help with eastern box feeding & behavior

[Diana Stone]

I have adopted a 3.5(?)year old eastern box turtle about 4 days ago and he has only wanted to eat the earthworms I give him. He was being fed that commercial turtle dry food and suposedly lettuce and carrots. Well he has turned his nose at everything except the worms. Suggestions on how to get him on a proper diet?
Also, he has never had the company of another turtle. I put one of my 3-toeds in with him for a couple of minutes just to see what would happen. He woke right up and was following Sweetpea around and trying to put a foot on him. Do you think he was being aggressive or happy to see another and just did not know what to do?

 

[Jentortmom]

I would keep them seperated as they are different species, but most likely he was checking your other one out. I put my 3.5" ornate female in w/ the ornate I rescued a little while back, he ran away at first but then came and checked her out, but now he stays close to her but not to close. As for feeding, they do love there worms and other live foods. Boxies are very stubborn as well once they are stuck on a food it takes a lot of work to get them to eat other foods. I would put everything through the food processor to make small pieces and mix it up really good - then top w/ the worms and a few diced up strawberries. That way he will get worms and greens - the worms will burrow into the greens, veggies, fruits, weeds etc. so he will get everything. You could also warm and mash the strawberries and make a jelly and put that on top of the food. check out www.boxturtlesite.info ... Good Luck

 

[Diana Stone]

I would keep them seperated as they are different species, but most likely he was checking your other one out. I put my 3.5" ornate female in w/ the ornate I rescued a little while back, he ran away at first but then came and checked her out, but now he stays close to her but not to close. As for feeding, they do love there worms and other live foods. Boxies are very stubborn as well once they are stuck on a food it takes a lot of work to get them to eat other foods. I would put everything through the food processor to make small pieces and mix it up really good - then top w/ the worms and a few diced up strawberries. That way he will get worms and greens - the worms will burrow into the greens, veggies, fruits, weeds etc. so he will get everything. You could also warm and mash the strawberries and make a jelly and put that on top of the food. check out www.boxturtlesite.info ... Good Luck

I will try the smalller bits. I offered him a strawberry and he was not interested, will try the strawberry jelly trick. I can tell already that this will be a fight to see who wins .
On the subject of not mixing the varieties, I was told it was ok to mix if they have the same enviorment and diet needs.

 

[Jentortmom]

It will be a long fight! Naturally some species of Boxies are more meating eating then veggie eating. Just keep offering the the greens, veggies, and fruits w/ the worms. Some people mix there boxies, but I personally choose not to.

 

[Crazy1]

I don't have boxies and I know this sounds gross but, what about mixing mashed or ground up worms with the greens? Maybe that would start him eating his greens? Just a thought

 

[Jentortmom]

That might work to. A diet plan my vet gave me on the first day you chop the worms up.

 

[Itort]

I've found that live worms stimulate feeding.

 

[Yvonne G]

I've found that live worms stimulate feeding.

Box turtles are precipitation inspired feeders...that is...they come out in the rain looking for food.

On another note: Its not that important to keep the different species of Terrapene carolina separate. Some of their habitats do overlap in the wild. When given a choice, I've noticed that box turtles prefer to breed with their own species, but forced into it by too small an enclosure, or none of the opp. sex of their species, they will inter-breed.

Yvonne

 

[Itort]

I've found that live worms stimulate feeding.

Box turtles are precipitation inspired feeders...that is...they come out in the rain looking for food.

On another note: Its not that important to keep the different species of Terrapene carolina separate. Some of their habitats do overlap in the wild. When given a choice, I've noticed that box turtles prefer to breed with their own species, but forced into it by too small an enclosure, or none of the opp. sex of their species, they will inter-breed. Actually they are all the same species, there are 4 subspecies in the US; the eastern (carolina carolina), the florida (carolina bauri), the gulf coast (carolina major), and the three-toed (carolina triungus). They do interbreed where their ranges overlap and these would be intergrades (fairly common). The ornate is a different specie with different habitat and requirements. A cross between an ornate and eastern in the wild would be very rare because of habitat preferences.

Yvonne

 

[Jentortmom]

Oh yes my boxies definatly love the live bugs!! That is why I don't bother chopping them up -Grose-, but that was what the plan said so we altered it of course.