Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any suggestions on feeding my baby 3-toed? The first few times I fed "him" I used Nature Zone Aquatic Turtle Bites (NZATB) (for mostly carnivorous turtles), Nature Zone Tortoise (should be "terrapin" IMHO) Bites (NZTB), and small mealworms. I didn't actually observe the action of eating, but the only thing that seemed to disappear was the NZATB. This was back before I put him in Sphagnum.

Then I would feed him during/after soaks. He never touched the mealworm, and I'm not sure whether he touched anything else. I've learned he will more likely eat something when when the food is in or at the edge of the water. But he still would avoid the mealworms. I don't remember which days I fed him what, nor what he ate for a while....

But Sunday I put in ReptoMin sticks, a wax worm, and again NZATB and NZTB, and I noticed he bit at the wax worm, but did not seem to get any of it; that's all I saw him attempt to eat. He's just too small relative to the size of the wax worm. Monday I cut the wax worm into three bits, and he seemed to be able to ingest some of it. I did observe taking a few bites of NZTB yesterday as well. So all I have is two foods I know he will eat.

I mentioned his size relative to the wax worm - is 1.25 inch carapace length normal for a baby 3-toed? I kept some "baby" turtles over-winter when I was a kid, one painted two snapping turtles. Seems the baby 3-toed is smaller than the baby painted and snapping were. It's a wonder baby 3-toeds can survive at all in the wild, if they're all as small as mine. Any other ideas on things I can feed my baby 3-toed? Earthworms are just way too big for him.

Bill

Today I gave him wax worms, ReptoMin sticks, ReptoMin Softgel, NZATB, and NZTB. He ate a LOT of the wax worms, but almost nothing else; he might have had a bit of NZTB - it was difficult to tell what was what after the foods were mixed in the water.

Wax worms have lots of fat - that's the only nutrient I know they are high in. My turtle needs more than that, doesn't he? a calcium source, some vitamins? What should I do?

Waxworms are higher in fat than most feeders ~20%. Crickets are around 5%, mealworms 14%, and superworms 17%. Earthworms are the lowest at less than 2%. I'd say offer some earthworms to balance things out. Even the youngest hatchling should be able to handle a red worm (available at just about any bait and tackle shop). Also, you can chop up some nightcrawlers to the appropriate size. Earthworms are my food of choice for the youngest hatchlings. Once he/she is eating well, offer all of the above and more. I only offer prepared foods about once weekly.

For vitamins and other minerals, dust the feeder insects with reptile calcium and 'box turtle dust' or some other reptile multivitamin/mineral. Waxworms are particularly easy to dust. It sticks to them well. I alternate calcium dust at one feeding, then multivitamin/mineral the next.

Good luck.

Oh, and baby box turtles LOVE pillbugs, sowbugs, potato bugs, or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods.

>>Waxworms are higher in fat than most feeders ~20%. Crickets are around 5%, mealworms 14%, and superworms 17%. Earthworms are the lowest at less than 2%. I'd say offer some earthworms to balance things out. Even the youngest hatchling should be able to handle a red worm (available at just about any bait and tackle shop). Also, you can chop up some nightcrawlers to the appropriate size. Earthworms are my food of choice for the youngest hatchlings. Once he/she is eating well, offer all of the above and more. I only offer prepared foods about once weekly.>>

Thank-you for the reply.

Do calcium dust and multivitamin/mineral dust dissolve in water? I know you say they stick, but this little guy only pays attention to things in the water, it seems.

Bill

What about the size? Is my turtle's size normal for his/her age?

Hatchling size varies so much, I wouldn't really say that there is a normal. I wouldn't be concerned about your turtle's size. Instead, watch for the growth rings evident in some of these photos. At two months, you should start to see a significant growth ring around each scute.

The powders don't dissolve in water well. There are some liquid products that you can spray into the water. Also, as your hatchling becomes more aggressive towards feeding you should be able to offer food items out of water.

"Waxworms are higher in fat than most feeders ~20%. Crickets are around 5%, mealworms 14%, and superworms 17%. Earthworms are the lowest at less than 2%. I'd say offer some earthworms to balance things out. Even the youngest hatchling should be able to handle a red worm (available at just about any bait and tackle shop). Also, you can chop up some nightcrawlers to the appropriate size. Earthworms are my food of choice for the youngest hatchlings. Once he/she is eating well, offer all of the above and more. I only offer prepared foods about once weekly."

Meal worms' outer layer is too tough for my little guy. I cut a small meal worm into three parts, and he was only able ingest one part, and gave up on the other two pieces. I then finished the feeding session with wax worms.

Still looking for a local source of red worms.

I found a bait seller that had regular earthworms that were small, and my baby 3-toed loved thema and ate a surprising large quantity of food. The worms squirm so much, though, that most of the calcium dust falls off them.

biowarble, formerly wjboelema

"Oh, and baby box turtles LOVE pillbugs, sowbugs, potato bugs, or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods."

Are those the things under rocks and old chunks of wood that curl up? Aren't they a little tough for baby boxes?

I went around my dad's yard today and dug through the compost heap rolled over rocks and old pieces of wood, moving flower pots, etc., and found some worms, some of what I think are the pill bugs you mention, and some centipedes. Do they eat centipedes? Centipedes give me the creeps.