Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI everyone,

I have been reading the forum for a few days now, you are all knowledgeable and very helpful
but there are still a few questions I have…….

First let me introduce myself… My real name is Nikki and I live
in NH with my menagerie of animals. I am disabled and therefore
have plenty of time to devote to my babies.
Mazie my beloved 3 toed box turtle passed away Friday afternoon
from complication of a viral infections that was being treated
by her herp vet.

Mazie was a gift to me by an Indian Shaman before my first brain surgery in 99. She was a very important part of my life and I
miss her greatly. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get another
turtle, as poor Mazie was never healthy , despite all my
loving care and continued care from her vet.

I have been reading this forum and doing tons of research on how
to care for a younger boxie as Mazie was an adult when I got
her. I also knew I did not want an animal shipped as she had
been. If you can believe it, the people my friend bought her
from, sent her fed ex in a hot dog box!

We did find a distributor of captive bred babies from
http://www.newenglandreptile.com/petstore.html
I know many said not to buy from a pet shop, and I have seen and
reported mistreatment of many shops.
Where there are no local breeders, a pet shop was my only choice.
We drove 3 hours to look at the turtles, and I have to say, this place was wonderful! The animals were obviously lovingly taken care of.

Having had experience with just adult boxie’s, that is what I was looking for… but they nor any place in the tri state area
had any. I feel in love with one that is a little over an
inch in size, there was also a tiny baby in with her/him that is
a bit bigger than a quarter. I came home with both

I would like some help with setting up their tank etc..
Here is what they have:

A 55 gallon tank I put a divider in, they have use of a bit more than half.

substrate : is a mix of 70% sphagnum moss and 30% bed a beast

humidity is 70 to 80%

Heating and lighting….this is where I get conflicting information
and could use some input

I have a 48 inch combination hood.
It holds the reptisun 10.0 bulb
(Taller habitats, screen cages, and tank covers can all reduce the amount of UVB reaching your reptiles; the high output ReptiSun 10.0 will ensure that your reptile receives beneficial levels of UVB even in these situations)

It also has a place for 4 other bulbs. I used this with Mazie, but am unsure of the lighting I should be using with these babies.

Right now I am using just the Reptisun and the red glow heat bulb.

Is that enough? Do these little turtles need a basking light?
Some said yes some say they just use an aquarium bulb with no uvb at all.

I have a water dish they sold me at the pet shop, but I still worry the littlest one won’t be able to get in and out ok.

As for food, I have no idea about crickets etc as Mazie refused all live foods.
I am wondering, where the moisture is so high, would it be ok to leave live worms and crickets right in the tank?

I would also like to add some live plants, could you recommend some that would be safe for these little buggers?

Thank you all in advance for your help~Nikki

I hope this works lol...

This is Scooter and Hitch

Scooter is the bigger of the two.
Hitch got his name because when I went to look for a turtle,
I fell in love with Scooter, and Hitch was on his back!
We got them both as we didn't have the heart to seperate them

Putting your boxie in an aquarium tank is not good. It may overheat. It will overheat, in fact. And the air won't circulate as needed.

My best, most genuine and sincere advice before you consider the best setup, food, habitat, etc., is to find your local reptilian specialist. Too many people ignore this, even in their commitment to provide the best for their pet. You should not rely on the care you read about in message boards, as only a specialist can tell you whether or not your pet is healthy, and treat accordingly.

If you scan some posts here, you'll see that boxies are not easy to upkeep. They hybernate, and that is not the problem, It is when they break their fast that problems surface, and many of them die.

So, please, please, please, find a reptilian specialist in your area, and then plan to have an initial checkup. Then you can look up how you want to display your boxie, etc. A healthy animal does best in a shoebox for a day than a sick one in a splendid exhibit.

Please, consider the reptilian specialist part of your commitment to provide the best for the animal.

Wanda

I should have mentioned that both have already been to my
herp vet. They are both in excellent health.

