Burrowing question

[diaboliqueturtle]

I know that it's normal for my 4 month old 3 toed boxie to burrow herself. My question is around what age should I expect her to be mainly above the substrate rather than underneath? I dig her up everyday for her soak and meal but, you know, I'm just wondering. I had an adult 3 toe and now I also have a Red Foot but neither burrowed so I'm not familiar with this burrowing habit... She's super active when I put her back in the enclosure after her bath and meal but after an hour, under she goes! I'm not worried about it, just curious, she's so awesome and I just can't wait to be able to stare at her to my heart's content :-D

 

[shellfreak]

That's a great sign as a baby. If it spent Alot of time above the substrate I would be suspect that something was wrong. I keep box turtles from multiple age ranges. I have noticed that around age 1.5-2 they tend to spend more time not digging. so you have about a year...

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

That's a great sign as a baby. If it spent Alot of time above the substrate I would be suspect that something was wrong. I keep box turtles from multiple age ranges. I have noticed that around age 1.5-2 they tend to spend more time not digging. so you have about a year...

Thank you so much! I wasn't really worried but, the reassurance is definitely welcome :-D

 

[terryo]

You will never see baby box turtles in the wild. They hide under leaf litter eating any little bug or worm, or even tiny plant sprouts, until they are older. It's a natural instint for them to hide as there is always something bigger looking for a quick meal. I never used to take in any eggs when I had my big turtle garden, (which was most of the yard), and I would sometimes find a two year old in the Spring that I never saw before.

 

[Saloli]

In the wild most are aquatic to semi aquatic the first few months ( for easterns any way). That is until they start doming then they become mostly terrestrial. At which point they hide under leaf litter and some times tunnel ( well sort of I can't think of the technical term for when they push through the leaf litter while still under it). They are very hard to find once they leave the water.

 

[terryo]

In the wild most are aquatic to semi aquatic the first few months ( for easterns any way). That is until they start doming then they become mostly terrestrial. At which point they hide under leaf litter and some times tunnel ( well sort of I can't think of the technical term for when they push through the leaf litter while still under it). They are very hard to find once they leave the water.

I have never heard of that. Most of the wild Eastern's around here lay their eggs under trees or shrubs in heavily wooded areas. When the eggs hatch the hatchlings will stay under the leaf litter where it's damp and moist....usually until the following Spring or mid Summer. Eastern's are all we have around here.

 

[Saloli]

I have never heard of that. Most of the wild Eastern's around here lay their eggs under trees or shrubs in heavily wooded areas. When the eggs hatch the hatchlings will stay under the leaf litter where it's damp and moist....usually until the following Spring or mid Summer. Eastern's are all we have around here.

They don't stay in he leaf litter after they hatch, in most cases they usually head to the shallow water of forest streams and sometimes ephemeral ponds that form in the forest in areas without permanent water. That is way they generally don't appear until they have started to dome ( their carapace). Though there are probably variations on this such as where they have little access to standing water ( which adults don't actually need as they can drink from very shallow puddles).

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Thank you so much for the great info, that makes a lot of sense, them being so tiny and I admit to thinking she's so darn cute that heck, I wanna eat her up myself!!! Now I guess I have to work on my patience ;-P

 

[katelyn0974]

I have two almost 3months old and one who's almost one month and they hide a lot, but come out when its soaking time & early in the mornings. I'm really surprised my almost month old comes out, but he's copying one of my other boxies behavior. It's really cute. I spend time holding and talking to them as much as I can & keep them on a pretty consistent schedule. Best wishes.

 

[terryo]

I have two almost 3months old and one who's almost one month and they hide a lot, but come out when its soaking time & early in the mornings. I'm really surprised my almost month old comes out, but he's copying one of my other boxies behavior. It's really cute. I spend time holding and talking to them as much as I can & keep them on a pretty consistent schedule. Best wishes.

This is very true. The young ones always learn from the older ones. I have two hatchlings in with a 1 1/2 year old in a 40 gal. breeder vivarium. There's a little feeding dish on one side imbedded in the moss and in the morning the older one would be waiting for her food, and now I see all three are waiting by the dish in the AM. Turtles are creatures of repetition, so I never move the little dish, and they know the food is going to be there every day.