We have a turtle that we "rescued" about a year ago from someone that was not caring for him. The background we got on the turtle was pretty sparse. We were told that he was a “Russian” turtle, doesn’t hibernate, eats “whatever.” The turtle was kept on dry pea gravel with an incandescent light bulb. They originally had two turtles, and one died. I don’t know when.
So, here’s what I have gathered: Eastern Box turtle. Male. Did hibernate with us last fall (roughly November – March), and seemed to do well with it. He went from 359g to 340g while in hibernation. We live in a cold climate, so he needs to stay indoors. (I know this is not ideal. We have set up a temporary area outside for him on warm days, but this seems to stress him out. He just hides under a log or burrows in the grass.) We increased the size of his indoor living quarters and built him a dark/cool side he can burrow in, and keep it moist. On the bright/warm side, we have a incandescent light bulb for heat and a Reptisun UV bulb. He's back up to 349g since coming out of hibernation.
Our local vet said I was doing very well with the changes we’ve made, but she does not specialize in reptiles (and neither do any other vets within 50 miles of us). So, I am hoping you all could help with a few things:
I have no idea how old he is. Is there a way to tell? The people we got him from said they had him since he was a baby, but they didn't know exactly how long they'd had him. If I had this info, should it influence how I care for him? He mostly eats protein (see below), which some books say is normal for a younger turtle. Is that true?
Isn't his beak too long? Feeding on slate is not making it go down. I’m nervous to clip or Dremel it. Be honest - would a nail file make a difference, or is that futile? Is the long beak a sign of dietary deficiency?
What about his toenails? I clipped one of the longest back nails, probably about 1mm last fall, and it bled. I can’t see the quicks. The front seem ok.
I’m frustrated with his eating habits. I see other box turtles in YouTube videos chowing down on salads of greens, fruit, protein. My guy will usually eat protein (earthworms, slugs, cooked beef or chicken), but even then, he doesn’t eat much. He almost always refuses vegetables (carrots, greens, cucumbers, etc.). He’s eaten some red bell pepper, blueberries, raspberries, and tomatoes on occasion. He won’t touch commercial box turtle pellets, which I only bought out of desperation. Yesterday, he played with an earthworm, but he didn’t eat it. It was like he was missing it when he tried to chomp down on it. That made me worry about his beak and ultimately prompted me to create this post. The temp on the warm side of his house is 80-85, depending on our inside house temp. Should I increase this to get him to eat? Or is it his beak? Or both?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I am hoping to get this guy headed on the right track!
So, here’s what I have gathered: Eastern Box turtle. Male. Did hibernate with us last fall (roughly November – March), and seemed to do well with it. He went from 359g to 340g while in hibernation. We live in a cold climate, so he needs to stay indoors. (I know this is not ideal. We have set up a temporary area outside for him on warm days, but this seems to stress him out. He just hides under a log or burrows in the grass.) We increased the size of his indoor living quarters and built him a dark/cool side he can burrow in, and keep it moist. On the bright/warm side, we have a incandescent light bulb for heat and a Reptisun UV bulb. He's back up to 349g since coming out of hibernation.
Our local vet said I was doing very well with the changes we’ve made, but she does not specialize in reptiles (and neither do any other vets within 50 miles of us). So, I am hoping you all could help with a few things:
I have no idea how old he is. Is there a way to tell? The people we got him from said they had him since he was a baby, but they didn't know exactly how long they'd had him. If I had this info, should it influence how I care for him? He mostly eats protein (see below), which some books say is normal for a younger turtle. Is that true?
Isn't his beak too long? Feeding on slate is not making it go down. I’m nervous to clip or Dremel it. Be honest - would a nail file make a difference, or is that futile? Is the long beak a sign of dietary deficiency?
What about his toenails? I clipped one of the longest back nails, probably about 1mm last fall, and it bled. I can’t see the quicks. The front seem ok.
I’m frustrated with his eating habits. I see other box turtles in YouTube videos chowing down on salads of greens, fruit, protein. My guy will usually eat protein (earthworms, slugs, cooked beef or chicken), but even then, he doesn’t eat much. He almost always refuses vegetables (carrots, greens, cucumbers, etc.). He’s eaten some red bell pepper, blueberries, raspberries, and tomatoes on occasion. He won’t touch commercial box turtle pellets, which I only bought out of desperation. Yesterday, he played with an earthworm, but he didn’t eat it. It was like he was missing it when he tried to chomp down on it. That made me worry about his beak and ultimately prompted me to create this post. The temp on the warm side of his house is 80-85, depending on our inside house temp. Should I increase this to get him to eat? Or is it his beak? Or both?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I am hoping to get this guy headed on the right track!