Found Gulf Goast Box turtle hatchling, please help.

[jessad821]

Greetings everyone. Yesterday my husband found a very small box turtle hatchling at his job site, out of fear for it's safety with it being a high traffic area and no woods around, he brought it home. We've decided we will keep the turtle as a pet. But I'm new to turtles. I want to make sure I'm doing this right.

So far I have him/her in a Rubbermaid container with organic soil as substrate. I went to pets mart today and bought a dome lamp fixture with a uva basket bulb 100w. I understand that I'll need uvb and I've ordered a uva/uvb combo bulb online that will be here Monday. I have not found a way to place my light that looks good and is useful for my turtle, please see pictures and advise, I don't know how to get it hanging properly. I've tried feeding him live meal worms and some box turtle pellets and he does not seem interested, hasn't eaten anything.

I've attatched some pictures, any help/recommendations on his housing and the lamp fixture is greatly appreciated. Also just any advice in general on getting him/her to eat. Thank you so much! I am kind of stressed as I want to be sure I'm providing the best care.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Is it legal to pick up box turtles in your city?

Be sure to keep the enclosure moist. Baby box turtles, being so tiny, dehydrate quickly. Soak him in warm water daily for about 15 minutes, and keep the substrate moist.

Your light is up too high. I think 'they' recommend about 12" from the substrate.

I doubt UVA is required. We mostly go with UVB lights, and steer clear of those cheapy compact fluorescent lights - the curly shaped bulbs. They are harmful to baby turtles' eyes.

Keep the baby warm. About 80-85F all over the whole habitat. You may need to cover it to keep the cooler house air out.

 

[Yvonne G]

I make my own light stands. Here are a couple examples (not all are my inventions):

 

[jessad821]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Is it legal to pick up box turtles in your city?

Be sure to keep the enclosure moist. Baby box turtles, being so tiny, dehydrate quickly. Soak him in warm water daily for about 15 minutes, and keep the substrate moist.

Your light is up too high. I think 'they' recommend about 12" from the substrate.

I doubt UVA is required. We mostly go with UVB lights, and steer clear of those cheapy compact fluorescent lights - the curly shaped bulbs. They are harmful to baby turtles' eyes.

Keep the baby warm. About 80-85F all over the whole habitat. You may need to cover it to keep the cooler house air out.

Thanks for your response Yvonne/ I'll have to Lower the light. In my state box turtles are protected, and it is illegal to have more than one per household. (I live in Florida). So basically all I need is the UVB as far as lighting goes?

Any tips on feeding? Thanks again.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, the UVB light and a heat source for when the light is turned off at night.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-hatchling-care-sheet.97144/

 

[Maggie Cummings]

He'd be grateful for red wigglers, small night crawlers, crickets, more water in his habitat. They are pretty aquatic. Meal worms dried flies. Fruit, berries, cut small for a small mouth. Bananas, cantaloupe.Make sure he has somewhere to get out of the bright light. For my small box turtles I make the substrate more swampy than dry, and kinda put it on a slight angle, so he can get completely out of the swamp too.
Here's part of my box turtle colony...

 

[jessad821]

Yes, the UVB light and a heat source for when the light is turned off at night.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-hatchling-care-sheet.97144/

What type of heat source would you recommend for night time? The temp in my house stays above 70 degrees at night.

 

[cdmay]

What type of heat source would you recommend for night time? The temp in my house stays above 70 degrees at night.

Hi and welcome to the forum.
As for heat at night, you don't need any if your house stays 70 degrees. Little gulf coasties in the panhandle woodlands are getting much cooler than that now and of course in the next few weeks even colder. Daytime temperatures are still in the low 80s on some days.
As was mentioned, something moving like worms would be highly appreciated by your little one. I used to pick wild worms from my garden mulch and chop them into little pieces for my neonate box turtles ( that were mostly all gulf coast) and the little turtles went nuts for them. Chopped strawberries were another favorite.
Check older posts by TerryO on this forum for captive box turtle info.

