New box turtle owner

[talkin2rob]

Hi everybody. I'm very new to having a turtle. After doing hours upon hours of reading to try to adequately care and house a turtle, I've gotten stumped and need some help.
Our turtle, Tara, just got a new home. It's 4'x2'. We've got a basking light, a UV light and a nighttime warming lamp. She seems to eat well and is extremely active. Temps directly under the basking light is about 95. Other side of the area is about 75. She's loves lounging in the water and being on the platform under the basking light. But she NEVER goes under the platform to hide. She will borrow into the substrate at night for a while. Substrate is from the pet store called forest floor (or something similar, can't remember exactly).
She was recently at the vet and he said she seemed to be healthy and everything ok.
She goes outside and spends most of the day in the backyard (when it's nice out) where she wanders around, sometime just sits in the sun and catches some rays.
Her diet consists of earthworms, kale, strawberries, blueberries, and dandelion leaves. And the occasional slug she snags while out in the yard. Lol
My question is that if turtles need to hide, why does she always stay in the open? She seems happy and is always looking around with head out high. Do I need to do something different to what I thought would be an adequate hiding spot?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice.

 

[wellington]

Box turtles like to burrow into the ground. I would make it easier for her to do that. I'm not sure fruit should be a part of their diet. It's not really suppose to be a part of most if not all torts diet. @terryo @Yvonne G of course there are m ah more members that I can't think of right now,that can help with diet and burrowing.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Actually fruit is about 10% of a box turtle's dietary needs.
Do you know what species of box turtle she is? It's important because it will change the information I'm about to give you. Also, how big is she?

 

[Angel Carrion]

Depending on her species, 95 May be too hot. Also, no matter which species she is, if she is an adult she needs a bigger area than 4X2. Do you know what your humidity levels are? Also, what kind of lights are you using? (Basking UVA bulb, which kind of UVB bulb, are you using a ceramic heat emitter? Etc)
Pictures of her would greatly help.

 

[talkin2rob]

She's an eastern box turtle. She's about 5 and a half inches long.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Ah then this will be very easy. One sec.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Should be a nice sized enclosure as well that again has a high enough wall that the boxie cannot escape from. If you are not doing a closed bottom outside enclosure you will have to dig down into the ground for a few inches and put a wall to prevent them from digging out and under. You can use kiddie pools, custom made outdoor wooden enclosures, a brick wall, ect the internet if full of wonderful examples on what you can do with your budget. A wooden box that is half buried into the ground with a chicken wire top is one cheap alternative.

An indoor enclosure at least 12 inches deep with at least 12-13 square feet of floor space is best. Outdoor enclosures are even better, climate permitting.

Sphagnum moss and milled coconut husk fiber (coco fiber/coir) or peat moss mixed together is a good moisture retaining substrate. It needs to be about 6 inches deep throughout the enclosure. Humidity needs to be between 70-90% in the enclosure. Using an accurate hydrometer is the best way to measure the levels. Having a water dish under the heat lamp is a way to keep humidity up, just make sure the water doesn't get too hot for the turtle and that, while it is under the lamp, it isn't sitting DIRECTLY under, as that is where the turtle will bask. The moistened substrate will also keep humidity up. The water dish needs to be big enough that the turtle can soak on her own, but shallow enough that she doesn't accidentally flip over while trying to climb in or out. Misting the enclosure is another good way to keep humidity up.
Temp ranges; 80ish F on warm side, 70-75 F on cool side, 85-90 F for the basking spot. Nighttime temps should not go below 65 F.

Heat lamp UVA and a UVB bulb will be needed, or you can get a mercury vapor bulb which produces heat and UVB. If you get a heat lamp and UVB bulb separate of each other, make sure to NOT get a coil bulb. Those can damage turtle eyes and cause blindness. A UVB bulb should be replaced every 6 months, but a mercury vapor bulb can be replaced every 12-18 months. The lamps need to be 16-18 inches above turtle so as to avoid burning them.
Using a digital temp gun is most useful in reading the temps accurately. I got mine off amazon for 12-14 bucks.

