Help! Hatchling Box Turtle Food

[Reptileguy1741]

I acquired a baby ornate box turtle for Christmas that is about the size of a quarter. I'm having trouble finding insects small enough for him to eat. Any advice will be appriciated.

 

[leigti]

Try pill bugs. Or small red wiggler worms.

 

[Reptileguy1741]

Try pill bugs. Or small red wiggler worms.

Thank you. Do you know if you could get them at petco or petsmart

 

[Yvonne G]

Baby box turtles are quite able to tear bugs apart. No need to find small ones.

My sister buys night crawlers and cuts them up (ugh!).

I chop up fruits and veggies then lay a few red wigglers on top of the pile. Eventually I can just give the fruits and veggies with no worms and the babies eat it.

 

[tortdad]

Petco and pet smart both carry worms. I also buy the frozen beefheart, it's in the fish section and come in little cubes. Baby boxies love it! I use red wigglers, small meal worms and night crawlers.

 

[Ciri]

you can get very small horn worms (caterpillars) online. If you can find earthworms called Diliies, they are smaller than Nightcrawlers. My reptile vet didn't want me to feed red wigglers – I never did ask him why. Pill bugs are a great idea. I also feed them tiny beetles I find in my garden (which is organic). Tiny mealworms are another good one, although they need to be fed in a limited amount because they're high in fat, and not as balanced nutrition as earthworms. Also, I find that box turtles can get hooked on foods that are higher in fat, like mealworms. I never feed egg yolks for that reason. Too much fat in their system can cause liver problems.

 

[Reptileguy1741]

you can get very small horn worms (caterpillars) online. If you can find earthworms called Diliies, they are smaller than Nightcrawlers. My reptile vet didn't want me to feed red wigglers – I never did ask him why. Pill bugs are a great idea. I also feed them tiny beetles I find in my garden (which is organic). Tiny mealworms are another good one, although they need to be fed in a limited amount because they're high in fat, and not as balanced nutrition as earthworms. Also, I find that box turtles can get hooked on foods that are higher in fat, like mealworms. I never feed egg yolks for that reason. Too much fat in their system can cause liver problems.

Thank you and could you give me so advice on getting him to eat? This morning I made him a salad with chopped up carrots and celery greens with a small earthworms cut up in it but he doesn't seem to want to eat and hasn't eaten for two days. I know I'm getting overly anxious but I don't want to take any chances.

 

[Ciri]

You're smart to be asking questions after a couple of days of not eating. It's easier to turn it around now, than later. If the worms are not cut up, the wiggling motion can help get the hatchling interested in eating. In my experience, the veggies aren't going to inspire much interest, especially at that age. If he doesn't want the earthworms, do you have access to an outdoor space we might be able to get some bugs? (And where no pesticides or herbicides have been sprayed for at least a few years.)

What is the temperature in your hatchling's space? I usually try to keep it up to 85 to 90°F during the day, with a nighttime drop of 77 to 80°F. Do you have a warm end and a cooler area? And where is your hatchling spending its time? Do you have freshwater constantly available? If he's soaking every day that can help.

 

[tortdad]

Just feed protein for now and introduce veggies later. No box turtle has ever turned down beefheart or mushrooms (plant protein). Cut up some worms with small pieces of mushroom and mix in the beefheart and watch it disappear.

 

[leigti]

Box turtles are much more carnivores when their babies. They turn into more omnivores later. So maybe make the mix 50-50 for protein and greens. Keep the worms alive, the wiggling will stimulate the turtle to go after it. And as hard as it is, don't stand over him watching him eat walk away. sometimes if their food bowl is under a little bit of a cover, like a plant, where they don't feel so exposed they will eat better. after all, when your little baby everything wants to eat you in the wild.

 

[Reptileguy1741]

You're smart to be asking questions after a couple of days of not eating. It's easier to turn it around now, than later. If the worms are not cut up, the wiggling motion can help get the hatchling interested in eating. In my experience, the veggies aren't going to inspire much interest, especially at that age. If he doesn't want the earthworms, do you have access to an outdoor space we might be able to get some bugs? (And where no pesticides or herbicides have been sprayed for at least a few years.)

What is the temperature in your hatchling's space? I usually try to keep it up to 85 to 90°F during the day, with a nighttime drop of 77 to 80°F. Do you have a warm end and a cooler area? And where is your hatchling spending its time? Do you have freshwater constantly available? If he's soaking every day that can help.

The temps are about 85 he's in a 40 breeder yes I have a warm and cool he spends most of his time borrowed in about the middle of the cage and he hasn't soak yet should I soak him?

 

[Ciri]

Yes, soak him daily. I usually wait until late morning or early afternoon if it's possible. I find it helps to soak them after they've gotten warmed up. They tend to stay in longer, and drink more. Since the temps are 85°F you might want to get the temperature closer to 90°F in order to stimulate his appetite. For a hatchling, when I have to get them up to soak them, I make a point to move really slowly. In fact this helps adults as well. They are more likely to stay in the water dish if I give them time to adjust to the fact that I'm moving them. In addition, you can also spray his area with water to increase the humidity if you aren't already doing that. How long have you had him? And you know when he hatched out? Has he eaten yet? Is he still absorbing a yolk sac?

