Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My eastern box turtle is 1 year old and it was only a few months ago that I got him to stop eating reptomin and start eating anything I give him. I've been dusting his food in calcium powder and box turtle vitamin powder. I've also been giving him alot of vegetables. What would be the best diet/vitamins to help correct this? Here's some pic's so you can see his shell. I had trouble getting my brothers camera to focus.:

To clarify, I think the sides of his shell are starting to flare up due to a lack of calcium/too much protein.

The problem may be relatively easy to correct.

It would be helpful to know about a few other aspects of husbandry that you'd been practicing, such as what kind of lighting do you use, humidity, etc.

Diet alone is not always the culprit when it comes to poor shell growth...often a combination of factors come into play.

I used to take his tub ouside in the sun (partially covered of course), but he always hid, so I dont think he got much sun. Finally I got him a uv bulb, and thats around when he started eating better. Next spring I plan on having a huge outdoor pen for him.

At this age, your turtle would benefit from a more 'adult' diet, consisting of about 50% protein give or take, and the rest vegetables, fruit and leafy greens.

I'm providing a link to an excellent site with information about diet.

Make sure that you keep that light on for about 14 hrs. per day, and that you have it positioned at the correct distance from the substrate: fluorescent bulbs give off less heat and don't project ligt as far as incandescent bulbs, so a tube would need to be closer than a bulb.

Hatchlings and young turtles spend much of their time hiding in the wild (which is why they are seldom seen), so I wouldn't be concerned about how much it hides.

Make sure you maintain high humidity levels and allow the little one to soak in shallow water each day.
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Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what I've been doing. He eats pretty much anything I give him, and I give him a good variety. I have a UV bulb on him for heat and uv. He has a shallow dish that he soaks in everyday whenever he wants and I also mist his cage every day/every other day. He seems to hardly ever hide anymore. He's constantly out looking for food. Since everything seems to be under control, do you think that his shell will develop normally and the flares will go away?

hate to hijack a thread but would you think it was abnormal for a 1 1/2 week old hatchling to bask?
it's been chilly and I had to adjust the lamp on my hatchlings and little #1 has been basking all day, I check him every few hours to make sure he's not turning into a raisin, is it possible he was just cold?

That's quite possible... I have alot of hatchlings here, and there are some that stay on or close to the surface and others that burrow deep. It's good that you're checking on it regularly to make sure that it isn't cooking.