advice needed on a rescued juvie boxie with severe soft shell/mbg

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earthyman71

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hello forum members!

had the good fortune to stumble upon a cl post today advertising a juvie boxie that someone had taken from the wild after he inadvertently nearly killed it.

the person was truly a good samaritan and trying to do the right thing - so i'm not focusing on taking these little guys from the wild and having limited knowledge of proper care. i'm focusing instead on making this little guy better and need your insight and advice. (Please don't slog the person who gave me this little guy as he truly figured out something was wrong and knew he needed help!)

this little boxie is maybe a year and a half, not as big as he should be, was kept very dry, fed crickets and now has a shell so soft you could fold him in half with not much effort. he's fragile - but on the upside he's alert, moves around, has an interest in live food, eyes are clear, limbs seem to work ok, etc. if you just looked at him you might think his shell looks a bit flat and too oval. if you picked him up you'd definitely know something was wrong.

he's now in an indoor pen with really good uva/uvb, hide log, hiding places, correct humidity, deep moist substrate, hay, etc. his diet will alternate between live food every other day and fruits/veggies every other day. he'll have constant access to cuttle bone as well.

i've successfully raised healthy juvies with beautiful shells but have never had one this soft with mbd.

any tips from anyone who's successfully rehabilitated a boxie this young/soft/mbd plagued?

it breaks my heart but i'm going to do what i can!

thank you for any insight!
 

Yvonne G

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Calcium and UVB. Plus, baby box turtles really need the moisture. Be sure his substrate is always kept moist and soak him every day. You can dip his worms and meal worms in a calcium supplement and add vitamin d drops to his moist food.
 

earthyman71

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Thanks!! I had zero clue about the vitamin d drops. He may be a candidate for at least a few good baby food soaks as well depending on what he chooses to eat.

emysemys said:
Calcium and UVB. Plus, baby box turtles really need the moisture. Be sure his substrate is always kept moist and soak him every day. You can dip his worms and meal worms in a calcium supplement and add vitamin d drops to his moist food.
 

luvpetz27

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Hi, I just read your post and was wondering how they are doing? I just love box turtles and it breaks my heart . I am glad they are in good hands now. Good luck with them and please update us.
 

earthyman71

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Thanks! Unfortunately the little guy passed away today :( Incredibly sad. I buried him in the pot of a favorite plant of mine which will keep him part of the cycle of nature (and hopefully with me for a long time!).

Sad :(
 
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