Distilled Water? Year old Eastern Boxie Not very Active

BentoNeko

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When I had box turtles, I gut-loaded mealworms with oatmeal. It makes them super nutritious. The box turtles love them. I fed occasional crickets. A side salad of edible greens and flowers goes with each meal.

The thing is i only have one box turtle, and I'm afraid she wont be able to consume all the meal worms i purchase and they ll all just turn into beetles.
 

TammyJ

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Nothing sold at Walmart will provide your turtle with UVB. Compact UV bulbs are ineffective and sometimes dangerous. They should not be used.

Your turtle needs adequate warmth to digest its food. Be sure the basking temperature directly under the bulb is around 95 degrees. It should be cooler away from the basking area, but warm is good.

Baby box turtles tend to prefer much more protein. They need a variety of different protein sources and different foods. I'm no expert, but I've raised a few of them over the years. If anyone comes along with more box turtle experience than me, listen to their advice too.

What kind of worms are you offering and where from? Earthworms from your yard are good, but also offer crickets and roaches from safe sources. I squash the insects head and drop it in front of the turtle. The wiggling tends to attract their attention. Many people find a candid dog or cat food that the turtle likes and then mix in other good stuff with it. If you mince up some good greens, finely grate some yam, squash or carrot, and then mix it with a little ball of canned dog food, you can make a good mix that they will eat. I will also mix up roaches or crickets into these mixes.

@terryo is a master at this.
@Yvonne G also raises lots of baby box turtles every year, so I'll be she'll have some great tips too. She is the first person I'd ask for box turtle tips.
Tom. The gratered yam, squash or carrot - is it cooked or raw?
 

BentoNeko

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I do it raw, but I suppose it could be cooked for a little tiny baby to soften it up.

I tried dandelion greens and fresh sliced raw carrot, and she took one bite of the carrot and then wouldn't even take another!! She hated it :C
 

Tom

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The thing is i only have one box turtle, and I'm afraid she wont be able to consume all the meal worms i purchase and they ll all just turn into beetles.
Keep them in the fridge. They will lat for weeks. I don't like meal worms. All chitin, difficult to digest. I've recently helped a friend with a leopard gecko and beardie that were suffering from malnutrition eating mostly mealworms. Gut loaded roaches and crickets are a much better food source. Use hornworms and silk worms for variety. Wax worms occasionally too.
 

ColleenT

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The thing is i only have one box turtle, and I'm afraid she wont be able to consume all the meal worms i purchase and they ll all just turn into beetles.

From the link in my signature- the reason you should NOT feed mealworms.

Earthworms are quite different from mealworms,

supermealies, and waxworms. The latter three invertebrates are insect larvae, not true worms. (Mealworms and supermealies become beetles; waxworms become moths). Unlike earthworms, which are annelids, nearly all insects have low calcium content and an inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. In small amounts they are fine to offer as treats –most box turtles love them – but a steady diet will interfere with calcium absorption and cause calcium to be removed from a turtle’s bones, possibly leading to Metabolic Bone Disease. This can happen especially quickly in young growing turtles with high calcium requirements. If you feed commercially raised insects (e.g., mealworms, supermealies, waxworms, house crickets) dust them with calcium powder (Rep-Cal,

ZooMed) immediately before serving. The calcium should have Vit D3 additive if your turtles live indoors.
 

mark1

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So in their enclosure what is the best and cheapest substrate? I have a mix of top soil and play sand for her, since she loves to burrow, but ive noticed nomatter how much i mist it and such it just completely dries out. The humidity probably isnt much either... I feel like a fool now!! There's so much i had no idea of! What thermometer do you recommend? And what UVB light do you recommend? I've mostly been feeding her Boiled egg, tuna, & regular earth worms from Walmart as a protein source. I thought for a substrate, top soil and playsand at the bottom with a layer of sphagnum moss!

the substrate should be easily kept sanitary , I like straight sphagnum moss for young turtles , it's easy to keep clean and wet …….. the temperature gradient in the enclosure needs kept day and night ….. at night when you turn the light out at the warm end you need to turn on something like one of those ceramic heating element bulbs to take it's place for heat ………..


