New 3 toed's, lots of questions

[Riperoo]

OK, just adopted a couple of 3 toes from some one who could not take care of them any longer. They had them since hatchlings, about 4 years old, they are about 5 to 6 inches long now. I took the pair that has been together since birth. They think they came from a different litter, not sure, but who knows at this point, they are very active and friendly, one moreso than the other. The look to be in pretty good shape, eyes clear, shells looks good, although the one looks a little heavy to me, I am concerned as both of them look to be swollen on the back side. They have been fed nothing but dry food since birth, store bought box turtle food, zoo med natural box turtle food and repcal box turtle food with fruit. with the occasional fresh strawberries as a treat. OK Questions.
Diet, what should they be eating?
The swelling, what do you think of that? I tried to get it as good as I could in the pics, the one seems worse than the other.
Are they indeed 3 toes?
What is everyones opinion on the health??
They had them on a coconut matt type of substrate, I have them on Cypress mulch, for no other reason than I had a fresh bag on hand. Pleas hit me with all your input. This is my first time with a 3 toes, I have had lots of expierence with EBT's, and a not so good run with a Sully.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hi! I'm not familiar with the breed but I did want to suggest you have more substrate so they never touch the bottom of the enclosure and can dig. If you can put them in a plastic tub or similar that will probably be much better for them than a tank. At a minimum, cover the sides of the glass and keep an eye on the behavior to see if they are stressed or bumping into the glass. Make sure there is enough air circulation (the really tall tanks don't do well with this) and the proper temperature gradient and humidity.

 

[Riperoo]

Hey thanks for the input, agreed on the substrate, you can't see in the pictures, but I have substantially deeper on one side, divided by the slate in the middle, not enough yet, but enough for them to bury themselves. The Tank is a temp set up, it was all sterilized and ready to accept a new case on short notice, they will get better accomadations soon. Thanks for the input I welcome any and all!!

 

[Kristina]

That looks more like a deformed shell than a swollen bottom to me.

Make sure they get lots of calcium and UV, and they should be fine.

My pair eats mostly worms/slugs/snails/bugs, with the occasional mushroom. They don't eat many greens but do take bites out of their hosta from time to time. They like blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

And yes I am 99.9% sure what you have are Three Toes.

 

[Riperoo]

Really? What about the shell seems deformed? Not real familiar with the breed, I though they looked OK. I would really appreciate any input. They will be getting the cal and UVB immediately. Thanks!

 

[Kristina]

The back of it is sunken and curled upward. Definitely not a normal shape, and that is why you are seeing more of the bottom area. It isn't that he is swollen, but that his shell doesn't cover him.

Pretty typical for a boxie raised on an improper diet, too dry, or not enough UV (or a combination of the three.)

 

[Riperoo]

Great, thanks again Kristina, I will get these guys on the right track!

 

[chadk]

Since you have experience with EBT, these are almost identical in care. I keep both types in the same outdoor pen. I'd get them out of the tank ASAP and into an outdoor pen or at least a larger tort table.

Here is a good link:

http://www.aboxturtle.com/