Mr.Snowballa

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Joined
Jan 6, 2021
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1
Location (City and/or State)
Severn Maryland
I have a baby eastern box turtle and it has not been eating and it just turned winter here and my older box turtle had eating problems on her first winter too even though they are both indoors. How can I get it to eat?
 

Maro2Bear

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Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
Greetings. I’m just a bit west of you.....cold, blustery day out...

So, id say upload some pictures of your enclosure, and describe your heating & lighting regime.

This time of year, Box turtles around here are normally in their deep brumation state. So, you need to re-create Summertime. Long bright days, coupled with warm, moist conditions. Now, throw in good food.

Extend the photoperiod, check the temps, offer foods that you know it has eaten. Id soak daily as well.

Good luck
 

JoesMum

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10 Year Member!
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Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
If any species of tortoise isn’t active or eating, it is usually due to it being too cold.

There are 4 important temperatures that you need to know accurately:
Directly under the basking lamp at tortoise level
Overnight minimum
Ambient warm side
Ambient cool side
Please tell us what temperatures you have and also the humidity.

How long have you had this turtle?

Please post photos of your enclosure and lighting to help us to help you further.
 

Ink

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Tortoise Club
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Jun 10, 2016
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Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Are they together in the same enclosure
 

PJay

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Jul 20, 2016
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1,167
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
I agree with @Maro2Bear , this time of year can be slow for North American box turtles. I have several species that are usually eager to eat but slow down and refuse food this time of year even with consistent temperatures and photoperiod. Wait until late Feb or early March when they will act like you have been starving them.
 

jeff kushner

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Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
Wow small world... Glenn Dale(Bobby,my Senior estimator lives there), Severn (my folks used to live there) and Northern Neck...near Mason Neck....great park with beaver, snappers and a certain secluded gazebo.

FWIW little Matilda has also been disappearing for days at a time under her Spanish moss however she chooses to stay in the 68F region of her home which is a little too warm for true hibernation I think........she popped out over the weekend and since it was "weigh day" on Sunday, she got a rid to the scale. She has lost a gram or two since Christmas eve....but I'll keep an eye out to see it goes lower.

jeff
 

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