Eastern Box Turtle HELP!!

[Vagus]

Hi I'm really new to this but I have a Eastern Box Turtle, I just got him about 2 weeks ago and I have discovered that he doesn't eat much or at all.

I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. I feed him moistened reptile pellets, they are for turtles and have all the min. food/nutrient requirements. Yet he won't seem to eat them at all I tried diversifing the diet by adding finely chopped carrots and alfa alfa sprouts and some shredded cooked chicken. I tried hand feeding him for a little while, but he doesn't seem to like that anymore. I also sprinkle all his food with a calcium supplement, under the recommendation of the pet store.

He is about the 1 5/6" big and I doubt much older than 2-3 months. I keep his terrarium at an ambient temp of 80 F and mist the tank with water at least 5 times a day. Its a 20 gallon tank but I put cardboard to split it into 1/4 and 3/4 halfs and keep the little guy in the smaller (1/4 size) half. He also doesn't open his eyes much, The pet store suggested using a saline solution and wiping his eyes (VERY VERY gently) with a Q-tip.

I tried to be as detailed as possible. I hope someone can help or at least point me in the right direction!! :dumb:


I can post a pic of the terrarium and the little guy as well if it helps.

[Linds]

What is the humidity level in the terrarium? Box turtles enjoy a humid environment. I would also let your ambient temperature drop to the low 70's so he has a cool place to retreat if he feels like it, but make sure he has a warm spot of 80 degrees to go to to warm up. Babies are much more susceptable to higher temps. Posting pics of your setup would definitely be helpful

For starters I would start by changing his diet. Box Turtles IMOE can be kind of fussy eaters, and you have to play around to see what they will eat. Try offering a variety of fruits, veggies, and leafy greens (high calcium low phosphorus ratio). They also consume alot of animal matter, so try offering moistened cat/dog food, worms, crickets, etc a few times a week. Make sure you are also using a calcium supplement as well. I am not a box turtle pro however, I'm sure there are some people on here with more box turtle experience than me that can give you some more feeding tips, though the first thing I recommend is getting his health looked afer, because it certainly sounds like there is alot more to it than just being a finicky eater.

I really recommend taking him to a qualified herp vet. He certainly doesn't sound like he's doing well, if his eyes are bothering him and he's not feeding (most likely a result of him not feeling well). Can you post any pictures of his eyes? Do they seem to be infected? I'm not a vet, so I can't be of much help there... but I do recommend taking him to one as soon as you can.

Good luck with the little guy, keep us updated! :thumbsup:

[JeffT]

Like what Linds said, try a change of diet. They LOVE all sweet fruits and veggies. I feed mine lots of apple, orange,grapes and anything like that.

Good Luck : >

[Vagus]

Ok I will post pics as soon as I can. Prolly in the next little while. I will try to change the diet during his next feeding time. Thanks both of you! and I'll get those pics ASAP.

[PunkMonkey11]

box turtles are mainly carnivores, they love earth worms and will eat crickets, pinkie mice, and mealworms easily.

Jeremy

[Wu-Gwei]

Earthworms are irrisitable. But they will eat a variety of things. One book that I like is the Box Turtle Manual.

Anyway, the MOST impotant thing is to let it get used to it's new home. It's normal that a turtle won't eat right away. I have had turtles that did not eat for the first 4-6 weeks. Try a variety of foods and give them time. Patience from you and adustment time from your turt. Your boxie WILL eat. Both new and experienced keepers get anxious when their new turt doesn't eat. Don't worry... give 'em some time.

Cheers,
JJ

[Dilshad]

Hey Vagus;

Eastern box turtles are temperate animals, so keeping the enclosure at 80F isn't necessarily a good thing. I would provide a thermal gradient, low 70s like someone here already said, with 80 or so beneath a basking spot.

Do you have a UVB producing bulb no higher than 12 inches away from him? And it's not blocked by glass or plastic?

Eye problems usually mean low humidity, but if they're infected you need to use antibiotic drops...for that I'd take him to a good reptile vet. I don't know where you're located but the only one I really trust with herps is Dr. Rick Maser of Cavan Hills Veterinary Hospital...out near Peterborough, kind of. I think Chris of Reptile Headquarters has used Tobermycin drops to good effect.

What kind of substrate are you using? I would recommend a layer of moist (not wet) long-fibred sphagnum moss, along with a wide, shallow dish of water to soak in. Cover part of the top of the enclosure so you can increase ambient humidity, and mist the little guy regularly as you've been doing.

Although I've raised babies in 20 gallon tanks with no problems, you may want to place him in a smaller tank altogether, just so you can nail the the environmental parameters down, that's up to you.

As for food, there is no real substitute for whole prey items, and live prey will stimulate a baby box to feed.

-Gut-loaded, dusted crickets of appropriate size
-Small or chopped up earthworms
-Very small silkworms, if you can get them.

Pinkie mice are too fatty, for the most part, but once in a rare while is okay.

Post pics of the turtle and the enclosure, and maybe we can help you out some more.