Fruit for a box turtle

[leigti]

Hello, I had a question about how much fruit to feed a box turtle. My adult three toed female box turtle is being very stubborn about eating again. She won't eat anything except live insects However, the other day she actually ate a BlackBerry. and she seemed very excited about it it is the first thing besides a worm or an insect that she has seemed excited about eating. I am getting discouraged, she is losing weight and I can't get her to eat other types of food. I have tried all different kinds of suggestions that people have had. so when I find something she actually likes I want to give her more of it, but how much is too much? I thought fruits only made up a small percentage of their diet but then I read about wild box turtles who eat quite a lot of fruit. any information or suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

 

[Yvonne G]

It has been my experience that box turtles will eat more fruit than veggies. Have you tried canteloup?

 

[dmmj]

Berries seem to be a fav. among box turtles. I feed mine fruit 2 to 3 times a week. Some favs. include kiwi, the afforementioned berries, mango, and papaya.

 

[leigti]

It has been my experience that box turtles will eat more fruit than veggies. Have you tried canteloup?

Yes, she didn't touch it. But I will try it again. I guess I will try to feed her more berries and not worry as much about the other things. I just want her to have a more balanced diet then she has, it is frustrating and scary that she just won't eat greens or veggies.

 

[leigti]

Berries seem to be a fav. among box turtles. I feed mine fruit 2 to 3 times a week. Some favs. include kiwi, the afforementioned berries, mango, and papaya.

I will have to try those. I am actually kind of allergic to all of those so I never buy them but I could buy one for her.

 

[dmmj]

Mine will not touch melon, at all.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The riper and more strongly scented the better. Mine prefer local fruits such as mulberries and black raspberries, strawberries and overripe melons.

 

[sunshyne621]

Blackberries are a favorite of my two ornates, well pretty much all berries. Try giving berries and the the next feeding chop them up with a small amount of other food. I sneak all sorts of nutritious things in this way. Also their calcium in like this too. See if you an find any dandelion flowers or squash blossoms. Mine seem to love those. I have also found edible flowers at whole foods and other natural grocers in the winter.

 

[leigti]

Okay, I will try sneaking some stuff in with the berries. we don't have a whole foods here in town, and nothing is blooming yet. I remember hearing that I should not try to feed too much banana right? She will take a bite of that once in a while.

 

[lisa127]

It's normal for boxies to love fruit and not veggies/greens. Personally, I don't worry about that too much. They aren't tortoises and I would think in the wild they are eating berries much more than they are eating any greens. I get mine to eat greens/veggies by mashing wet dog food or soaked reptomin with it.

 

[leigti]

Yeah, I have tried the wet dog food method. With varying success. i'm really not sure how anxious I should be about her not eating greens and veggies. All she wants to eat our live worms and insects. Today she decided not to eat the fruit either :-( sometimes I think she is just messing with me, but I am worried.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Mine like vegetables that have been cooked in soup.

 

[leigti]

Mine like vegetables that have been cooked in soup.

I might have to try that. I'll just not add salt. at least until I get the veggies out for the turtle

 

[Torch]

All my boxies have always preferred fruit, hands down.

 

[Eric Phillips]

I have one that will eat any type of cabbage, kale, carrots, corn, mashed sweet potato,absolutely loves peas.....almost prefers this over fruit. Then, I have one that will tear up any type of berries, kiwi, cantaloupe, bananas, grapes but won't touch the darker greens or most veggies. Just like us, temperamental individuals

 

[tortdad]

I always try to shoot for 80% protein and 20% fruits and veggies (more fruit than veggies)

 

[terryo]

Try a strawberry. Chop it up and throw in some of her favorite worms or chop up the worms and mix it with the strawberry. Everyday add something new with the worms until you have her eating different things. Something about those red strawberries that mine love. I have a fig tree in the turtle garden and during the Summer when the figs are ripe and falling to the ground they will all sit around the tree and that's all they will eat for days. Same thing with the wild strawberries. They eat them off the vines before they even get ripe.
In the wild they are opportunists and eat whatever they can find.

 

[leigti]

I have one that will eat any type of cabbage, kale, carrots, corn, mashed sweet potato,absolutely loves peas.....almost prefers this over fruit. Then, I have one that will tear up any type of berries, kiwi, cantaloupe, bananas, grapes but won't touch the darker greens or most veggies. Just like us, temperamental individuals

I'm pretty sure mine is winning the temperamental category

 

[leigti]

BlackBerries seem to be her favorite so far. I don't think fig trees grow around here but maybe I will find some figs at the store this summer.