Small Eastern Box Turtle: should I let my baby box turtle burmate?

[Maria_Z]

I am a new box turtle mom wondering if my small baby eastern box turtle 🐢 who lives in a inside enclosure should be let to burmate? I saw some websites saying baby turtles shouldn’t be let and others said they should. My turtle is starting to hide in its enclosure and not eat or drink. I’m not sure what I should do. Please help!

 

[DoubleD1996!]

I am a new box turtle mom wondering if my small baby eastern box turtle 🐢 who lives in a inside enclosure should be let to burmate? I saw some websites saying baby turtles shouldn’t be let and others said they should. My turtle is starting to hide in its enclosure and not eat or drink. I’m not sure what I should do. Please help!

Baby Box Turtles instinct is to hide because they're on the menu for pretty much anything. If it decides to brumate it's not a big issue, just check on it routinely, but if the temperatures are up you have to worry about it losing weight.

If you dont want it to brumate, keep the temps up. How do you have it set up? In a closed chamber in water, or substrate.

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Also, regardless of them being indoors, they can sense the barometric outside, triggering them to brumate.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!

Doing brumation wrong does more harm than not brumating at all. And with babies risks of brumation are a bit higher than with adults.

Since you haven't been prepared to brumate him and his health status is uncertain, I feel it's better to keep him awake this winter. You need to keep temperatures high enough and lights (not UVB) bright and long enough (14 hours a day) to make him believe it's a sunny shiny day outside.

What are day/night temperatures in his enclosure, what lights and heaters do use?

This thread has tons of practical information on brumation, give it a read, please:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Ink]

My desert box turtle is a little over a year old. I am not brumating him. He is kept indoors too. I keep the same routine. He hasn't slowed down or stopped eating. Make sure your temperature is correct. Good luck.

 

[Maria_Z]

Baby Box Turtles instinct is to hide because they're on the menu for pretty much anything. If it decides to brumate it's not a big issue, just check on it routinely, but if the temperatures are up you have to worry about it losing weight.

If you dont want it to brumate, keep the temps up. How do you have it set up? In a closed chamber in water, or substrate

The enclosure set up inside is in substrate. If that’s what you’re asking!

 

[Maria_Z]

Hello!

Doing brumation wrong does more harm than not brumating at all. And with babies risks of brumation are a bit higher than with adults.

Since you haven't been prepared to brumate him and his health status is uncertain, I feel it's better to keep him awake this winter. You need to keep temperatures high enough and lights (not UVB) bright and long enough (14 hours a day) to make him believe it's a sunny shiny day outside.

What are day/night temperatures in his enclosure, what lights and heaters do use?

This thread has tons of practical information on brumation, give it a read, please:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

The temperature in it’s enclosure during the day is around 82-88F. During the night I would say around the 70sF but I’m not too sure. I have a clamp lamp UVB/UVA heat/light 💡 and normal lighting from windows and house.

 

[jeff kushner]

You're doing great and he is too! I think that your temps are good and I assume that you are keeping food available if he chooses to eat & keep it really humid in there...otherwise, he's just acting weird for a while....if it goes on longer than 2 weeks, then relook at it......don't stress it, he's a turtle. He doesn't NEED to take a nap over Winter, my Matilda just "dug in" for the night...well she did an hour ago b/c we wake early around here<LOL>!

She's 3.5yrs old...she spends the summers outside and the winter inside, like a Snobird! LOL

You are new here.....with box turtles, think bog, not desert! You can't make it too wet for him right now.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The temperature in it’s enclosure during the day is around 82-88F. During the night I would say around the 70sF but I’m not too sure. I have a clamp lamp UVB/UVA heat/light 💡 and normal lighting from windows and house.

Temperatures are fine to me (maybe the night temps should be closer to 75-80F). Natural sunlight might signal him to slowdown (days are shorter, sun angle changes). For tortoises adding a "day light" LED strip works usually (makes them think that days are long and it's not the time to wind down).

Just a warning about clamp lamp: they eventually fall in the enclosure. And with UVA/UVB lamp (I guess it's a mercury vapour bulb) - this could result in fire or tortoise injury. You need to secure the clamp (I don't know how, maybe screws or plastic ties) or hang the lamp.

Another thing with all-in-one lamps - they might be too drying for tortoise shell. I'm not sure about boxies, though.

 

[jeff kushner]

Just a warning about clamp lamp: they eventually fall in the enclosure.

Huge, huge Pro Tip