Food items and how much
Animal matter: 50% of meal -- crickets, earthworms, feeder fish (not goldfish - may make them sick, like upset stomach or something), Dubai roaches (yum!), mealworms (as a treat), grasshoppers, sow bugs, katydids, isopods, june bugs, slugs (but not banana slugs), terrestrial snails, waxworms, various grubs, superworms (zoophobas), blood worms, carrion, beefheart, gastropods, spiders, cicadas, silkworms, millipedes, pill bugs, butterfly larvae, preying mantids (remove spiked forelegs first), boiled skinless chicken, boiled eggs with shell, cooked lean ground beef, nightcrawlers. Can feed a pinkie or fuzzy once a month. Freeze in freezer bag for 72 hours at least to kill any parasites. Thaw in tepid water before serving. Never use microwave to defrost! NEVER FEED EASTERN TENT CATERPILLARS
Vegetables: 20% of meal -- pretty much all squashes, bell peppers (not often), carrots, corn on the cob (boiled, not often), green beans, okra, opuntia cactus pad & fruit, peas in the pod, various pumpkins, sweet potatoes, zucchini.
Greens: 10% of meal -- bibb, various kinds of clover, collard greens, dandelion greens & weeds, escarole, kale (not often), mustard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, watercress, pesticide-free field-collected weeds & leaves (I suggest only picking those you can identify).
Fruits: 10% of meal -- apples, apricot, figs, banana (mainly as a treat), all berries, grapes, kiwi, all melons, peach, plum, tomatoes (never feed any other part of the tomato plant- not safe)
Fungi/mushrooms: 10% of meal -- chanterelle, fried-chicken mushrooms (yeah, that's a thing), meadow, morel, oyster, puffball, russulas, shaggy inkcap. (Yes those are all different mushrooms). Do not offer Portabello mushrooms. Can't remember why.

Once a week, lightly dust meal with a calcium supplement with Vitamin D3 and a vitamin supplement. I use Rep-Cal Phosphorus-free Calcium with Vitamin D3 (the phosphorus-free info is important) and ZooMed's Reptivite. Leaving a cuttlebone in the enclosure will give the turtle the opportunity to free-serve calcium as they need
Do not offer cat food as most commercial cat foods produce acidic urine, which will increase the excretion of calcium in the urine.This can and most likely will cause a calcium deficiency in reptiles and can lead to metabolic bone disease, shell deformities, and soft tissue calcification. Using a low-fat wet dog food can be done if the turtle will not eat anything you offer to entice them to start eating.

Dealing with a reluctant eater: Box turtles are most active in the mornings, evenings, and after it rains. Try misting the enclosure before feeding & offer meals in the morning after the turtle has had time to warm up but before the day becomes too hot. If the turtle continues to not eat, try overripe brightly colored fruits like strawberries and cantaloupe (those are my guys favorites) and bananas. Also, turtles are naturally attracted to moving food. If your turtle will only eat live foods, try cutting up a nightcrawler or two and mixing it with some veggies and fruits so that the wiggling in and on the meal will attract them. As they try to eat the nightcrawler, they will likely accidentally grab the greens and such. After doing this for a while, reduce the amount of nightcrawlers until the box turtle consistently eats the veggies and greens.

How to get shy turtles out to eat: feed underneath foliage and keep activity in the area to a minimum as much as possible while eating.
Be sure to offer a wide variety and change things up. Turtles become bored being offered the same foods every meal.

Feeding frequency:
Hatchling to 1 year old, or underweight turtle - one to two days
one to three years old, or recovering from illness - two to three days
three years and older - three to four days
overweight - four days

Feed on a flat plate, plastic lid, flat rock, or paper plate. Be warned: turtles may try to eat the paper plates. Flat rocks are best generally because the rock will help file the beak and keep the nails trim.

Gut-loading insects: Crickets and mealworms (and others) can be gut-loaded two days before use. Feed them a high-calcium invertebrate food - sweet potato, high quality tropical fish flake, or low fat dry dog food. To provide the insects with moisture and added nutrients that will be passed on to the turtle, offer the feeders leafy greens like turnip greens or dandelion greens.

