Eastern Box Turtle Brumating?

[Bridgebob]

My Eastern Box has grown a lot during the summer and fall.

I know they brumate during fall and winter. She is still a little turtle maybe 3-4 years old.

Can I feed her less often? I feed her once a day but sometimes she refuses to eat now.

Also I hate cleaning up turtle poop. If someone has a good turtle toilet bowl solution let me know!!

 

[JakeDevoe]

Box turtles will usually stop eating during brumation in the wild, so yes it is normal for her to not want to eat and offering food less often is fine.

 

[Skip K]

I usually feed the horde every other day in the summer. Pellets, veggies or fruit ( and whatever they can forage for in between). I cut back feedings in the fall two to three weeks before brumation occurs. It’s been my experience that brumation is more successful with a well fed and hydrated boxie but with more or less an empty stomach at time of brumation. This is just my personal experience. Just to be clear…my boxies are outside year round. If a boxie is housed indoors that changes things.

 

[Bridgebob]

She is spoiled no doubt. But she is getting ready to brumate. Her diet is mostly protein with fruit and reptile vitamin and she grew at an astronomical rate this summer and early fall

She is indoors and still a baby. Eventually I want to take her outdoors but I have to plan the enclosure

The thing that is worrying is keeping her hydrated. She won't go in her pond without me putting her there.

 

[Skip K]

She is spoiled no doubt. But she is getting ready to brumate. Her diet is mostly protein with fruit and reptile vitamin and she grew at an astronomical rate this summer and early fall

She is indoors and still a baby. Eventually I want to take her outdoors but I have to plan the enclosure

The thing that is worrying is keeping her hydrated. She won't go in her pond without me putting her there.

If indoors and kept at constant warm ( summer like) temps with constant light cycles…a boxie kept indoors should not brumate. I’m not sure of your husbandry conditions….that is causing brumation like behavior. Brumation is a natural response to outdoor external conditions but is not critical if kept indoors ( unless breeding behavior is desired). Temp and light cycles trigger brumation outdoors. It’s also been my experience that heavy protein diets can cause issues…especially down the road. Fast growth can seem good…but is not necessarily so for boxies. If hydration is a concern…I’d soak your boxie a few times a week. Most boxie keepers don’t realize that boxies love being in the water. Even though they don’t appear to have “water turtle” features…they are comfortable in water. My enclosure has a 100 gallon mini pond in it ( for water turtles) and a maybe 3-4 gallon soaking pond as well. It’s normal to see my boxies either swimming in the big pond or soaking/sleeping in the soaking pond ( but each water feature is either designed or has avenues of escape to avoid drowning and I would not have babies in the enclosure because of this potential).

 

[Toddrickfl1]

She is spoiled no doubt. But she is getting ready to brumate. Her diet is mostly protein with fruit and reptile vitamin and she grew at an astronomical rate this summer and early fall

She is indoors and still a baby. Eventually I want to take her outdoors but I have to plan the enclosure

The thing that is worrying is keeping her hydrated. She won't go in her pond without me putting her there.

Your turtle should not be brumating indoors. Unless your planning on using the fridge method.