How much meat should I feed my box turtles?

[Pameladale]

I have a male three toed that is 19 and a female ornate box turtle whos 7 I feed them every 3 days probably 4 super worms 4 king worms and 1 or 2 wax worms or 2 blue horned worms or 10 to 15 crickets and always have fresh vegtables out for them. Is that enough? I just read online that someone feeds there box turtle 30 to 40 worms a day I thought that was a lot. How much do you feed your turtles and how often?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I feed all my box turtles, (3-toed, Eastern's and Ornata) every other day, one day fruit, next time night crawlers or other worm types, 2 to a turtle, while I feel you are offering a great diet, I think you are feeding too much. They don't need that much protein in one sitting, unless I am miss understanding you. They also like fruit, blueberries, cantaloupe, bananas, strawberries, marionberries, raspberries, blackberries etc. I personally wouldn't wait for 3 days to feed either. In the wild they would eat everyday, even if it's rotten vegetation or somebody else’s poop. Try fish too, or hard-boiled egg with the shell. Once a month or so I feed wet cat food...

 

[Pameladale]

I try to change up the types of food i give them so like 4 super worms 4 king worms and a wax worm is too much at once? Cooked fish or live feeder fish? Ill try feeding them protein every other day but less protein. Thank you

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I try to change up the types of food i give them so like 4 super worms 4 king worms and a wax worm is too much at once? Cooked fish or live feeder fish? Ill try feeding them protein every other day but less protein. Thank you

Feeder fish, bonk it on the head so it does not struggle. Some box turtles won't eat them, mine are cannibals...
I'd do 4 super worms a piece and 3 king worms, then the day after that the wax worms and crickets. Oh, in between the fruit or veggies.You sure don't want to make them obese. Go to a bait store and get some big night crawlers. They put up a fight, are fun to watch and I give mine 2 each as they are huge, and they challenge the turtle. It's a real fight and the turtle gets his exercise that way too...
How do you keep them?

 

[Pameladale]

Oh ok awesome ill have to try that.
I have duworms I just wasnt sure if theyd be too big to feed the turtles ill look for some more night crawler type worms. What do you mean how do I keep them?

 

[Bibbit]

Mine make it on a couple of worms every other day, bugs they catch in their enclosure, and fruits and veggies of some kind usually every day. They don't always eat all of the fruits and veggies, but I figure extra healthy stuff can't be too bad.

 

[Saleama]

I make a salad of apple, organic spring mix, boiled egg and boiled chicken and a pinch of fine ground egg shell and keep it on hand. They get that daily. I also have red wigglers that I turn loose in their table to grow and breed in there. The boxies hunt them. I feed super worms and crickets once every two weeks. I put the crickets in a 40 gallon fish tank and then turn the turtles loose on them. They (9 juveniles and 5 babies) wipe out 100 crickets in about half an hour. I hand feed the super worms. Each juvenile gets 5 or 6. The babies get 2 - 3 meal worms each along with a few red wigglers. They also have them in the enclosure for them to hunt. Every third or fourth day I will give them banana.
All my adults are in a 53'X23' garden and they get fruit supplements twice a week (figs, mangos, strawberry, melon, corn on the con, squash etc..,) but they mostly eat the plants in the garden (tomato, egg plant, bell pepper, zucchini, etc..,) and hunt their own food.

 

[Saleama]

Oh ok awesome ill have to try that.
I have duworms I just wasnt sure if theyd be too big to feed the turtles ill look for some more night crawler type worms. What do you mean how do I keep them?

I gave my babies, no bigger than a fifty cent piece, a seven inch night crawler once. My littlest one grabbed it by the head and dragged it into the cave. About two minutes later here comes that worm dragging my baby out of the cave. This went on for a few rounds and then, when the worm was pulling out of the cave again, the biggest baby got ahold of the other end and they did a tug of war until a third baby got it in the middle and bit it in two. At that point, the five of them devoured that worm and another like it. I call them my little Raptor Pack now. lol..

 

[kmartin]

Little raptor? Try some leftover salmon. You'll never look at them the same again. lol

 

[terryo]

I make a mix and change it around with different things each week. I put cooked sweet potato, cooked
carrots, soaked turtle brittle, chopped greens, escarole, or dandelion, or spring mix, mushrooms, melons, berries and some ground venison. Chop everything up and keep it in the refrigerator. They eat this mix every AM and in the afternoon I offer some kind of worm or buggie thing.