All invertebrate food items (except earthworms) should be lightly dusted with the calcium supplement just before serving. You can do this by putting some of the supplement powder in a sandwich bag then put that meal's insects in, close the bag, and gently shake to coat them in the supplement. Place in front of the turtle. If the feeders are moving around too much, the dust will fall off. It is best to offer them using forceps or by incapacitating them while still being able to move enough to draw the turtle's attention.
Make sure to mist the enclosure at least once a day.
I think that's it right now unless you want me to go into medical stuff

 

[Angel Carrion]

Doing a closed chamber inside is the easiest way to maintain proper humidity and temperature levels. If you like, I can post the link to the closed chamber thread?

 

[talkin2rob]

Humidity in the middle of the area is 64%. But around 90 on the substrate. Basking is UVA. UVB is a reptisun bulb.

 

[talkin2rob]

Doing a closed chamber inside is the easiest way to maintain proper humidity and temperature levels. If you like, I can post the link to the closed chamber thread?

What do you mean by a "closed chamber"?

 

[Angel Carrion]

What kind of dish is that?
The reprising UVB bulb, is it a strip of a compact?
She is ADORABLE!!!! Where did you get her from?
Are you offering any calcium supplements? Cuttlebone is easy, alone with egg shells.

 

[Angel Carrion]

What do you mean by a "closed chamber"?

Basically an enclosure with a lid on it, but either with holes cut so the lamps can shine through or the lid not covering every inch and leaving enough room for the lamps, or the lamps being under the lid of there is enough space.
I'll try to find the thread.

 

[talkin2rob]

We got creative with a few things when making her home. Her water "bowl" is the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket that the edges are rounded with another section of the bucket to keep it from tipping and easily removed for cleaning. The worms are dusted in a calcium powder.
The UVB is a bulb that screws in like a regular lightbulb if that's what you were asking.
She was originally a wild caught turtle. We got her from someone that wasn't taking care of her properly. Thats why we had a vet visit recently. Lol

 

[Angel Carrion]

No coil bulbs, though. They're harmful.

Tanks are strongly not recommended, but this is another example.
These are visual examples for you.

 

[talkin2rob]

Here's a pic of our light setup

 

[Angel Carrion]

We got creative with a few things when making her home. Her water "bowl" is the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket that the edges are rounded with another section of the bucket to keep it from tipping and easily removed for cleaning. The worms are dusted in a calcium powder.
The UVB is a bulb that screws in like a regular lightbulb if that's what you were asking.
She was originally a wild caught turtle. We got her from someone that wasn't taking care of her properly. Thats why we had a vet visit recently. Lol

Is it a cool bulb? If so it needs to be removed as those can be damaging to their eyes and cause injury and/or blindness.
A strip UVB reptisun 10.0 bulb will work, or you can get a mercury vapor bulb which has UVA heat and UVB all in one.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Also a UVB bulb should be on for 12-14 hours a day. And it should be completely dark at night. If nighttime heat gets too low, a ceramic heat emitter attached to a thermostat is best.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

A plant saucer makes a very good water dish. That's a hint to replace yours because it looks like the sides could be trouble.

Box turtles are charming. They don't always hide, especially long term captives. They are omnivores. You'll be surprised at how much variety you can offer. Think windfall and overripe when it comes to fruits and veggies.

 

[talkin2rob]

We have a 150w exo terra basking light, a Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 UVB mini, and a night time warming light which is an incandescent bulb. She does go outside when it's nice out.

 

[talkin2rob]

A plant saucer makes a very good water dish. That's a hint to replace yours because it looks like the sides could be trouble.

Box turtles are charming. They don't always hide, especially long term captives. They are omnivores. You'll be surprised at how much variety you can offer. Think windfall and overripe when it comes to fruits and veggies.

Sorry if I don't quite understand, how could the sides of what I have be trouble? We rounded them off to have no square or sharp edges to them.