New lighting situation

[Luis Taveras0]

Is this new light good for my box turtle?

 

[PJay]

Hey Luis, what kind of light is it?

 

[Luis Taveras0]

Hey Luis, what kind of light is it?

It's a uvb light

 

[Yvonne G]

It probably is ok, however, the screen it's sitting on filters out the beneficial UVB rays.

I know you didn't ask for a critique, however, I'm going to give you one anyway. In a previous post you told us that you have a hatchling box turtle. Little box turtles have to be kept in a moist environment or they dry out and die. So using the kind of substrate you have there is not helpful. Your baby needs something you can keep moist. For baby box turtles I like to use plain old potting soil. I buy the kind that doesn't have little white things (perlite) in it. I keep it moist and I pat it down with the palm of my hand.

Baby box turtles have a hard time climbing in and out of those reptile bowls because of the straight sides. That's why I use a clay plant saucer sunk down into the substrate. The don't have to climb to get in, and once inside, the sloping sides make it very easy to climb back out. Also, if this is a very tiny baby, I add a layer of small pebbles in the bottom of the saucer.

Then for feeding, I just use a small broken piece of cement or a rough flat rock. No climbing involved at all that way.

It would be nice if you would add two or three little plants in there. I just use aquarium fish plants. I get the kind that have built in weighted bottoms and I bury the bottom in the soil. The plants give the baby relief from the harsh light and also make him feel a little safer and not so exposed.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

It probably is ok, however, the screen it's sitting on filters out the beneficial UVB rays.

I know you didn't ask for a critique, however, I'm going to give you one anyway. In a previous post you told us that you have a hatchling box turtle. Little box turtles have to be kept in a moist environment or they dry out and die. So using the kind of substrate you have there is not helpful. Your baby needs something you can keep moist. For baby box turtles I like to use plain old potting soil. I buy the kind that doesn't have little white things (perlite) in it. I keep it moist and I pat it down with the palm of my hand.

Baby box turtles have a hard time climbing in and out of those reptile bowls because of the straight sides. That's why I use a clay plant saucer sunk down into the substrate. The don't have to climb to get in, and once inside, the sloping sides make it very easy to climb back out. Also, if this is a very tiny baby, I add a layer of small pebbles in the bottom of the saucer.

Then for feeding, I just use a small broken piece of cement or a rough flat rock. No climbing involved at all that way.

It would be nice if you would add two or three little plants in there. I just use aquarium fish plants. I get the kind that have built in weighted bottoms and I bury the bottom in the soil. The plants give the baby relief from the harsh light and also make him feel a little safer and not so exposed.

I appreciate criticism what type of plant can I get for the little one

 

[PJay]

It's a uvb light

I'd love to see some new pictures of your turtle. Do you have any you can post or can you take some?

 

[Yvonne G]

I appreciate criticism what type of plant can I get for the little one

Like I said, I use fake aquarium plants with weighted bases that I bury into the soil. I used to use real plants, but with baby box turtles you have to dig them up to put them by the food, and they always seemed to bury next to the plants, so I was always disturbing the plants. The fake with weighted bases work better than real.

Something like these.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

I'd love to see some new pictures of your turtle. Do you have any you can post or can you take some?

 

[Luis Taveras0]

I'd love to see some new pictures of your turtle. Do you have any you can post or can you take some?

 

[cmacusa3]

He's looking good Luis!

 

[Luis Taveras0]

Like I said, I use fake aquarium plants with weighted bases that I bury into the soil. I used to use real plants, but with baby box turtles you have to dig them up to put them by the food, and they always seemed to bury next to the plants, so I was always disturbing the plants. The fake with weighted bases work better than real.

Something like these.

What if they were to try to take a bite out of the plants will it be safe?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You can mount the light to the inside of the screen top with zip ties or some screws and fender washers.

 

[PJay]

That's a cute little one! Theres nothing like having a hatchling.

It looks like you are feeding a salad, is that romaine lettuce and tomatoes? Does your baby eat that or are you still just offering it so he gets used to seeing it? My box turtles have never really warmed up to greens but I know there are some people here on the forum who have box turtles that will eat green stuff. Just curious if you are having any success with that and if you would be willing to share your feeding methods. It helps all of us to learn when people share their personal experiences.

 

[Luis Taveras0]

That's a cute little one! Theres nothing like having a hatchling.

It looks like you are feeding a salad, is that romaine lettuce and tomatoes? Does your baby eat that or are you still just offering it so he gets used to seeing it? My box turtles have never really warmed up to greens but I know there are some people here on the forum who have box turtles that will eat green stuff. Just curious if you are having any success with that and if you would be willing to share your feeding methods. It helps all of us to learn when people share their personal experiences.

It's romaine lettuce I got him used to eating it by taking 3 mealworms and taking romaine lettuce and cutting it to little pieces and then I put the mealworms on the pile so when my box turtle eats the meal worm he also gets lettuce in his mouth so he can get used to the taste

 

[PJay]

It's romaine lettuce I got him used to eating it by taking 3 mealworms and taking romaine lettuce and cutting it to little pieces and then I put the mealworms on the pile so when my box turtle eats the meal worm he also gets lettuce in his mouth so he can get used to the taste

December is here, are you still moving to New Jersey? Excited or dreading it?

 

[Luis Taveras0]

December is here, are you still moving to New Jersey? Excited or dreading it?

I'm excited but a little bit nervous because I never stayed in new Jersey for more than a day

 

[Luis Taveras0]

This is what my enclosure looks like now

 

[PJay]

This is what my enclosure looks like now

Looks great! Have you worked out where the turtle will be situated in NJ?