Just some boxie questions

[jfosdick]

Hey everyone!

You might remember me from the OMG FML post a week earlier. I thought I would try another, slightly less dramatic post on here

For food, I have been feeding him ZooMeds Box Turtle Diet and a mixture of meal worms and wax worms. I can't find any crawlers locally but they should start to spring up soon. I tried feeding crickets, but they seem to be a little fast for him currently. My little dude, permanetly renamed "Smalls" seems active, certainly more then his normal just chilling when i got him. He seems to be digging a lot and burys himself to sleep everynight in the substrate. He also has been taking himself on dips into his pond periodically by himself now. My concerns are:

1. Does this seem like normal, happy activity?
2. He has gotten out of his pond once on his own that i know of, but I am not completely sure he knows how too otherwise... How long is safe for him to stay in there? He never seems to happy when I take him out... he even likes to hunt in his water sometimes.
3. Origionally he was eating about 50/50 Zoomed/bugs but now eats very little Zoo Med and a lot of bugs. I mixed a little calcium in with it. Do you think i just made it taste bad? All and all he has a very healthy appetite, never refusing to eat. Downed almost 12 wax/mealies for dinner last night! I thought that was a lot for a 2.5-3" turtle.
4. How much food is too much food? Should I cut him off ever from anything in particular?
5. He is very curious about everything inside the cage and rarely ducks in even when I pick him up, but if I let him explore around the apartment he just sucks his head in and doesn't move.

Thanks for any imput you have! He is an amazing little dude. whenever he runs out of worms he always just walks up to the front of the cage and looks at me like "Hey buddy, whats the deal?" LoL never thought a turtle would have so much personality...

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Digging in to sleep and soaking in his "pond" are very normal, happy activities for boxies. He can stay in his water as long as he wants. Just make sure he can get out - placing rocks ... etc. to aid in his exit. His diet should consist of 50% protein, 30% veggies, 10% fruit, and 10% greens. Mix them all well together so he starts getting a taste for different things. I like to give mine TNT with fruit once a week and calcium once a week. I also add a few drops of cod liver oil once a week and always keep a cuttlebone available. I let mine eat whatever they want in a sitting, then remove it. You will learn the amount as time goes and and you see what's left. I rarely see over weight boxies, so that shouldn't be too much of a concern. He just needs time to get used to exploring the apartment. What kind of boxie is he?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm so glad to hear how much you love your little box turtle.

When box turtles are young they are more carnivorous and start to eat more vegetation as they get older. However, I always put down a bed of either greens or fruit on the feeding station for my babies, then I'll add the live food on top of that. My babies will eat almost anything now. They really seem to like the red/green leaf lettuce. Because they're so small, I chop up some green leaf lettuce, some cucumber, zucchini or strawberry or whatever veggie or fruit I have on hand, then I'll put the meal worms or red worms or pin-head crickets on top of that.

Some box turtles really seem to enjoy being in the water. Even going so far as to walk along the bottom in the "deep end."

But sometimes a sick turtle stays in the water a lot too. Could be he has parasites.

But your little turtle sounds perfectly fine to me. Try to get him on a more varied diet, a diet that includes greens and fruit.

How about some more pictures?

 

[jfosdick]

Got my hands on a camera Here is Smalls in all his turtleness!

Here his is in his typical pose...

Top Shot!

Plastron - He was less then thrilled...

Rockin my dresser...

Here is his good side:

One last Top Shot:

I still dont have a 100% ID so maybe these pics will make it easier. He has colored up so much since I got him. He was basically black when I got him. I got a shell moisturizer that has helped a bunch I think... He is getting so colorful! What the difference a week has made!

---

Is there a way to tell how old he is?

 

[Yvonne G]

He's not very old. I'd say maybe 3 or 4 years old, maybe not even that old. And you DO have a 100% i.d. He's an eastern box turtle. For sure!

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Poor little thing ... looks like he wasn't very well cared for. He's lucky to be in your care. Be careful using any creams/oils on the shell. They aren't very good for them.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It is so nice to read a thread about a happy turtle and turtle keeper. But I can't remember exactly how you got him? His shell looks slightly deformed and his nails need to be trimmed. I would let the worms walk thru calcium powder or add calcium to whatever you are feeding the worms. He needs some fruit and veggies too tho. Cantaloupe and berries are good for him. You might want to take him to the Vet and have him treated for parasites and have the Vet trim his back nails some. I just went back and looked you up so now I remember how you got him. You are falling into the same trap I did. Mine eat the worms really good so that's what I feed them. But he needs fruit and some veggies too. He is slightly deformed and will always be that way. You might want to get a UVB light for him and I'll give you a link on box turtle care. You need to red up on his care and improve a couple of things so his growth will be a little more healthy. We are always glad to answer questions and I am just thrilled that you are enjoying him so much. He is very lucky to have you...

http://aboxturtle.com/

 

[jfosdick]

Hey there!

He has been under a 10.0 repisun UVB bulb and on a high calcium diet. I put calcium on both the worms and veggies along with a reptile multivitamin! Good to know about creams! I wont use that again! Just picked up some catalope, apples and mangos this morning. Looks like breakfast will be good for both of us. Thanks again everyone! Does anyone know how long it will take to get to full size? How big is full size?

 

[Yvonne G]

Your turtle might not get as big as they normally get because of his deformed shell. A normal eastern box turtle will be about 8", maybe slightly smaller.

 

[terryo]

Keep us posted with this baby. I'm so happy you found each other, and I love seeing these happy endings.

 

[earthyman71]

check out www.aboxturtle.com for some great information on caring for your boxie!

definitely make sure your uva/uvb lighting is right, his diet is appropriate and that his pen (if indoor) is big enough and appropriate for boxies. you don't want that shell curling to get any worse.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I love looking at that perky face and those bright eyes