Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well it's definately spring now. I've seen two of my box turtles out, and one moved from one hiding spot to the other. But now with this cool front, they're all buried again. My question is should I start feeding them when they are moving around or wait until there is no risk of a front again. I know I could probably do either, but I guess I'm paranoid and don't want to do the littlest thing wrong. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

“My question is should I start feeding them when they are moving around or wait until there is no risk of a front again. I know I could probably do either, but I guess I'm paranoid and don't want to do the littlest thing wrong. Any suggestions?”

Boxies can’t digest their food with cool or low temps. If they ate with a warm spell and a lengthy cool or cold spell hits the food just rots in their gut and can cause other problems.

Usually they will not feed until it’s been warm for a couple weeks....even if they are moving around a bit. in either case it would be safe to soak them in water the same temperature as the air so they can rehydrate themselves and prevent respiratory problems, dehydration, eye problems , etc...

Then when it’s warmer and more stable try some food.

What are the temps you are referring to and what part of the country are you in?
Ric

I'm here on the Texas Gulf Coast. It's been getting close to 80 lately. Two of my three turtles are definately out and about. I hear we're expecting another cool front, so I'll hold off feeding them a little longer. I will go soak them now, though. Thanks a lot.

Looking forward to a little glimpse here in Chicago. We had a weekend in the 50s but back to winter of late. This is my first outdoor hibernation, hoping they all wake up, and wake up randy and ready for action as I bought a Hovabator and hope for eggs this summer.

What kind of hovabator did you get? I'm interested in buying one, but I'm hesitant. I've had such good luck in the past with homemade incubators, but a friend told me that I am creating way too much work for myself. He said that hovabators are much easier.

You should get the 'still air' model (without the fan), which is helpful in maintaining humidity levels within the incubator. It's very easy to set up and operate: just make sure you have it up and running at least a day or two in advance so that you can have the temperature adjusted to where you want it.
I've been very pleased with mine.

I haven't used it yet, but also bought the basic model. I, on the other hand, had terrible luck with my DIY incubator. Well, it was my fault, not bad luck, I let them get too dry. Lost all my turtle eggs and 3 of four gargoyle gecko eggs. Won't do that again. I'm not sure how it's done though. I've seen some pics and it appears some people incubate the eggs in small plastic deli cups, with vermiculite in the cup, and the cover perforated. Does that make sense?

Yes, that sounds about right... having a (loose) cover over the deli cup will also help retain humidity. That's basically the set up I've been using with good results: no eggs lost to over-drying at all last year.

Hello: If you live in the Northeast it is way to early to start
feeding your Boxers.Don't worry about starving them, they can last months without feeding. What you should do is water them the next warm day in a tub of cool water. If they eat now and a
cold spell moves in the food will rot in their stomachs. Even if
you offered them food they won't eat it. Good Luck