 

[Pameladale]

Little raptor? Try some leftover salmon. You'll never look at them the same again. lol

I just tried the salmon, my ornate who normally wont come out of her hut until im not home and hates people just came right up to the glass looking for more shes crazy for it lol! I still have to try feeder fish gotta find some. Thanks for all of your help everyone!

 

[Saleama]

I just tried the salmon, my ornate who normally wont come out of her hut until im not home and hates people just came right up to the glass looking for more shes crazy for it lol! I still have to try feeder fish gotta find some. Thanks for all of your help everyone!

Be careful with the Salmon. If they walk off with some and drop it and don't find it again, the smell will knock you out. I had one lose a tiny piece of shrimp once. It took me three days to find it and my entire house stunk something awful the entire time. I was not happy. The turtles didn't seem to mind though.

 

[Pameladale]

Haha ok thank you I will feed them out outside the tank!

 

[fbsmith3]

When my Three toed box turtle was an indoor turtle (1989 to 2009) I would feed her depending on her preference. She had a food dish she would bang for attention. Some fruits, veggies, and parrot pellets everyday 1-2 days and meat (cat food, dog food, night crawlers, crickets) twice a week. Now that she is outside I only feed her when she waits on her feeding tile (White 12" x 12" tile from a remodeling project) . I change her water a couple times a day and return 1/2 hour later. If she waits near her tile I feed her. Her outdoor enclosure is a garden with various edible plants, earthworms and bugs, so she only "asks" for food once or twice a week.

You might want to learn from the Turtles and try to read their requirements. If they eat all their food, you might not be feeding enough, if they don't eat, you're feeding too much. Temperature and activity determine feeding.

Good luck.

 

[Pameladale]

The thing is they were both rescues and didnt have any protein before I got them so they will eat and eat meat forever if I let them

 

[lynnedit]

So on one level, perhaps they are making up for lost time. You seem to be offering a good variety, but perhaps slow it down a bit as some have mentioned.

My Ornate BT eats some berries, sweet potato, but I'm not sure I have seen her voluntarily eat greens (tho I do try to mix up greens/fruits as a base to offer every day to every other day). She is mainly a carnivore.
You may have mentioned this, but make sure you have a cuttlebone in their enclosure!

They are luck to have found you.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Lots of very helpful information in all the postings that's for sure. I ensure my EBTs have a generous supply of both fruit and vegetables and of course any other worms and bugs that I can find. I do vermiculture, basically worm composting so I have a very generous supply of nice large red wrigglers available to feed at all times. One story I wanted to share from last weekend. I was out weed whacking around our garden, then went back to do a bit of watering and clean up to tidy things up. I noticed that I unfortunately had whacked a very small (6 inches) garden snake that looked more like a large night crawler than a snake. Anyhow, I picked the snake up and washed it off and brought it over to my female BT that I have in a large pen and gently placed the snake in the pen. I walked away to give the boxer some time to find it. After about ten minutes, I checked and I saw the last of the snake's tail disappearing down the turtle's mouth! So, I definitely know this boxer likes her protein.

 

[turtlelou]

Lots of very helpful information in all the postings that's for sure. I ensure my EBTs have a generous supply of both fruit and vegetables and of course any other worms and bugs that I can find. I do vermiculture, basically worm composting so I have a very generous supply of nice large red wrigglers available to feed at all times. One story I wanted to share from last weekend. I was out weed whacking around our garden, then went back to do a bit of watering and clean up to tidy things up. I noticed that I unfortunately had whacked a very small (6 inches) garden snake that looked more like a large night crawler than a snake. Anyhow, I picked the snake up and washed it off and brought it over to my female BT that I have in a large pen and gently placed the snake in the pen. I walked away to give the boxer some time to find it. After about ten minutes, I checked and I saw the last of the snake's tail disappearing down the turtle's mouth! So, I definitely know this boxer likes her protein.

That's really neat. My box turtles have eaten salamanders and frogs before. When I find them in the yard I will put them in the turtle garden and they are gone fast!

 

[Pameladale]

Thank you. Haha thats so cool