Recent content by Madame Terrapene

  1. Madame Terrapene

    Desert box turtles...in need of some sage (and rosemary) advice.

    Shelly, how old/large are these "babies"? As far as safety goes, I'd be more concerned about exposure to the elements and critters than eating toxic plants (although the latter should be a concern too). Once upon a time I had two 3 mos old 3-toeds dehydrate and die outside during a Texas...
  2. Madame Terrapene

    Captive-bred Box Turtles Have No Natural 'Homing' Instinct?

    More anecdotal musings here based off of observations: my guess is that since they're creatures of habit (especially the adults), they're just attempting to return to their original territory when they're "homing". Captive-bred may less aggressively try to return "home" if they're used to being...
  3. Madame Terrapene

    Meet "Tortellini" and some three toed box questions!

    Hopefully no one throws stones at me but I actually don't use UVB for their first year of life. My babies grow to be juveniles just fine with only a basking light for heat. Once they're juveniles they go to the outdoor juvenile pen. OP, I'm so glad you're here! I have some tips for you and I...
  4. Madame Terrapene

    Question on substrate

    I don't know about hemp ground mulch, but in my outdoor habitats I use a sandy mix of topsoil, peat and hardwood mulch. Then I let the weeds grow wild in it. For indoor habitats I use 2 inches or more of playsand topped with 1 inch of Reptibark. I then pour in water until the sand is damp (not...
  5. Madame Terrapene

    Sick Eastern Boxie?

    If you can post a picture here of the eye caps that you mentioned, that might help us determine what's going on. It may be as suggested above and her habitat humidity is too low. You can add a layer of playsand below her coco coir substrate and pour water in until the sand is damp (not soaking)...
  6. Madame Terrapene

    Live plants

    Live plants help with humidity in addition to increasing turtle happiness, wise choice! I second pothos. For aesthetics, pothos will grow wild and provide viney vegetation that you can arrange around the tank, looks nice. Hibiscus is a nice edible plant and it can be trimmed short. I've also...
  7. Madame Terrapene

    outdoor ponds for boxies in the Northeast USA.

    Question for folks who have shallow homemade cement ponds: Is there a trick to keep the cement pond from cracking during freeze/thaw cycles? Or is that not an issue?
  8. Madame Terrapene

    Info and guidance needed

    Welcome to the forum OP! The turtle looks to be in good condition. Making an outdoor pen will probably be best, as the critter is likely used to roaming large spaces and would be happier outside eating bugs and digging in the dirt. I build in-ground pens with a mesh lid to keep turtles in and...
  9. Madame Terrapene

    Outdoor box turtle enclosure size

    ColleenT, I'm sorry to bother you but I can't find a pic of your enclosure. Could you repost it? I'm always looking for new ideas. Someday I want a huge turtle garden, but right now we always rent so I can't dedicate a whole swath of yard just yet.
  10. Madame Terrapene

    Outdoor box turtle enclosure size

    Brenda! I knew I saw this somewhere when I saw your enclosure pic on a local Central TX fb page. We're relatively neighbors, I live in San Antonio. Is your turtle a climber? I have one guy who would climb right over a cinder block wall, but several others that wouldnt. Also, sometimes a predator...
  11. Madame Terrapene

    New tortoise mom seeking advice on species

    There's a lot of common rules used for sexing (eye-color w/ males having red eyes, or shape of the plastron etc) but honestly he just looks like a boy to me. His carapace is really domed and he just has that male box turtle look. ColleenT already mentioned it, but you can always post a pic of...
  12. Madame Terrapene

    New tortoise mom seeking advice on species

    Just curious, what is a CHE?
  13. Madame Terrapene

    New tortoise mom seeking advice on species

    Welcome and we're glad you're here! There's tons of info on this site, and you can always ask questions, no matter how small you think the issue is. Box turtles are fun animals to have around and rarely get sick as long as they are properly cared for. Getting the habitat set up right and...
  14. Madame Terrapene

    Box Turtle with Bloody Face

    Hi KellBell, It's good that you're applying ointment to it. Like you said, a vet trip is always an option if it's not improving after awhile or getting worse. Sometimes the good turtle vets are hard to get to in an emergency (may take a couple of days to be seen), so I wouldn't let it get too...
  15. Madame Terrapene

    Box Turtle with Bloody Face

    Apologies Yvonne, I understand your meaning completely as I also find forum threads very helpful. I just check my email more often than the forum and wouldn't want someone to ask me a question only to have it go unanswered. I'll make sure to add any valuable email conversations to the relevant...
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