New(ish) Turtle Mommy

ChristinaTN

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Hi! I am a new(ish) box turtle mommy. We had an eastern box turtle decide to make our fenced in backyard her home about 5 months ago. Little did we know that she was expecting and laid eggs about a month after joining us. We just let her "free range" per say in our backyard since she is completely protected from any predators and has plenty of space to roam/hide. She especially loved our strawberry plants this summer. :p Here are a couple of pictures of her. She loves to snuggle with us. ;) Her name is simply Turtle. Scroll down to read all about our hatchling and the advice I am looking for. :)

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We've been anxiously awaiting the hatchlings to make their way out but decided to dig them out since we have very hard soil and didn't think they would make it out themselves. We were right. Only 1 out of 3 survived that we have named Walter. We brought him inside and have made him a little habitat. His yolk sack is still there. I read quite a bit before deciding what to do with his home so hopefully I've got everything right. Here are a few pictures and I would love any advice on his habitat that we could improve on. It is topsoil covered with sphagnum moss which I have been misting often to keep everything moist. Turned over pot for hiding, a dish for water that is level with the soil for easy access. I also attached this light and have been turning it on for a few hours each day. I think the only thing I am really concerned about is the light. Is it too big? I just bought one of the 5.5" clamp lights from Home Depot and put a 60W lightbulb in it. I have it pointed on one side so he can get away from it if he needs to cool down. The tub he's in is approximately 2.5'x1.5'. Like I said, I would love any advice!

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Mommy and Baby
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wellington

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Hello and Welcome:) I don't know much about Boxies, but I do think they need to be kept in a higher humidity then your little one is getting in the enclosure. Very cute Boxies. @Yvonne G will be able to help.
 

russian/sulcata/tortoise

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baby boxies need some water. i would recommend a bigger water bowl and a daily soak in room temp water for 15 minutes. if newly hatched baby turtles/tortoises are dehydrated there is a big chance of hem dieing.
 

johnsonnboswell

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Way way way too dry. Think of a forest floor or a seed bed. Some people raise hatchlings as semi aquatic. They typically hide. Maybe add plants to hide under. All your handling may make it impossible for them to be released as they will have no fear of humans. The mother's interaction with you makes me wonder if she was a pet once.
 

ChristinaTN

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baby boxies need some water. i would recommend a bigger water bowl and a daily soak in room temp water for 15 minutes. if newly hatched baby turtles/tortoises are dehydrated there is a big chance of hem dieing.

The dish is filled with water and he soaks in it often throughout the day. Here he is having a soak. That's still not enough water?

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ChristinaTN

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Way way way too dry. Think of a forest floor or a seed bed. Some people raise hatchlings as semi aquatic. They typically hide. Maybe add plants to hide under. All your handling may make it impossible for them to be released as they will have no fear of humans. The mother's interaction with you makes me wonder if she was a pet once.

I'm completely soaking it several times a day with a spray bottle to get everything really saturated. If you look closely in the pic, you can see water all over the sides of the tub too. He spends most of his time hiding under the moss. What sort of plants should I consider adding?

I thought the same thing with momma turtle, that she must have been a pet. She has been that friendly since she found us. We don't have any plans to release them.
 

lisa127

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They are both adorable!! Mama is so pretty.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Mom looks like her beak is too long . To fix it just put its food on a tile and as she eats she will file it down . But they are cute . Box turtles rule !


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smarch

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Hello and welcome! That's a nice story you have and its great the 1 survived and you got here for the experts to help. You never specifically said how you ended up with her, was she "wild" and find her way to you or did you get her from someone? I also agree though if she was "wild" she was once a pet because she seems way to comfortable around you to have been wild, not that its a bad thing for you more or less just a fact. Little Walter is adorable!!! I thought that was mulch in the little area for him and I was just thinking oh no no no ... but I got to the closer pictures and saw otherwise lol, because moist is very important, I've never heard of hatchling death by being given too much water time (don't count flipping in the water and drowning, I've heard that once). Must be so exciting to all of a sudden have 2 little munchkins... well 1 munchkin and 1 very little munchkin ;) hatchlings melt my heart!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Christina, and welcome to the Forum!

My baby box turtle habitat is potting soil with plants all over inside. I started out with a pretty small plastic tub because all I had was just one baby...but then I found 6 more, so today I have to upgrade to a larger tub. I have to cover it with foil because the tub is in my laundry room and it is in a direct line from the cool air blowing out of the evaporative cooler. But besides keeping the cooler from blowing on the tub, the foil helps keep the warm/moist air inside the enclosure.

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