Box Turtle Hungry During hibernation

Katy williams

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My box turtle would not hibernate outdoors. I brought her indoors and put her in an aquarium. She is very awake pacing the aqarium. Is it ok to feed her? She has been up and down out of the ground since the first part of November. The vet said not to feed her during hibernation time but she seems very hungry.
 

leigti

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Do you plan on keeping her up now? If so go ahead and feed her. But I think if you want to try to have her hibernate then you should not feed her.
 

Katy williams

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She refuses to hibernate. I will start feeding her. We are having a freeze right now so I had to bring her in. Just want to play it safe with feeding since her metabolism has slowed down from being out for a couple of months.
 

Yvonne G

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Your turtle is not hibernating. If you don't feed her she'll starve. So, set the aquarium up like a box turtle habitat should be set up, with substrate, hiding places, a feeder and a waterer, maybe a few plants (in the largest aquarium or plastic bin you can find), and feed her. You should also have a good light over the habitat so she can be warm. This turtle is not hibernating, and looks like it's not going to either, so feed and water it.

Oh, and Welcome to the forum, Katy! Box turtles are one of my favorites. What species is yours?
 

Katy williams

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Your turtle is not hibernating. If you don't feed her she'll starve. So, set the aquarium up like a box turtle habitat should be set up, with substrate, hiding places, a feeder and a waterer, maybe a few plants (in the largest aquarium or plastic bin you can find), and feed her. You should also have a good light over the habitat so she can be warm. This turtle is not hibernating, and looks like it's not going to either, so feed and water it.

Oh, and Welcome to the forum, Katy! Box turtles are one of my favorites. What species is yours?

What type of plants do you suggest putting in the aquarium? We have a very large aquarium setup with lighting and hiding places. Torti was sunbathing in her water this morning. :) She is taking her time with eating. She ate a worm 2 days ago but doesn't seem to want anything else since then.

Thank you for your advice. I had box turtles as a kid, but it didn't seem as hard to care for them back then. I have 2 three toed box turtles now. I love them!

One more question: Are they supposed to shed? Torti is shedding her skin.
 

Yvonne G

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They sometimes shed around the neck area. If you moisten the substrate it helps the shedding.

I use any plants that haven't just been bought at a nursery. Plants that I've had around her for over 6 months, I know have no pesticides or fertilizers systemically in them. For box turtles I use a lot of hosta and pothos.
 
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