I was assured by my vet, and research that a tank was
fine for babies, of course when they get bigger, I will
add onto the inside and outside enclosures I had for Mazie.
But thank you for your help...~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

"Please, consider the reptilian specialist part of your commitment to provide the best for the animal."

I meant to mention this in my last post....
In my original post, I did mention that my Mazie did have
ongoing care from a qualified herp vet...

But that is great advice for those who do not
take theirs ~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

Welcome Nikki
If you could use the tank without the hood so that air can flow through that might be a solution for air flow problems. I don't use the hoods on my aquatic tanks, I leave them wide open & have lighting suspended from the ceiling instead. My heat lamps are clipped onto the sides for basking.
With my boxies I set them up on a small scale the way our big tortoise is set up. For the boxies I bought Dragon's Lair heat mats from Big Apple because they are made to use with plastic.. my indoor boxies are in plastic tubs without tops.. I set the under tank heat up on only one side, & basically don't use any other heat because I don't need it most of the time. However it's been extremely cold in the recent past weeks so I have a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter hitting one corner of the big tub so that it meets with the under tank heat. This way they have the option to use heat from above and below, below only, or none at all.
Their choice & they do use all options.
I hope your new babies do well.. I'm sorry for the loss of your adult turtle.
-----
PHRatz

I would also like to thank you for your mention of Mazie,
it is still very hard

Thank you also for your helpful reply.
As I am still learning about baby boxie's,
it is nice to not be told what one feels is wrong and
to instead be given other helpful, possible choices.

As for the hood, do you think where I have the circulation
fan it would be ok? Or do you still think my babies would
be better with the lights over head?

There is a beam above where they are.... it is 19 inches from the
top of the tank....and the tank is 20 inches deep.
I assume I would attach the reflector domes with the ceramic sockets..
Could you give me an idea of how low to place these?
and what type of bulbs to use...

Also is UVB helpful at this stage? I read that most babies
spend much of their time, the first year even the second year
burrowed in nature, so they can't be getting much sun, right?

Any suggestions on the live food? Is it ok to keep worms etc
right in the soil? again, thank you ~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

I use a large 60 gal aquarium with a partial hood too. It does not stay very humid inside the aquarium at all, mostly due to the house itself being very dry this time of year, so I do have to mist/remoisten some of the soil almost daily. I do not use the large hood on top for ubv, it's too far from the substrate to be of any use. I use a smaller 18" fixture that I've attatched to 20"x 2' of 1/2" hail cloth then bent over the side of the aquarium to hold it up. This sits next to (slightly above) and shines directly on their water dish that they use every morning. Whether they spend most of their time under the substrate or not, it's better safe than sorry and to go ahead and provide it.
As was mentioned, it's a pain in the butt to clean. If you have it, use it. If you have a choice go for the largest tub you can get, the wider top makes access much easier.

I'll be happy when April comes, mine will go outside in their pen and I won't have to bother with an annoying aquarium

Thanks for the help

"Whether they spend most of their time under the substrate or not, it's better safe than sorry and to go ahead and provide it."

That was my thinking too, and where Mazie was severly deprived
and ill from the lack of it when I got her, it wasn't a chance I wanted to take. The reptisun 10.0 does provide uvb for the dementions of mine.

I too mist everyday, before I start my hunt to see where
they have hidden, Hitch is very hard to find! lol
I am going to get some plants tomorrow, I am sure that
will also help with the humidity.

Where I live in NH, it will be much later before I put mine out,
but I am already planning the new garden

Again thanks~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

>>I would also like to thank you for your mention of Mazie,
>> it is still very hard
Your welcome & I know how you feel. We lost our dog in May, bought a puppy in June but I still can't think about the one we lost-- not yet.
I looked at his pictures the other day.. that was tough.

>>As for the hood, do you think where I have the circulation
>>fan it would be ok? Or do you still think my babies would
>>be better with the lights over head?

