Is my baby Groot alright?

[Lisa Baker]

OK so we've had Groot for 3 weeks today. She did not eat anything until day 18 and her food of choice was cut up earth worms. She ate an entire worm for 2 days in a row and 2 t-rex pellets. But yesterday and today she has not eaten anything. She was walking around a lot yesterday and when I soaked her this morning she was swimming, washing her eyes, drinking like normal.
But she has not moved much today nor has she eaten anything. She seems to be breathing normally, stretches her neck and will turn herself over.
The temperatures outside have drastically dropped over last 2 days, but we've kept it consistant in our home and her tank. Is this just something baby box turtles do? Am I worrying about nothing?

 

[lisa127]

Are there still bugs in the enclosure? Maybe she is eating those?

Not moving much and staying hidden is very normal for a hatchling. Much more normal than walking around a lot.

 

[MissCatsTurtle]

OK so we've had Groot for 3 weeks today. She did not eat anything until day 18 and her food of choice was cut up earth worms. She ate an entire worm for 2 days in a row and 2 t-rex pellets. But yesterday and today she has not eaten anything. She was walking around a lot yesterday and when I soaked her this morning she was swimming, washing her eyes, drinking like normal.
But she has not moved much today nor has she eaten anything. She seems to be breathing normally, stretches her neck and will turn herself over.
The temperatures outside have drastically dropped over last 2 days, but we've kept it consistant in our home and her tank. Is this just something baby box turtles do? Am I worrying about nothing?

I’m guessing my little Ellie is around the same age or about a week or so ahead and sometimes she will pig out and then sleep all night and the next day in her little hide out (so I just make sure it stays warm, moist and humid inside her home) and then Most of the time when I go check on her before right before the sun comes up the next day she will be awake exploring so I turn on the uvb and basking bulb But the mornings I get up and she isn’t awake I turn the uvb on anyway and if she don’t come out in a couple hours I’ve started noticing that means she’s probably going to sleep all day.
I don’t let her sleep longer than a whole day though, (I’m not sure of the rules on that since I am a newbie my self with box turtles) if she isn’t awake the next morning I wake her up with a warm soak and give her some meal worms.
She does go soak herself some now though.
Ellie didn’t eat anything for about 3 weeks of having her and then she started chowing down about 4 days to a week ago. Her food choice was mealworms I get small ones at the pet shop and put them in her substrate. She loves them. I have learned a whole lot and can offer my experience with my Ellie but not an expert yet.

 

[Moozillion]

I’m guessing my little Ellie is around the same age or about a week or so ahead and sometimes she will pig out and then sleep all night and the next day in her little hide out (so I just make sure it stays warm, moist and humid inside her home) and then Most of the time when I go check on her before right before the sun comes up the next day she will be awake exploring so I turn on the uvb and basking bulb But the mornings I get up and she isn’t awake I turn the uvb on anyway and if she don’t come out in a couple hours I’ve started noticing that means she’s probably going to sleep all day.
I don’t let her sleep longer than a whole day though, (I’m not sure of the rules on that since I am a newbie my self with box turtles) if she isn’t awake the next morning I wake her up with a warm soak and give her some meal worms.
She does go soak herself some now though.
Ellie didn’t eat anything for about 3 weeks of having her and then she started chowing down about 4 days to a week ago. Her food choice was mealworms I get small ones at the pet shop and put them in her substrate. She loves them. I have learned a whole lot and can offer my experience with my Ellie but not an expert yet.

If you are putting live mealworms in the substrate and your turtle doesn't find them, they can progress through their larval stage and become darkling beetles. I don't think that's any problem- some turtles eat the beetles but some don't because they make a stinky smell to discourage predators.
But they will surprise you if you're not not expecting them!

 

[MissCatsTurtle]

If you are putting live mealworms in the substrate and your turtle doesn't find them, they can progress through their larval stage and become darkling beetles. I don't think that's any problem- some turtles eat the beetles but some don't because they make a stinky smell to discourage predators.

I get the very small live mealworms because she’s so small and I do not want to cut up worms plus she seems to want them more when they’re live ones. Lol she’s a little killer.
She don’t want anything to do with dried or dead ones and I offer greens and fruits and canned box turtle food but she hasn’t wanted any of those just the mealworms.
If I put any in the substrate when she’s not awake it’s just a couple cause I did read I should dig them out after so long but for some strange reason they come to the top most of the time.
Thank you for that though, I had no idea that happened. Does it take longer for that to happen if they’re tiny mealworms, do they have to grow into large ones first?

 

[ColleenT]

Mealworms are not good to feed bc the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is messed up.

