Sounds like metabolic bone disease.

What you really have is a lack of calcium, the turtle can’t grow his shell normally.

It is also typical to have some rear leg paralysis.

Box turtles are notoriously difficult feeders, typically they start off eating live mostly meal worms and it is difficult to get them on a diversified diet.



I am thinking this is what has happened to you. Things that you have to be careful for are light you have to have a good UVB light so that the turtle can produce vitamin D3

Which will help transport and metabolize the calcium he is getting in his diet.



Something to try is using a commercial turtle food so you can get some balanced nutrition in him.

A trick I have leaned is to use “Reptomin floating food sticks” which really is for water turtles but is much better then just feeding him worms or a very narrow diet.

The trick is fill a little turtle dish with water just enough to cover the bottom (maybe a ¼ of an inch ) sprinkle the sticks in the water and put the turtle in , when he moves around he will see the sticks jiggle and eat them. Add calcium with D3 to the water once a week. You will see an improvement in a couple of months.

You have to work fast and be diligent your turtle is at critical cross road.



Posting a picture would help to confirm his condition along with other information like, his diet, and the lighting condition.



Sam Pascucci

www.FloridaIguana.com

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