extremely underwight HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Agne]

I took in a male eastern box turtle the male will not eat I tried berries chicken liver superworms etc. what to do and if I don't increase the weight soon he will have a hard time during the winter.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

You must keep him awake this winter and don't let him hibernate. A mvb will help with that.

Offer smelly food and brightly colored food. Local farm fresh fruits & veggies. Overripe & windfall. Tomatoes, melons, hard boiled egg cut in half, corn on cob wilted or cooked, cooked chicken & fish, steamed carrots & sweet potatoes & squash, mushrooms. Worms, snails, pill bugs, drowned moths. If all else fails, offer low fat raw ground beef.

 

[wellington]

If you just got him and you already know he is bad condition it would not be wise or safe to brumate him for winter. Do you have a basking spot that's gets around 90. Also maybe try daily warm water soaks with baby food carrot and pedialyte

 

[Agne]

You must keep him awake this winter and don't let him hibernate. A mvb will help with that.

Offer smelly food and brightly colored food. Local farm fresh fruits & veggies. Overripe & windfall. Tomatoes, melons, hard boiled egg cut in half, corn on cob wilted or cooked, cooked chicken & fish, steamed carrots & sweet potatoes & squash, mushrooms. Worms, snails, pill bugs, drowned moths. If all else fails, offer low fat raw ground beef.

that's exactly what I did I leave him in the feeding enclosure for like an hour but he doesn't touch any of the food and there are no vets anywhere where I live

 

[Agne]

If you just got him and you already know he is bad condition it would not be wise or safe to brumate him for winter. Do you have a basking spot that's gets around 90. Also maybe try daily warm water soaks with baby food carrot and pedialyte

I do not bromate none of my turtles but as light as he is hes actualy very active

 

[wellington]

Oh, I thought that's why you were worried about winter.

 

[Agne]

Oh, I thought that's why you were worried about winter.

no im just worried because they don't eat much during the winter

 

[jaizei]

How long have you had him?

 

[domalle]

I took in a male eastern box turtle the male will not eat I tried berries chicken liver superworms etc. what to do and if I don't increase the weight soon he will have a hard time during the winter.

Is this a wild box turtle?
Male box turtles are leaner than females and all turtles take time to adjust to a new situation.
If he is clear-eyed and active, he may just need time to get used to his new surroundings before he will settle in and eat.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Can you tell us where (roughly) you are?

 

[Agne]

Can you tell us where (roughly) you are?

no for safety reasons I'm not able to give you this information

 

[Agne]

im not sure he came from my relatives friends

Is this a wild box turtle?
Male box turtles are leaner than females and all turtles take time to adjust to a new situation.
If he is clear-eyed and active, he may just need time to get used to his new surroundings before he will settle in and eat.

yes I also a year ago took in a female

 

[Agne]

How long have you had him?

few weeks

 

[Angel Carrion]

Soak turtle food pellets in tuna water instead of warm water and let them absorb the tuna water completely. Offer that. Nice and smelly.
I recently rescued two boxies both underweight and with minor mostly healed injuries. I offer food twice a day. Very bright and colorful slightly overripe fruits, super wiggly night crawlers, and soaked overnight in either tuna water or the juices from a cantaloupe greens to mask the 'icky greens smell' all my boxies seem to pick up immediately. I also do the tuna water instead of warm water commercial turtle food (a mix of Mazuri, rep-cal, and omega one). They're starting to get weight back on.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Advice is slightly different depending on where you live. I understand the need for privacy, but California and Florida and Texas have such a different climate from the Midwest or pnw, or New England or mid-Atlantic, etc. That's why a rough idea of where you are helps us, to know what your winter is like and if the climate can support year round outdoor living. That's all.

 

[Agne]

Advice is slightly different depending on where you live. I understand the need for privacy, but California and Florida and Texas have such a different climate from the Midwest or pnw, or New England or mid-Atlantic, etc. That's why a rough idea of where you are helps us, to know what your winter is like and if the climate can support year round outdoor living. That's all.

around south carolina

 

[Agne]

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Soak turtle food pellets in tuna water instead of warm water and let them absorb the tuna water completely. Offer that. Nice and smelly.
I recently rescued two boxies both underweight and with minor mostly healed injuries. I offer food twice a day. Very bright and colorful slightly overripe fruits, super wiggly night crawlers, and soaked overnight in either tuna water or the juices from a cantaloupe greens to mask the 'icky greens smell' all my boxies seem to pick up immediately. I also do the tuna water instead of warm water commercial turtle food (a mix of Mazuri, rep-cal, and omega one). They're starting to get weight back on.

thank you so much

 

[Angel Carrion]

thank you so much

Let us know how he progresses. Also, Johnsonnboswell is a good source of info.

 

[Agne]

that is the male when I lift him up he is as light as a feather

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Boxies are often inclined to eat at dawn and dusk. Leave food in overnight if you aren't an early riser, and see if that makes a difference. An hour in a food enclosure doesn't work. Thats for aqautics. They hunt throughout the day when temps permit. A long term captive will be more inclined to eat when you feed it after you establish the patterns. This one was starved, so what'd he learned before is not helping you both