 

[lisa127]

Hopefully you are not feeding mostly mealworms. Gut loaded and dusted mealworms are fine sometimes for variety, but earthworms and nightcrawlers are much better for them. Reptiworms and pill bugs are good too.

 

[MissCatsTurtle]

Hopefully you are not feeding mostly mealworms. Gut loaded and dusted mealworms are fine sometimes for variety, but earthworms and nightcrawlers are much better for them. Reptiworms and pill bugs are good too.

I’ve tried those too but for some reason she won’t eat them, I haven’t tried them dead or dried though
When I tried nightcrawlers I just put one in there with her and it would just crawl all over her. And she would try to knock it off and then wouldn’t even want to eat it.
I’ve tried berries and greens and the canned box turtle food and the pellets. if she developed any health problems at all I know it wouldn’t be from lack of protein lol she seems picky.
What can I try to give her with things like vitamin a?
I also have calcium powder to sprinkle on too.

 

[MissCatsTurtle]

Mealworms are not good to feed bc the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is messed up.

I just read that meal worms normally get them to start eating when they’re hatchlings and it’s the first thing she actually went for. I tried multiple choices with earth worms too and greens and etc. when I first found her. and I knew she wouldn’t eat much anyway until she was completely done with any nutrition from yoke sac, so I wasn’t to worried. Then my brain was like duh mealworms at the petshop. And when I gave her her options again and she didn’t choose any of those I gave her a mealworm and she started eating.
I still try different things but she seems to still want those. Soooo what do I do about that?

 

[lisa127]

I just read that meal worms normally get them to start eating when they’re hatchlings and it’s the first thing she actually went for. I tried multiple choices with earth worms too and greens and etc. when I first found her. and I knew she wouldn’t eat much anyway until she was completely done with any nutrition from yoke sac, so I wasn’t to worried. Then my brain was like duh mealworms at the petshop. And when I gave her her options again and she didn’t choose any of those I gave her a mealworm and she started eating.
I still try different things but she seems to still want those. Soooo what do I do about that?

Try some reptiworms if she' not eating earthworms/nightcrawlers yet. I'e heard of people using bloodworms for babies, though I never have personally.
A large nightcrawler will be too large for her right now. You can try redworms.

 

[Moozillion]

I get the very small live mealworms because she’s so small and I do not want to cut up worms plus she seems to want them more when they’re live ones. Lol she’s a little killer.
She don’t want anything to do with dried or dead ones and I offer greens and fruits and canned box turtle food but she hasn’t wanted any of those just the mealworms.
If I put any in the substrate when she’s not awake it’s just a couple cause I did read I should dig them out after so long but for some strange reason they come to the top most of the time.
Thank you for that though, I had no idea that happened. Does it take longer for that to happen if they’re tiny mealworms, do they have to grow into large ones first?

I don't really know that- sorry!

 

[ColleenT]

I just read that meal worms normally get them to start eating when they’re hatchlings and it’s the first thing she actually went for. I tried multiple choices with earth worms too and greens and etc. when I first found her. and I knew she wouldn’t eat much anyway until she was completely done with any nutrition from yoke sac, so I wasn’t to worried. Then my brain was like duh mealworms at the petshop. And when I gave her her options again and she didn’t choose any of those I gave her a mealworm and she started eating.
I still try different things but she seems to still want those. Soooo what do I do about that?

Stop offering mealworms.
This is from the article i posted below.

*Start hatchlings on minced earthworms (from yard or store-bought) along with other available small wild invertebrates (e.g., tiny millipedes, spiderlings, black field crickets, grasshoppers, tiny preying mantids, pillbugs). Avoid feeding mealworms due to their low calcium content and inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. If you feed any insects, be sure to dust them in calcium powder.*


Here you go. The babies section is toward the bottom.

http://www.boxturtlefacts.org/Feeding_North_American_Box_Turtles.pdf

 

[Lisa Baker]

I had the same problem but then I put my ickiness aside and diced up earthworms from a bait shop. She loves them. She'll also eat a couple t-rex pellets from time to time.

 

[MissCatsTurtle]

Stop offering mealworms.
This is from the article i posted below.

*Start hatchlings on minced earthworms (from yard or store-bought) along with other available small wild invertebrates (e.g., tiny millipedes, spiderlings, black field crickets, grasshoppers, tiny preying mantids, pillbugs). Avoid feeding mealworms due to their low calcium content and inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. If you feed any insects, be sure to dust them in calcium powder.*


Here you go. The babies section is toward the bottom.

http://www.boxturtlefacts.org/Feeding_North_American_Box_Turtles.pdf

What about slugs or is that a snail without a shell lol

 

[ColleenT]

that should be fine.