turtles
and the need for the preservation and conservation of all animals.
Although not directly related,
the room itself is designed to help bring
awareness to The Moorcroft Conservation Foundation,
an initiative Charlie runs.
It supports other conservation and rehabilitation organizations,
locally and internationally, of all types.
I’ll leave a link in the description if you want to learn more.
For me, one of my main focuses is to inspire people to appreciate nature
through the advancement of animal husbandry.
This may not be my most elaborate or best-looking design,
but I think it’s pretty accessible and, more importantly,
will help make the turtles the focus of it all.