Feed a Longhorned Beetle to a box turtle?

[ktrent]

I just found what looks to be a "Longhorned Wood Boring Beetle" flying around the light at night. So I caught it thinking it would be a good morsel for the box turtle. I haven't fed it to him yet. Would it be safe to feed it to the box turtle? The thing bites hard when you pick it up and has a hard shell and long antenae. I know boxies can eat beetles so what about this one? Thanks.

Article:
http://www.everythingabout.net/arti...arthropods/insects/beetles/longhorned_beetle/

 

[ascott]

I would think as long as you can make sure it does not bite your turtle...if not I, in my opinion, would not.... but I am sure others will give you their input...

 

[terryo]

I would pass on this. If your boxie is getting a varied diet, they why take the chance. It sounds like it would be hard to digest. Just my HO.

 

[ktrent]

I would pass on this. If your boxie is getting a varied diet, they why take the chance. It sounds like it would be hard to digest. Just my HO.

He gets as varied a diet that can be given to a picky eater. What about wild caught grasshoppers, locusts (not cicadas), wild caught crickets, etc to feed as part of the insect portion of the diet? The only insect foods I can get commercially are the house crickets, mealworms, and Canadian Nightcrawlers? Stuff you would find at pet stores and bait shops. I was looking to find more insect variation in wild insects.

 

[terryo]

I'm not too much help with wild bugs. Mine are outside all year in a turtle garden, and usually forge for themselves as far a bugs go. I've had lots of picky eaters though. I usually make a mix in the food processor of a raw egg (shell too), greens (different ones ....whatever I have...grape leaves, dandelion leaves and flowers, escarole etc.) carrots, and sweet potato (cooked a little in the microwave) and a few pieces of fruit (berries..strawberries, melons etc ). Then I add this mix to canned venison (dog food by Wellness) or canned white fish (also my Wellness). I even give this to hatchlings and they all seem to love it. It is totally nutritious. In the afternoon I sometimes give each one a worm as a hand fed treat. ( buy them at the pet store...night crawlers) In the garden, I've seen them eat pill bugs, crickets, worms, grasshoppers and slugs, and tad poles too. They can be pretty fast when they see something moving. Hope this helps you.

 

[Saloli]

yeah they can eat long horns what i would suggest doing is getting a good field guide on insects. also take a look at my list it has a good number of native foods (vs. foriegn foods like carrots and house crickets and canadian night crawlers which by the way are European)

 

[Angi]

How do we find your field guide Saloli? I have been wondering about some bugs also. I get those beetles around the fruit trees, but I also found centipides or milipides in the boxie pen.

 

[ktrent]

yeah they can eat long horns what i would suggest doing is getting a good field guide on insects. also take a look at my list it has a good number of native foods (vs. foriegn foods like carrots and house crickets and canadian night crawlers which by the way are European)

I know they would eat them, but can they digest them? They seem to have a hard exoskeleton. Could it cause an impaction in the turtle? Would the beetle's mandibles (claw-like jaws) bite or snare the turtle from the inside as it's going down...same for the spikes on the legs?

 

[Angi]

Good questions Ktrent. I would like to know too.

 

[terryo]

Just curious....but why would you even want to risk it? When they're outside in a natural environment, I'm sure they eat all kinds of bugs. But there must be other foods that are equally nutritious that you can offer them without worrying if they can digest them. My son had a small cat fish in his turtle pond, and his YBS tried to eat it. Catfish have hard spikes on the side of their jaws and one of them got stuck in Myrtle's (his turtle) cheek. He took it out, but her face got infected and not only was it an expense, but poor Myrtle suffered. It was a lesson well taught, but Myrtle was the one who suffered. Just something to think about...........

 

[dmarcus]

I think that if you are worried about them not being able to digesting them, then it's best to not feed it.

 

[Saloli]

yeah they can eat long horns what i would suggest doing is getting a good field guide on insects. also take a look at my list it has a good number of native foods (vs. foriegn foods like carrots and house crickets and canadian night crawlers which by the way are European)

I know they would eat them, but can they digest them? They seem to have a hard exoskeleton. Could it cause an impaction in the turtle? Would the beetle's mandibles (claw-like jaws) bite or snare the turtle from the inside as it's going down...same for the spikes on the legs?

