Box Turtle Hatchling Questions

[Im Hyung Soo]

Hello I have tried asking in another turtle forum site but so far not much luck. Anyway I have two box turtles outside who had babies. The hatchlings are almost 2 months old and they seem decently active with no major problems in moving or eating. They are fed waxworms and mealworms coated in multivitamins and some kind of tortoise diet pellet thing my dad brought them though I have to let it soak for a bit. Mostly they prefer the worms. I try giving them some greens and fruits but they ignore them. I also leave a cuttlebone in there which I know one for sure has been chewing on, not so sure about the other one.
I use Zoomed's basking light and eco earth substrate for their housing. Of course I do take them out occasionally for some natural sun. These are our first hatchlings so i'm not much of an expert on them but I have noticed for a while now the skin that is under their shell and over their legs and head seems pale, mainly the skin under their shell. I don't know how to fully describe it but it concerns me, it's like a blob of white above their legs. Now they have white lines going down the sides of their shells. It also seems to be white in the middle line under their shells. I don't know what it is but it's really concerning for me.
I want to take them to the vet but my dad says they are fine and he doesn't want to take them to a vet because it will cost money and he doesn't want to spend a lot on them. Any help is appreciated, I just want the best for these little ones.
I'll try to get better pictures if necessary but that would have to wait until the morning. Also the lines on their shells thought more noticeable on the hatchling in the front look like a shine from the light but it's not. Any bit of help would be appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

The first thing I notice about your cute little babies (Terrapene ornata ornata, or ornate box turtles) is that their shells are starting to curl up on the edges. Because baby box turtle are so tiny, they dry out very quickly. And by 'dry out' I'm talking about their insides, not just their outsides. They need to be kept in a very humid environment. You have to actually pour a pitcher full of water over that substrate and mix it up with your hand so all the substrate has absorbed the water...then keep adding water to it as it dries out. You also have to put the babies in water daily for about 15 minutes.

What I do with baby box turtles is chop up the fruit, veggies and greens into very tiny pieces. While the babies are soaking, I place a glob of food on the feeding tile, then I add the pinhead crickets or worms on top of the pile. Then I place the babies around the food and quickly step out of their sight. As they bite at the worms, they get a bit of other food and eventually get a taste for it. I will sometimes mix in a bit of good quality canned dog food with the greens, mixing it all up so everything is coated. I said OCCASIONALLY, not every time.

I can't see the white you're talking about, but from what I can see in the picture, other than the curling shells, they look ok.

 

[cmacusa3]

I agree with Yvonne. You need to get that substrate wet. These little guys are drying out and the shells are curling up. I've seen it happen more with ornates than other box turtles.

It will stick to them and be messy but it's better for them.

 

[PJay]

Welcome to the forum! You have some cute box turtles there. The white you are seeing might just be dry skin and shell.

 

[Im Hyung Soo]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

The first thing I notice about your cute little babies (Terrapene ornata ornata, or ornate box turtles) is that their shells are starting to curl up on the edges. Because baby box turtle are so tiny, they dry out very quickly. And by 'dry out' I'm talking about their insides, not just their outsides. They need to be kept in a very humid environment. You have to actually pour a pitcher full of water over that substrate and mix it up with your hand so all the substrate has absorbed the water...then keep adding water to it as it dries out. You also have to put the babies in water daily for about 15 minutes.

What I do with baby box turtles is chop up the fruit, veggies and greens into very tiny pieces. While the babies are soaking, I place a glob of food on the feeding tile, then I add the pinhead crickets or worms on top of the pile. Then I place the babies around the food and quickly step out of their sight. As they bite at the worms, they get a bit of other food and eventually get a taste for it. I will sometimes mix in a bit of good quality canned dog food with the greens, mixing it all up so everything is coated. I said OCCASIONALLY, not every time.

I can't see the white you're talking about, but from what I can see in the picture, other than the curling shells, they look ok.

I thought that may be the case, I normally spray the substrate with water every so often but i'll up more so. I do make sure they get a soaking in their water bowl each day. Thanks a lot for the help, i'll get to it. And so if they get proper moisture their skin and shells I hope should slowly get better along with everything else. By the way my dad brought a dechlorinater from walmart thought it's mainly for aquatic reptiles, would that be okay to clean the tap water with? Thanks again. I've just been using normal tap water since I tend to be very paranoid about using some things.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know the condition of your 'normal' tap water, but if it's ok for you and your family to drink and bathe in it, then, in my opinion, it's ok for the turtles too. Spraying the substrate doesn't get it wet. You need to pour water over it and mix the water in with your hand until all the substrate is wet.

Also, soaking them in a dish they can climb out of isn't good enough. Put them into a bowl they can't climb out of, add water that comes up to the middle of their sides and leave them in there for about 15 minutes - every day.

 

[Im Hyung Soo]

I don't know the condition of your 'normal' tap water, but if it's ok for you and your family to drink and bathe in it, then, in my opinion, it's ok for the turtles too. Spraying the substrate doesn't get it wet. You need to pour water over it and mix the water in with your hand until all the substrate is wet.

Okay thanks, I wasn't sure about it but thought I can't stand to drink tap water no one else here seems to have a problem with it. Also I just did that, thanks again. ^^

 

[Eric Phillips]

I agree with everyone's previous input, I would also add, having some sort of plant life in the enclosure can help maintain some humidity. I keep some Irish moss, pearlwort, or sphagnum moss in certain spots just for this reason. Just a suggestion and good luck!

 

[Im Hyung Soo]

I agree with everyone's previous input, I would also add, having some sort of plant life in the enclosure can help maintain some humidity. I keep some Irish moss, pearlwort, or sphagnum moss in certain spots just for this reason. Just a suggestion and good luck!

Alright i'll see if I can get some hopefully soon. I've been keeping their substrate moist, might have to wet it a bit more tomorrow. Even though it's fall it's still quite hot here, desert weather is great. I'm hoping they get better soon enough. Well if anything they seem a little better though of course they still love hiding out in the substrate a lot.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

Baby Box turtles are mostly carnivores then when they get older they start to eat more greens and less protein. I would try a little green at a time

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome from Florida