Eastern box turtle care

[Andy27012]

Hello all,
I have purchased an 2023 eastern box turtle hatchling. I am trying to figure out the best way to set up the animal as there seems to be several different options. What I know for sure is I will be keeping it in a 20 long with a flourescent 5.0 full spectrum 15” light. I will be using a fish tank lid or cut piece of plexiglass to hold in humidity. The questions I have are as follows:

1. Substrate with large shallow water dish or water only? (If substrate I will use a mixture of reptichip and eco earth with leaf litter)
2. Heat or no heat? I keep my house around 68 degrees. ( if heated I will run a Che on a ranco thermostat)
3. If heated how many hours per day should I heat?
4. What to feed? (I am currently thinking a mixture of zoomed hatchling formula, red wigglers and mixed greens and fruits. (Occasionally bsf or mealworms if earth worms are not available).
5. Is it ok to dust food with calcium 3x a week and herptivite once a week? (All made by repcal)

 

[Maggie3fan]

Keep him on substrate...HEAT!!!...in my personal opinion he's a baby and should be treated as such. I can't imagine a baby in water with low temp like that. My opinion is he needs heat 24 hours. Red wigglers really have no nutritional value, and the baby would go right for the color and movement...feed meals worms and nightcrawlers...calcium dust twice a week. Your che shouldn't stay on if you have the lid air tight, che brings the tank to 80 and it will go off that help?

 

[mark1]

i got one in the house this winter, 2023 hatchling i found last fall...... he happens to be in a 20 long...... i've raised a few eastern box turtle hatchlings , i find some in the fall every couple years, so i bring them in the house for the winter.......

what works for me is one end of the tank fluctuates from 85-95, a che on 24/7 , the other end fluctuates 65-70, a florescent bulb on about 14hrs a day..... i cover the cold end at night so it fluctuates less, the fluorescent actually gives off a little heat during the day... i've raised quite a few hatchlings of different species all the same way...... i use soaking wet sphagnum moss as a substrate , soaked to the point there is standing water ...... hatchling box turtles need wet, dry can kill them....... there are folks say the moss is unnecessary and raise them successfully in water ...... i think the sphagnum moss is more natural and they can hide easier, have less stress...... it's my understanding sphagnum moss has antibacterial and antifungal properties....... it last a long time and can be cleaned by rinsing it out like a sponge with clean water......... the tank needs covered to maintain a semi consistent temp, i'm personally not a fan of "air tight" , i prefer air leaks ........ the turtle should noticeably thermoregulate himself, 2-3 temp probes will let you see what he's doing......

these were from a year i redid the pen , it is the most i ever found.........

 

[Andy27012]

Keep him on substrate...HEAT!!!...in my personal opinion he's a baby and should be treated as such. I can't imagine a baby in water with low temp like that. My opinion is he needs heat 24 hours. Red wigglers really have no nutritional value, and the baby would go right for the color and movement...feed meals worms and nightcrawlers...calcium dust twice a week. Your che shouldn't stay on if you have the lid air tight, che brings the tank to 80 and it will go off that help?View attachment 365188

That helps, thank you. I should clarify the Che will be run on a thermostat so it

i got one in the house this winter, 2023 hatchling i found last fall...... he happens to be in a 20 long...... i've raised a few eastern box turtle hatchlings , i find some in the fall every couple years, so i bring them in the house for the winter.......

what works for me is one end of the tank fluctuates from 85-95, a che on 24/7 , the other end fluctuates 65-70, a florescent bulb on about 14hrs a day..... i cover the cold end at night so it fluctuates less, the fluorescent actually gives off a little heat during the day... i've raised quite a few hatchlings of different species all the same way...... i use soaking wet sphagnum moss as a substrate , soaked to the point there is standing water ...... hatchling box turtles need wet, dry can kill them....... there are folks say the moss is unnecessary and raise them successfully in water ...... i think the sphagnum moss is more natural and they can hide easier, have less stress...... it's my understanding sphagnum moss has antibacterial and antifungal properties....... it last a long time and can be cleaned by rinsing it out like a sponge with clean water......... the tank needs covered to maintain a semi consistent temp, i'm personally not a fan of "air tight" , i prefer air leaks ........ the turtle should noticeably thermoregulate himself, 2-3 temp probes will let you see what he's doing......

these were from a year i redid the pen , it is the most i ever found.........

Do you provide full spectrum lighting?

 

[mark1]

Do you provide full spectrum lighting?

sometimes, i think.......assuming zoo meds specs are accurate.... for this guy i do, i had a used bulb.... it's not a big deal in this case , i believe these guys can get some of what they need in the way of d3 in their diet ,he came from outside, and he'll go outside for good in about 3 months.....i've got some that were brought inside for their first winter and not provided uvb , they are in their teens and you can't tell their shells from the ones that never been inside....one kept inside all the time i would think needs uvb for d3 and overall health..... a 20 gallon tank is not very tall, uvb can be harmful.....the furthest you can get a uvb source away from them is 8"-10" watch you don't get anything too strong and mount it the direction it is made to be mounted.....