Yes they can digest them, atleast the soft parts. The exoskeleton is hard though it is usually broken up pretty well when they eat. The exoskeleton is made of chitin which is very hard to digest. As far as impaction it shouldn't be a concern they eat beetles like click beetles and bess beetles (which I have to add to the list). The beetles are generally killed before they are eaten. Though just a side note vertabrates and oligochaetes are usually still alive when they start to eat them.

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How do we find your field guide Saloli? I have been wondering about some bugs also. I get those beetles around the fruit trees, but I also found centipides or milipides in the boxie pen.

It's not a field guide per say more of a list, thoug you can go online and google images of the species, or get a field guide the national wildlife federation has a good one on insects. I'll re post it here for you.

This list applies to Eastern Box Turtles only Terrapene carolina carolina. non-natives are marked with *

Arthropoda

Gryllus pennsylvanicus complex (Field Cricket)
Achete domesticus (House Cricket)*
Armadillium vulgare (Common Roly Poly)
Biston betularia (Salt and Pepper Moth) larvae
Porcellio scaber (Rough Sowbug)
Melanoplus differentialis (Differential Grasshopper)
Schistocerca americana (American Grasshopper)
Ceuthophilus maculatus (Spotted Camel Cricket)
Dysdera crocata (Sow Bug Killer)
Hogna carolinensis (Giant Wolf Spider)
Pardosa species (Thin Legged Wolf Spider)
Achroia grisella (Waxmoth/worm)*
Galleria mellonella (Waxmoth/worm)*
Leiobunum vittatum (Eastern Harvestmen)
Tenebrio molitor (Mealworms)* Larvae and adults
Orthostethus infuscatus (Large Brown Click Beetle) larvae and adults
Odontotaenius disjunctus (Bess or Horned Beetle ) larvae and adults
Chrysomelodea (Long horn Beetles species unknown)

Mushrooms

Pleurotus ostreatus complex (Oyster Mushroom)
Amanita bisporigera (Destroying Angel Mushrooms)
Lycoperdon (Puffballs)
Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Manes)
Clavariaceae (Coral Fungi)
Hericium erinaceus (Bearded Tooth Fungus)
Cantharellaceae (Chanterelles)
Boletaceae (Boletes)
Laetiporus sulphureus (Sulfur Shelf Mushroom)
Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods)

Worms

Oligochaeta* some native (Earthworms)

Mullusks

Limax maximus (Leopard Slug)*
Philomycus carolinianus (Carolina Mantle Slug)
Succinea ovalis (Amber Snail)

Vertabrates

Anaxyrus americanus americanus (Eastern American Toad),
Anaxyrus fowleri (Fowler's Toad)
Mus musculus (House Mouse)* both scavanged and caught by turtle
Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog) caught and killed. I only witnessed this once.
Lithobates sylvaticus (Wood Frog) I'm unsure if scavanged or caught.
Lithobates clamitans (Green Frog) I'm unsure if scavanged or caught.
Plestiodon fasciatus (Five Line Skink) I'm unsure if scavanged or caught.
Thamnophis sirtalis sitalis (Eastern Garter Snake) in captivity and wild. The captive instance the snake was caught and consummed while living.
Anolis carolinensis (Green Anole) in captivity and wild. Unsure if any of the Anoles eaten were alive at the time of capture by the turtles.

Plants

Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly Pear) fruit
Vaccinium corymbosum (Blueberry) fruit
Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry) fruit
Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood) fruit
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit) fruit
Zea maize (Corn)* fruit
Rubus species (Raspberry/Blackberry) fruit
Fragaria virginiana and hybrid (Strewberry) fruit
Potentillia simplex (Common Cinquefoil) fruit
Prunus hybrids (Plums/Cherries) fruit
Prunus americana (American Plum) fruit
Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato) fruit
Curcubita pepo (Squash) fruit/flowers
Phaseolus vulgaris (Common Beans) green fruit
Lactuca sativa (Lettuce) This one though eaten by some is not really good for them with the possible exception of the dark green and red types.
Taraxacum species (Dandelions)* Though some are native speces.
Vitis labrusca (Fox Grapes) fruit/leaves
Vitis hybrids (Grapes)*fruit/leaves
Capsicum species (Chillis)*fruit
Asimina triloba (Paw Paw) fruit
Viola species (Violets) flowers/leaves/fruit
Morus species (Mulberry)* native and non-native species fruit
Brassica juncea (Mustard Greens)* This species is okay for them to eat.
Cornus florida (Dogwood) Berries
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Ceder) Fruit (Cones)
Sambucus nigra canadensis (American Elder Berry) Fruit
Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)