 

[Reptileguy1741]

I've had him since the 23rd and I assume he hatched sometime in the summer he has not eaten yet and no yolk sac I just put a moving peice of an earthworm and he just looked at it and walks away every time

 

[Ciri]

Since it's only been two days that you have had him, he's no doubt still getting adjusted to his new surroundings. He may not eat for a few more days. The things I suggested, soaking and getting the temperatures up could help him break through his natural instinctive fears, and start eating. I would suggest making those changes and giving it a few days. Continue to try to feed him once a day, after he's had a soak. I like the suggestion someone made about not watching and when he eats, but just walking away. Also, creating a place where he would feel protected for soaking and eating can help. I've done that with my box turtles by using a plastic stool over their water dish. Sometimes it's been so hard to get a box turtle to stay in her water dish, that I've draped a towel on the sides so that she would feel closed in. Be careful though, as they can use a towel to climb. I hope your little one is eating soon. I know how stressful that can be. Feel free to ask anymore questions – we are here to help.

 

[Reptileguy1741]

Thanks for all the help I just soaked him and he stayed in for about two minutes and drank a lot. So I suppose I'm making progress I offered him a moving price of worm in the water and he looked interested but did not eat them. Thank you for the advice I will continue to offer food every day and now that he is drinking i know he is getting some nutrition

Since it's only been two days that you have had him, he's no doubt still getting adjusted to his new surroundings. He may not eat for a few more days. The things I suggested, soaking and getting the temperatures up could help him break through his natural instinctive fears, and start eating. I would suggest making those changes and giving it a few days. Continue to try to feed him once a day, after he's had a soak. I like the suggestion someone made about not watching and when he eats, but just walking away. Also, creating a place where he would feel protected for soaking and eating can help. I've done that with my box turtles by using a plastic stool over their water dish. Sometimes it's been so hard to get a box turtle to stay in her water dish, that I've draped a towel on the sides so that she would feel closed in. Be careful though, as they can use a towel to climb. I hope your little one is eating soon. I know how stressful that can be. Feel free to ask anymore questions – we are here to help.

 

[tortdad]

Thanks for all the help I just soaked him and he stayed in for about two minutes and drank a lot. So I suppose I'm making progress I offered him a moving price of worm in the water and he looked interested but did not eat them. Thank you for the advice I will continue to offer food every day and now that he is drinking i know he is getting some nutrition

Use a Tupperware bowl or something with tall sides so he can't climb out during his soak. I soak mine for 20 mins or longer, changing out the water when they poop or the water gets cold. I prepare their food while they are soaking and feed right after the soak. I drain the water out of the soak bowl and put some food In there with them so they can eat without the worms escaping. Then I put the rest of the food on their food plate and place them back in their enclosure and walk away. I also have two different types of worms and pill big living In there soil so they can hunt and snack on them as they find them.
Soaking...


Back in their home

 

[Michael in MO]

Thank you and could you give me so advice on getting him to eat? This morning I made him a salad with chopped up carrots and celery greens with a small earthworms cut up in it but he doesn't seem to want to eat and hasn't eaten for two days. I know I'm getting overly anxious but I don't want to take any chances.

If you don't have his/her light on a timer replicating a summer light cycle (12/14 hours of light at least) he may be getting the signal to hibernate. What I would do in this case is make sure temps and light replicates summer and make sure you're giving more protein (bugs) as this is what is available in the wild in the spring and early summer (before plants and flowers bloom). Have to trick turtle into thinking it already hibernated.

 

[lisa127]

When mine were babies they ate mostly red wigglers and reptomin sticks for protein. Both of mine were eating fruits/veggies by about 6 to 7 months of age (mixed in with soaked reptomin), so you can certainly offer those as well.

I agree with the UVB light cycle mentioned above, and also provide gentle night heat to replicate summer as well.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's some recipes I got from members here:

#1
In food processor:
1 head of Collared Greens
1/2 head of Romaine Lettuce
1 green bell pepper
2 yellow crookneck squash
8 large strawberries

I microwaved til cooked, then mashed-
2 sweet potatoes
1 butternut squash

I mixed all this, then added-
1 22 ounce can of Alpo Beef Chunks in Gravy
2 tablespoons calcium carbonate
1 tablespoon Reptile Vitamins with beta carotene



#2
BOX TURTLE JELLO

Yams (slightly cooked, then mashed Pedigree can puppy food (not too much)
Thawed peas & carrots Meat* Fruit*

Put in food processor & mix until it forms a very thick paste. They eat it voraciously, as do the adults. I also feed soaked Reptomin and live foods.

*Meat – beef liver, chicken parts
*Fruit – strawberry, peach, banana, mango, etc.


I soak trout chow until its soft and mix it in with whatever I'm feeding the babies.

 

[Yvonne G]

If he doesn't start eating soon, you can add some canned cat food to the soaking water.

Another trick is to buy some of those black worms that they sell for aquarium fish and add a pinch of those to the soaking water. Baby box turtles have a hard time ignoring those little wiggling worms in their water.