What a convenient pet for a this modern age-just box 'em up all winter in the garage-hope you mean to give them things like air, water, and food though.

Will any turtles/tortoises eat snails?

What about a cat's effect on them?

You don't have to box them up and bring them indoors in the winter. If your turtle is native to your area and not from a tropical area they will burrow in the dirt and hibernate until Spring.

They are called box turtles because they have a hinged bottom shell and they can close up very tightly.

Yes, they eat snails and even small snakes. And I don't think cats are concerned about them.

The desert tortoises eat vegetation such as cacti and succulents.

There are water turtles such as red-eared sliders that will eat tadpoles in your pond and all the fish they can catch too, plus tear up any vegetation trying to burrow.

But box turtles "rule" in the garden!

Box turtles are great they sell them in some pet stores.
Wash your hands after handling any turtle some carry saminella.
I think the slugs around here would eat the box turtle they're 9" long.

Hi. You just reminded me of a cute little turtle we tried to keep in our garden. The only minor detail we left out....no real fence! Ha. I actually thought, since I provided "it" with all the falling, rotting veggies and tomatoes, "it" would stay in my garden. One day, while driving down my road, I saw what appeared to be a turtle. It was MY turtle running or should I say crawling away. Anyway, I brought it back, only for it to leave again, for good, I guess. Any suggestions on a very cute, short system of fencing that I could do around my small veggie garden that would keep him in?