I read ahead & saw that you said this hood doesn't fully close up the tank. So you know I don't know if it'd be better to have the hood all the way off or what because.. it really depends on your climate & how dry or humid your house is.
You've gotten so many good ideas from so many people, you'll just kind of have to try this & that to see what works in your house.
Our UVB suspended from the ceiling is hung like an old fashioned swag lamp. It's on hooks & chains & it sits about 12 inches from the basking area.
The other turtle who had that is getting a new set up this weekend so the plan DH has for him is to install a shelve above his new tank, then he will attach the fixture for the UVB to the bottom of the shelf. I can't wait, he'll get his lighthing & I'll finally have a shelf to put all the turtle stuff on.
-----
PHRatz

LOL on the shelf, I know just what you mean, I had to clear out
a cabinet. Thank you for your help and ideas.
I have made several calls to herpetologists and reptilian vets...
I will wait and see what they all say, and take the best of them
all and work from there Thanks again~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

I forgot to mention, this is not a closed hood.
It is a ESU combo light, that rests on a sturdy screen.
I wasn't sure if that would make a difference ....
Thanks again~
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Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

I think the lights are mostly for the plants at this stage. Everyone that i spoke to that has hatchlings say they are mostly hidden. My friend had babies that stayed under until the second year, and she didn't even know she had them. Someone told me that they leave food in a little dish, and they know that the babies ate because it is gone when they look in the morning. They also thell you that on turtle tails. I have written to him many times, and he really wnats to help. I take mine out and soak , but he won't eat anywhere but his tank, so I throw some live things in there after I soak him, and that is how I get him to eat.
Terry

Thank you Terryo

I read that at Turtle Tails too, I didn't think to email
them, but I will now. Thanks for the advice and help~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.

Welcome to the forum! I joined over the summer when I first got my two adult boxies and I have learned so much more from the great people here than I could have read from any book.

I have an Eastern Box turtle yearling that I've had since he was fresh out of the egg. I keep him in a 20 gallon aquarium with a mixture of Bed-A-Beast, some sphagnum moss, and a very thin layer of reptile bark on the bottom for drainage... He also has a screen lid with a basking/heat/vitamin light. Unlike a lot of the hatchlings I've heard mentioned here, he does not hide often. He is usually exploring his enclosure or looking for food (He's a total pig!). I havent experienced any problems keeping him in this aquarium. It stays very humid and he has plenty of hiding spots if necessary. One thing I could recommend is to keep the sides of the aquarium covered with paper or decorative fishtank backgrounds. I have 3 sides of my tank covered so that Magnum is not constantly looking out and pacing. Also, because the tank is not as big as I would hope, he has a few supervised excursions outside of his tank everyday for exercise (Also a great time to bond with him and really appreciate what an amazing creature he is).

Anyway, welcome again and good luck with your new babies! I'm very sorry for your loss and I know these two can't replace them, but with the right care, baby boxies are really comical and are a joy to have around

-Lisa
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1.0.0 Jack Russel Terrier: Skipper
0.1.0 Miniature Pinscher: Bambi
1.1.1 Eastern Box Turtles: Daisy, Dozer, and Magnum
0.1.0 Red Eared Slider: Rosie
0.2.0 Rats: Clementine and Elsie
0.0.2 Rainbow Cichlids

Thank you for your reply and warm welcome

I will have to look through the photo albums to see your
little Magnum, I am nervous enough with this size, I can't
imagine having one so young. But what fun it would be to watch them grow.

You are right, they can't replace Mazie, but I have to say
it is rather hard to cry when looking after these little buggers.
They are already showing their personalities, and such a joy to
be around

I have covered all four sides of the tank, I used the same thing
I use for my Uro's ....its the fake pressed bark look...it goes up about 3'4 of the height.

Thanks for the help and tips ~Nikki
-----
Man is the only animal that blushes ~ or NEEDS to!

We Survive together ~ or not at all.