9809e84c-d721-443a-a742-bf450afcd03c.jpg



DSCF1512.jpg


100-2165a.jpg
 

BentoNeko

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Okay!! Im looking to update her enclosure, could someone or you make a list of what i would need? I know about the common stuff like UVB Lights, (Which i have!) But i didnt know she would need extra heat! Please and thank you :)




the substrate should be easily kept sanitary , I like straight sphagnum moss for young turtles , it's easy to keep clean and wet …….. the temperature gradient in the enclosure needs kept day and night ….. at night when you turn the light out at the warm end you need to turn on something like one of those ceramic heating element bulbs to take it's place for heat ………..


9809e84c-d721-443a-a742-bf450afcd03c.jpg



DSCF1512.jpg


100-2165a.jpg
 

BentoNeko

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Keep them in the fridge. They will lat for weeks. I don't like meal worms. All chitin, difficult to digest. I've recently helped a friend with a leopard gecko and beardie that were suffering from malnutrition eating mostly mealworms. Gut loaded roaches and crickets are a much better food source. Use hornworms and silk worms for variety. Wax worms occasionally too.

Thanks so much!! I didnt know :(

Okay!! Im looking to update her enclosure, could someone or you make a list of what i would need? I know about the common stuff like UVB Lights, (Which i have!) But i didnt know she would need extra heat! Please and thank you :)
 

BentoNeko

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Any body have any good suggestions for UVBv bulbs? I have the Zoo med ceramic Light fixture but i want a better bulb for her!
 

BentoNeko

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An updated on my Boxie!

I fear someone was right and that she has a Vitamen A deficiency. I tried mixing Tuna and tiny shaved bits of carrot together but she wouldn't even touch it, this makes the second day she hasn't eaten and that worries me!! Should i be extremely worried? From what i see her eye lids are a little swollen but no discharge is noticed. What should I do??
 

ColleenT

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Go to the pet store and but a bird vitamin called Vita-sol. it is a liquid. Put warm water into a smallish size tub and put 1-2 drops of Vita-sol in the container. soak turtle for about 20 minutes every other day for about a week. this should help.
 

BentoNeko

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Go to the pet store and but a bird vitamin called Vita-sol. it is a liquid. Put warm water into a smallish size tub and put 1-2 drops of Vita-sol in the container. soak turtle for about 20 minutes every other day for about a week. this should help.
I will try it!! Thanks so much <3
 

enchilada

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If it happens in a month , its definitely not UVB or vitamin problems.
Probably infection in the digestion system caused by dirty food and improper heating .

Put it in a covered enclosure, keep at 80F , 80%+ humidity. Typical will heal in 1 or 2 weeks
 

Gijoux

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You think so? I'm just not sure how she could get that ! I sprinkle her food with Zoo Meds calcium powder with D3 in it three times a week, if she does have a vitamen A deficiency, what do i do?
High dosing of Vitamin D can cause a Vitamin A deficiency. Companies making Vitamin D3 supplements need to start making one with Vitamin A also. They have started doing this with human supplements for this reason. They are also adding K2 to Vitamin D3 supplements for humans. Luckily Tortoises naturally get lots of K2 in the dark green leafy veggies they like.
 

BentoNeko

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If it happens in a month , its definitely not UVB or vitamin problems.
Probably infection in the digestion system caused by dirty food and improper heating .

Put it in a covered enclosure, keep at 80F , 80%+ humidity. Typical will heal in 1 or 2 weeks

Alrighty, thank you!
 

BentoNeko

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Things have gotten worse!! My boxie is now blowing tiny snot bubbles. Ive been providing more Vitamen A for her in the form of zuccini and cucumber. Could it be that i'm not providing proper heating??? I did not provide a heat bulb for her but her UVB bulb already seemed to make her basking spot so warm and she always seems to choose the cooler side. Is there just not enough moisture in her home?
 

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