 

[terryo]

Hi. I started off my little gulf coast in a glass vivarium with plants, a large piece of slate to eat on, and a nice size water saucer. The top I cover with clear plastic wrapping tape with openings for a long UVB 5.0 tube light and a 60 wt. heat emitter, which I keep on 24/7, and shut off the long tube UVB at night.
All the plants hold the humidity. Your set up looks great to me. I like glass vivariums for the small hatchlings and younger Box turtles that are still too young to go outside. You don't need too much light for the babies, just very warm humidity. I start feeding them in the water dish. Usually cut up red wigglers or the tiny floating reptomin. I spray the inside of the vivarium twice a day for the babies. I don't use a hide as they will dig under the plants and they seem to get more moisture that way. Hope this helps. Not written in stone.....just how I do it. The top picture is Spanky as a hatchling in his vivarium, and this is him outside in the pond this Summer. The GC turtles love the pond.

 

[jessad821]

View attachment 191509 Hi. I started off my little gulf coast in a glass vivarium with plants, a large piece of slate to eat on, and a nice size water saucer. The top I cover with clear plastic wrapping tape with openings for a long UVB 5.0 tube light and a 60 wt. heat emitter, which I keep on 24/7, and shut off the long tube UVB at night.
All the plants hold the humidity. Your set up looks great to me. I like glass vivariums for the small hatchlings and younger Box turtles that are still too young to go outside. You don't need too much light for the babies, just very warm humidity. I start feeding them in the water dish. Usually cut up red wigglers or the tiny floating reptomin. I spray the inside of the vivarium twice a day for the babies. I don't use a hide as they will dig under the plants and they seem to get more moisture that way. Hope this helps. Not written in stone.....just how I do it. The top picture is Spanky as a hatchling in his vivarium, and this is him outside in the pond this Summer. The GC turtles love the pond. View attachment 191511

Lovely turtle! Thank you for your input. He still hasn't eaten anything, I've tried putting the box turtle pellets in his water, I've tried soaking him in warm water in a large bowl tilted and putting live meal worms on the dry part and he is not interested. I'm going to the bait shop later today to get him some red wigglers. Hopefully that will do the trick

 

[PJay]

Don't stress too much over it not eating right away. It can take some time for a box turtle to get comfortable with a new environment and new food/feeding situations. it will come around.

 

[cmacusa3]

Lovely turtle! Thank you for your input. He still hasn't eaten anything, I've tried putting the box turtle pellets in his water, I've tried soaking him in warm water in a large bowl tilted and putting live meal worms on the dry part and he is not interested. I'm going to the bait shop later today to get him some red wigglers. Hopefully that will do the trick

Try putting him in a small Tupperware bowl with the food, leave him in there for about an hour without watching him. This is how I feed my hatchlings, when I come back the food is gone. Try the worms for sure.

 

[jessad821]

Try putting him in a small Tupperware bowl with the food, leave him in there for about an hour without watching him. This is how I feed my hatchlings, when I come back the food is gone. Try the worms for sure.

Thank you, I will try that once I get the worms.

Does anyone know what type of plant this is and if it safe for my enclosure? If it isn't safe, I will take it out and put in some pothos, as I have tons of them around the house and have read that they are safe.

 

[cmacusa3]

It looks like a Delray Dieffenbachia Exotica. (Leopard Lilly)

 

[PJay]

If you aren't a do it yourselfer, I like this light stand: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255OUO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[jessad821]

It looks like a Delray Dieffenbachia Exotica. (Leopard Lilly)

Thanks, I think you're right. Any idea if it's safe for turtle? I've tried googling it and can't find much info.

 

[jessad821]

If you aren't a do it yourselfer, I like this light stand: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255OUO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Thank you!! I will be purchasing this because really I am not a do it yourselfer. Hah.

 

[TLWR]

Baby turtles don't tend to eat plants so much, so it won't likely be an issue.
Things mine are supposed to like they won't even touch. I've actually never seen them try to eat any of the plants in their garden.

 

[ColleenT]

Try earthworms, you might need to cut it into small pieces, but also dark greens and yellow veg- like butternut squash. i lightly cook it o it is soft eough, and then add it to omega one turtle pellets( softened.) if you mix it all together, they will usually get a little bit of everything when they take a bite. good luck

 

[jessad821]

I've got some great news! I picked up some red wigglers for grizzly and put them in her water dish, she was immediately intrigued by the worm wiggling in her water. She hopped right in and took a bite, she also ate a couple of her box turtle pellets that were floating in the water too! I'm happy!

Is it true that they will eat hibiscus petals? I have a blooming hibiscus in my front yard.