Now what ..babies!

[Alaskamike]

I have 2 female adault Florida Box turtles I kinda inherited from a gal who was moving & couldn't keep 'em. Set them up in outside surround & basically feed & water them.

Last year I got a male ( long story ). Put him in there but he wouldn't leave the girls alone so I found a good home for him.

Now, almost a year later , I find this in the surround while cleaning out their " pond".

Searched & searched but these 2 are all I could find. But their surround is large & fully planted. Would be hard to find anything so small.

So....

Was not really intending to raise babies. Thought about just letting the little fellas go in the woods. But I know they probably have less than a 5% chance of survival. I might still do that. Nature is nature.

But...a part of me says, just set up an enclosure & raise 'em. See if you can. Might be fun , yada, yada,yada ..

I'm aware it takes a permit to keep more than 2 Florida Boxies - at least I think so. But easy to get.

Never raised a baby boxy. Really would have to study how to do it. Ask for help. They are SO SMALL! Whata they eat? Ants? Lol.

Any help, guidance , or suggestions would be appreciated. You all are great.

Conflicted.
Me

 

[lisa127]

I think you should set them up and raise them! You can try feeding them black soldier fly larvae, red wigglers, omega one turtle pellets, all kinds of wiggly live food. In a few months they may start nibbling at some berries or spring mix. For now lots of bugs! No ants though!

Keep them warm and humid with a large flat type water saucer. At that size maybe a Tupperware lid.

 

[PJay]

Some people like to raise their Florida babies in a Rubbermaid tub with about a quarter inch of water and some peices of slate so they can crawl out and dry off. You can add some sphagnum moss, fake plants and some hides to give them security. They need super high humidity for the first year so their shells form properly. Of couse, being in Florida you could set up the tub outside in mostly shade and all the humidity you need will be provided by nature.

 

[wellington]

Keep them you can do it. Maybe just leave them where they hatched. They'd probably do fine there. Maybe some slight adjustments needed.

 

[ColleenT]

They are adorable. Give them a chance. They don't need much room right now.

 

[ColleenT]

here is a link that does have info on babies toward the bottom.

http://www.boxturtlefacts.org/Feeding_North_American_Box_Turtles.pdf

 

[Alaskamike]

Thanks all.
I'll let you know what I decide. They sure are cute & helpless looking.

There probably are more babies in there. Might never see 'em. But I'll keep looking.

 

[Alaskamike]

Well ... I did take these two out & put them in a plastic cement mixer container.

Last year , I found one baby ( a bit bigger than these) & just left it in the surround. Could still be there , but haven't seen any again until these 2.

Decided to give it a go , so set them up this morning.

 

[Alaskamike]

They are exploring. I have two coffee container lids in there , made 'em "lakes" so they can drink & soak.
In. Half hour I could no longer see them. Musta dug in under the purslanes.

I can move this around , out of the sun as it gets hot.

 

[PJay]

Great looking setup. They should do well in there. My Florida babies were started on Reptomin juvenile. I added Omega One juvenile and they also like pill bugs, small soldier fly larvae, earthworms, dubai roaches, hornworms, and nibble a bit on blackberries and peaches. The added advantage of keeping them outside is the occasional bug that crawls or flies in on its own. Free snacks!

 

[Alaskamike]

Thanks. I'll look into some of those bugs. I think the local petco has pill bugs.

 

[Stuart S.]

Cute little fellas, I bet they'll do great.

 

[Eric Phillips]

Congrats Mike!

 

[Alaskamike]

I did return them to the outside surround. Putting in more fruit & chow so there is leftover for the babies.

It was just to much to set up a baby tank right now.

Found two more this week , younger , so musta just hatched out in last two days.

 

[Alaskamike]

I keep looking for them. But boy do they hide good ❗️

 

[Loohan]

Musta dug in under the purslanes.

Purslane?? I can't find any pics of purslane looking like that, not even sea purslane.

Purslane:

 

[Yvonne G]

Just be sure to water their area daily. Because they are so small, their little bodies (insides) dry out very easily and quickly.

 

[Alaskamike]

Just be sure to water their area daily. Because they are so small, their little bodies (insides) dry out very easily and quickly.

Thanks Yvonne.
Yes. I'll get it good and wet daily.
We get a good rain about every other day now - that helps.

 

[ColleenT]

good luck, they sure are cute.

 

[KevinGG]

How's it going? I'll take them off your hands if you want