Tember-the-turtle

New Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
mo
I think for someone who rescued a turtle on the spur of the moment, you have done GREAT collecting the equipment and supplies. I can see you are continuing to study too. Tember is a lucky boy. At some point, you will run into some one who will lecture you about reptiles not having emotions. Pfft. I love my tort and I am certain she is fond of me. Enjoy your Tember and thank you for rescuing him.
Thank you! Made my day
 

Tember-the-turtle

New Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
mo
Does anyone have a link to a diy habitat? I'll use a rubbermade container or anything that is recommended, I just wouldnt know how to fix the lights for it. An example or a how to video link from youtube or anything like that would be amazing.
 

Tember-the-turtle

New Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
mo
Also I don't know the name of the bedding in tembers tank I ordered it from amazon in brick form and had to scrape it off by hand, it had great reviews but the packaging was just a smiling face. No brand name or anything :/

Can I use moss I find outside? I have a lot of land and can find that stuff easily if it's ok to use?
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
If it came in a brick, you probably have coco coir, which is good. Instead of scrapping it, soak it in hot water, about 2 times the amount of the brick, and it will break up. I don’t know about the moss.
This. You are supposed to soak the brick in water to decompress it. This is handy because you need the substrate to be damp anyway :)

Be cautious with the amount of water you use as you want it to be damp, not soaking wet. Trying to wring out sodden coir is no fun!
 

PJay

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
1,167
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Also I don't know the name of the bedding in tembers tank I ordered it from amazon in brick form and had to scrape it off by hand, it had great reviews but the packaging was just a smiling face. No brand name or anything :/

Can I use moss I find outside? I have a lot of land and can find that stuff easily if it's ok to use?
Sounds like you bought a compressed brick of coconut coir. Soak it in water and squeeze out the excess before adding it a few inches deep to the enclosure.

The moss you find outside won't survive long in an indoor enclosure. Buy a large bag of sphagnum moss, soak it and wring it out before adding to the enclosure. It will help keep the humidity up and the turtles like to hide in it. You can boil it a couple of times to clean and reuse before it needs to be replaced.
 

Pastel Tortie

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Messages
4,264
Location (City and/or State)
North Florida
You have a hatchling box turtle that is eating and that is a major part of achieving success. Don't worry too much about variety at this point, just keep it eating the wiggly stuff and growing, as you go along you can try introducing other foods. I like to get my turtles started on commercial foods along with the worms and pill bugs: Omega One, Saki-Hikari and Mazuri are some good choices and supply a wide range of nutrients. Calcium is important for turtle growth and is supplied to some extent via the commercial foods but can also be introduced by gut loading crickets, black soldier fly larvae, dubia roaches and hornworms with leafy greens like dandelion, mustard and turnip greens. Keep doing what is working, but know that you can feed your box turtle while it is still in the water.

I do provide UVB for my young turtles, but I think UVB is really a "nice to have" for box turtle hatchlings. In nature, they are hiding under clumps of grass and leaf litter during their first years and are exposed to very little sunlight. If you keep them warm, wet and eating high calcium foods they will grow to the point where you can start worrying about UVB exposure.
My box turtle is a year and a half or so old now. I've had her since she was a hatchling, and I agree with what @PJay posted.

The UVB is nice to have, but don't be too offended if you rarely or never see your hatchling getting any use out of it. :)

Try to get your hatchling to eat at least one good commercial pellet in his regular diet. Variety is better (eventually), but as long as your hatchling is eating, pooping, growing, and not losing weight, you're doing a great job. The commercial pellets will provide plenty of D3 so the turtle can make use of the calcium available to grow.

I like the ReptoMin Pro Juvenile Turtle Formula. It softens quickly in water, making it easier for a small turtle to eat. The juvenile pellet is a good size target for a young boxie to get used to eating in water. When he's soaking, float some pellets on the water. They don't wriggle exactly, but the movement of the water may entice an otherwise reluctant eater.
 

Pastel Tortie

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Messages
4,264
Location (City and/or State)
North Florida
Also, don't freak out if you see white/light lines on the hatchling's shell, that means it's just growing. View attachment 257715 (I just learned this with Eggsy).
Thanks @Eggsy for making a very good point. There will be times you look at your box turtle's growing carapace and go... Hrmm... :) Especially when it starts developing that characteristic box turtle domed look.
 

Pastel Tortie

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Messages
4,264
Location (City and/or State)
North Florida
I found it helpful to record my boxie's weight and length on a regular (at least weekly) basis, especially early on when she was a small hatchling. I still weigh and measure her, but it hasn't been nearly as often lately because it's a slower time of year.

I found a picture I took of the very first index card I started to keep track of my boxie's SCL and weight. I also transferred the data into a notebook with other observations about my boxie.
WP_20170901_11_29_10_Pro.jpg
TP = turtle poop
 

Pastel Tortie

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Messages
4,264
Location (City and/or State)
North Florida
This is from a year later. I finally settled on tracking my box turtle's intake (input) and output (TP) during her soak, along with the pre- and post-soak weights and SCL.
WP_20181120_08_13_43_Pro.jpg
Then she decided she didn't want to eat earthworms during her soak, but she MIGHT eat them in her enclosure water bowl after her soak... Making my tracking much more complicated.
 

drew54

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Messages
903
Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
I could post my enclosure in steps. Pretty easy if you're interested.
 

MyKeyTee

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
26
Location (City and/or State)
North East USA
moist substrate, several inches deep (Zoo Med Eco-Earth) to dig into and prevent respiratory infection
a wide, short hide (1/12'" tall?) to get out of the UV/heat light/heat
lights on timers to reflect the winter day/night cycle
try the tiny meal worms dusted in calcium along with some colorful fruits/vegs
it is winter and he is likely slowing down and digging in for hibernation
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Also I don't know the name of the bedding in tembers tank I ordered it from amazon in brick form and had to scrape it off by hand, it had great reviews but the packaging was just a smiling face. No brand name or anything :/

Can I use moss I find outside? I have a lot of land and can find that stuff easily if it's ok to use?
Those bricks of substrate just fall apart when you place them into a 5 gallon bucket of water. Then after they fall apart, you wring out the water and you're good to go!

I use the soil outside my house for box turtles. Afterall, this is what they live in in the real world. I give them a few inches, and I keep it moist.
 

Mel from hell

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Adams Center. Ny
Hi:) be careful with wild moss! It usually contains weeee little bugs, called chiggers.
Once u get them? You’ll not forget them!
It’s like scabies, on Speed. I don’t really know? If they’d get them, being a Reptile, but I know us mammals, get em. I sadly recall, being 12 and taking a Clorox bath..... stop n imagine that.....sorry, I digress
So, use store bought mossI, do.
You sound like ur doing a GREAT and caring job. Float a little piece of greens, in his water n move it around. That may help entice him. You’ve rescued an animal and saved a life. Their will to survive, will surprise you. Best of luck
 
Top