EasternBoxTurtleLover
Member
My baby Eastern box turtle won’t eat her red wigglers she only eats super and meal worms what should I do?
My box turtle won’t eat red wigglers
- Thread starter EasternBoxTurtleLover
- Start date
I have read that the wrigglers have a bitter, slighty toxic slime. Last i tried them, my boxies would eat a few then quit.
If i then tossed them earthworms, they would resume eating with enthusiasm.
You don't want to feed too many mealworms or superworms. The mealworms at least have a lot of exoskeleton which might cause impaction. Also these worms have too much phosphorus. Earthworms and night crawlers are pretty ideal.
If i then tossed them earthworms, they would resume eating with enthusiasm.
You don't want to feed too many mealworms or superworms. The mealworms at least have a lot of exoskeleton which might cause impaction. Also these worms have too much phosphorus. Earthworms and night crawlers are pretty ideal.
MrMarg&me
Well-Known Member
Yes! My three box turtles will spit out red wrigglers. I have also read they have a bitter taste. My box turtles will readily accept night crawlers and earth worms.
EasternBoxTurtleLover
Member
What kind of earthworm? And since I have a baby I should cut up the night crawler right?
How big is the baby? How old? I have a 20 month old that has been eating whole nightcrawlers for quite a while. You can also try black soldier fly larvae. They love those.
EasternBoxTurtleLover
Member
My baby box turtle is only 9 months old and 2-2.5 inches long
Yeah maybe cut it up for a little while. Won' be long before he/she can tackle it though!
MrMarg&me
Well-Known Member
I have a garden and when digging I find earthworms. They are smaller than night crawlers. They are light pink rather than the dark red of the red wrigglers. They are also plumper. I do not have baby box turtles but I have read that people do cut up the night crawlers for them.
EasternBoxTurtleLover
Member
Ok thank you for all the help I really appreciate especially since I’m new to box turtles!!!
Using a large tub or pot with drain holes, dig up some clean dirt from your backyard. By 'clean' I mean dig from a spot outside where pesticides or herbicides haven't been used. Add some leaves and kitchen garbage (tea leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells, orange peels, etc. but no meat) and stir it all up. Keep the pot in the shade. Buy some red wigglers and add them to the pot of dirt. After a week or two the bitter smell and taste will have gone from the worms and you will be able to feed them to your turtle. Over time you can continue to add kitchen garbage and leaves to the pot, and your worms will reproduce.
Should the pot be in a covered area (out of the rain) and watered? I like this idea for my yard, but I need to figure out the best placement.
Yes. In the shade and out of the rain. I water mine about once a week and I keep newspaper on top of the dirt. The worms also eat the paper.
Similar to my old worm composting bin I kept in the kitchen in an old apartment. Cool. I can totally do that.
I dunno... I seem to recall that the wrigglers i was feeding that were not enthusiastically received were from my worm bin.
However the bin contained mostly peat moss.
However the bin contained mostly peat moss.
