S.O.H. - save our hatchling

[VTA Cat]

Holy moly, my husband found this little thing Saturday, 11/05/16 in our box turtle garden...upside down in the turtle water. She's strong and we tried not to stress her too much. We've kept her hydrated by misting and soaking...especially yesterday, she soaked in the water dish we set up. Here is a picture of her home we set up.

She's in a ten-gallon tank with substrate of coco-kor and peat moss. She's burrowed into the ground and has not eaten yet. Tried worms, and left a morsel of cat food but nothing.

How long before we should worry? She still has her egg tooth.

Any suggestions/feedback appreciated. We have adult box turtles that live outdoors...never a hatchling.

Many thanks!!!!!!
---VTA Cat

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I like to have my hiding places in a corner up against the wall. This give more floor space. Also, replace the dishes with a tile for feeding and a plant saucer for water. These are easier for a non-bendable little animal to traverse.

Baby box turtles are prey and stay hidden a lot. You can place the food right in front of the hiding place, then step out of sight. Be sure to keep the habitat humid and moist. Two or three small pots of plants placed down into the substrate will give more hiding places and help with humidity.

Go outside and get down on your hands and knees looking for more babies. They usually lay 4 or 5 eggs.

 

[VTA Cat]

Thank you for the response...hadn't thought about them being prey. How long before she should be eating?

 

[Yvonne G]

I start them out with food in their soaking water. You can buy frozen blood worms at the pet store. Put one section of the frozen worms in warm water and stir it around until it's defrosted. Then put the baby into the water and step out of sight. Leave him in there for about 15 minutes. While he's soaking, I chop up fruit and veg into very tiny pieces and place a tiny dollop onto the feeding tile, then I put a live redworm or pinhead cricket with his legs removed on top of the dollop. After his soak, put the baby in front of the food and step out of sight. I occasionally mix up a tiny bit of canned cat food with the fruit and veg, coating all pieces.

 

[VTA Cat]

I will try this. Huge thanks...again.

 

[PJay]

Welcome to the forum! If it still has its egg tooth it may still have a yoke sack visable on its bottom shell. If that's the case, it could be a week or two before it wants to eat.

 

[VTA Cat]

Thank you for the information and the welcome!

 

[VTA Cat]

Thank you for the information and the welcome!

Welcome to the forum! If it still has its egg tooth it may still have a yoke sack visable on its bottom shell. If that's the case, it could be a week or two before it wants to eat.

UPDATE: our hatchling is now two weeks old and still hiding in her substrate. Not eating yet. Raised the temperature of her area a bit to 75-78 degrees and placed her under the merc. vapor light. It really perked her up. What is an idea temperature for a 10-gallon tank and should we add a heat mat?
Thank you all.

 

[Yvonne G]

No. I don't use heat mats for babies. I try to keep baby habitats around 80F all over the whole habitat.

 

[VTA Cat]

No. I don't use heat mats for babies. I try to keep baby habitats around 80F all over the whole habitat.

Thank you for the prompt response.

 

[PJay]

UPDATE: our hatchling is now two weeks old and still hiding in her substrate. Not eating yet. Raised the temperature of her area a bit to 75-78 degrees and placed her under the merc. vapor light. It really perked her up. What is an idea temperature for a 10-gallon tank and should we add a heat mat?
Thank you all.

No worries, increase your temp as Yvonne suggested and keep the environment moist. Hatchlings are not always in a hurry to start eating. They can live on the contents of the yolk sack even after its no longer visable. You could start trying different feeding methods:

1. Remove the hatchling and soak in a container of shallow water. While it's soaking, prepare some food and place in the turtles home. When you return the hatchling from soaking, place it in front of the food and walk away for half an hour.

2. Place the hatchling in a shallow container of water with the food and walk away for a few minutes. With this method I like to peak in on the turtle to make sure it hasn't flipped over on its back while in water. Try to peak in so that it doesn't see you.

3. Move the hatchling into a container with food, but without water, and walk away for half an hour.

You will have to try this several times before it eats, don't be discouraged. Try different foods and make a routine of it. Say, every other day or so. It helps if the hatchling is familiar with what is happening, and it's not a new, scary, never before seen situation. Be patient through this process, and know that it's not starving.

 

[VTA Cat]

Again, thank you so much. This forum has been wonderful. We'll try the different feeding methods.--cm

 

[VTA Cat]

Again, thank you so much. This forum has been wonderful. We'll try the different feeding methods.--cm

Hope this works, I'm posting a picture. She's really responding to the increased temperature. Thanks a million.

 

[PJay]

Hope this works, I'm posting a picture. She's really responding to the increased temperature. Thanks a million.

Great picture! I just love them when they are so small, have you had a chance to weigh it? I noticed the word Rose in the picture title. Is that it's name? My daughter named one of my turtles Rose.

 

[VTA Cat]

Yes, her name is Rose. She weighs in at 0.20 ounce.

 

[PJay]

Here is a picture of our Rose giving me the side eye for intruding on her meal of butternut squash, sweet potato, corn and Omega One turtle sticks. She is 5 yrs old and weighs 395 grams, or 13.93 ounces.

 

[Gillian M]

Hope this works, I'm posting a picture. She's really responding to the increased temperature. Thanks a million.

Cute. And a very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[VTA Cat]

Our Rose was taking bites of the cuttlebone piece this morning. But still not interested in food.

 

[VTA Cat]

Thank you.

 

[VTA Cat]

Question: is the squash uncooked and the "kibble" mixed in?