New eastern box turtle owner

Grapes

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Aug 11, 2015
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I just recently got a hatchling eastern box turtle and wanted some advice on my set up and care so far.

Enclosure: 10 gallon aquarium
Substrate: eco earth and green moss (tank is sprayed down twice a day and substrate is kept damp)
Lighting: reptisun 10.0 and black light heat bulb. (Temps hot side 80-85 cool side 70-75)
Diet: meal worms, red wigglers dusted with jurrassical (wont eat veggies yet

Just bought the zoomed calcium with d3 today.

My little guy gets natural sunlight
almost everyday for a couple hours. I feed him on a terra cotta dish in a paint tray with ecoearth and green moss kept very moist.

When I first got him I weighed him and he was 10grams weighed him again today and he is 11grams.

She'll is still pretty soft and pliable anyone know of a rough estimated time for the shell to harden up?

Also any advice on getting him to eat some veggies? Thanks in advance guys.
 

Yvonne G

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Your little guy needs a wetter environment, and he needs some hiding places. Put a few potted plants in there, along with a waterer he can climb into and out of easily. This is what my baby habitats look like:

covered enclosure a.jpg

covered enclosure b.jpg

covered habitat.jpg

covered habitat 2.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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I put down the same chopped up greens and veggies that I feed the baby tortoises, then I put other live food or animal protein on top of it. After a week or so, the baby box turtles also eat the greens. Occasionally I also add fruit to the mixture.
 

Grapes

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I do usually have a terra cotta saucer in the enclosure it was taken out to be cleaned in that photo. I don't have a cover on the cage though it's just a screen top. What is that you used to cover your cage?
 

Grapes

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1444197788.129022.jpg

Put a terra cotta saucer in with the little guy for soaking gonna plant some real plants in for hiding and humidity. I'll post a humidity level once it's had to build some up.

Yes that's a spatula taped to the side lol I had to improvise on low funds.
 

Angel Carrion

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Hey it's fine, whatever works. One thing I've seen people do is wrap tin foil over the mesh part of the screen to keep heat/humidity in, while still having access to the clips and tank itself. That tank is kind of tall, though. Do you have a plastic storage bin, like a Rubbermaid, that is shorter? That way the UVB can reach the turtle better because if the lamp is too far away, the UVB dissipates before reaching the turtle.
 

Grapes

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Thanks Angel the wife doesn't like how the Rubbermaid looks lol she prefers the tank cause it looks nicer. The distance from the screen to the substrate is about 12 inches. I put the little guy out every morning to get natural sunlight too. Well hopefully be getting a house with a nice yard soon. I'll make an outdoor enclosure once that happens.
 
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