Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted to say hello, and how great it is to read from other box turtle enthusists. We have local friends who are "snake people" and "fish people" but no box turtle nuts. We have a fenced in yard but with woods in the back of our lot I worry about preditors, so my box's don't get free run. This year I plan to build an even larger screened in outdoor enclosure complete with a shallow pond with filtration and a bottom drain. I plan to take pictures of the entire building process and be able to share that with you all. And along the way get some advice, input, ideas, and other feedback. I'm really hoping to have some babies this fall. My wife checks on the turtles everyday and sings to them, do you think they get any enjoyment out of that? I guess it can't hurt,I do know they can hear or feel ground vibrations very well. I've never heard her sing, she always does this when I'm not around, perhaps it's a good thing they can't howl..OOOOOOOOHHHH that was low Anybody from the eastern Iowa or surrounding area, would love to hear from you.
Take care all
Jeff

Oh my gosh Jeff say hello to your wife for me. LOL

I sing to my turtles too & they seem to like it.. although nobody else would want to hear ME sing.
I'd be one of the horrible losers on American Idol if I ever had the nerve to try out.
Maybe I could get a record deal for horrible singing too like that one guy did 2-3 years ago? LOL

Remember that old song Sherry? Shere ere ere ere reeeee bay ay bee?
I sing that to Shell E only I change it from Sherry to Shell E.. she comes to me when do that. LOL

I know other turtle people but I don't care to be around most of them other than my vet the turtle keeper. The reason is no matter how many times I tell them no iceberg lettuce, cat food, dog food.. they do it all the time anyway.
It's too frustrating so I stay away unless they are really serious.
Ok I've been goofing off all day.. I have got to go clean my lizard & frog tanks.
Got the turtles all done yesterday..
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PHRatz

PHRatz,
You have to be able to both dish it out and take it at my house and have a sence of humor, it's the only way to stay married. I'm a huge american idol fan, watching tonight but hey this is a turtle forum What do you feed you box. I feed mine reptimin, nightcrawlers and crickets dusted with reptivite plus, sweetcorn, and various fruits. In that order of both frequency and quantity. I just ordered some Mazuri tortise food to try out, because not all of mine like the reptimin and I think it is good balanced, quality nutrition.
Take care
Jeff

Corn isn't that good of a choice.. it's high in phosphorus and low in calcium, and it's high in phytic acid that can effect absorption of minerals.

I prefer not to use pellets of any kind, mine didn't like them anyways. Main ingredients in most is soy and corn, there's also questionable preservatives. Research a bit on the foods, there are a lot of sites that list calcium, phosphorus, oxalates (binds calcium), goitrogens, protein, and even fat for different vegetables and fruits.
For insects I use anything I can get my hands on even wild caught since neither mine, the neighbors (small trailer park, ick) yards, or the adjoining pasture are sprayed. Favorites are large red cockroaches, black crickets, cicadas, grubs and june bugs.

Everything, aside from wild caught insects, is dusted with rep-cal calcium, calcium w/D3, or herpavite depending on the schedule.

Yeah June bugs & cicadas when I can find them are foods I use too.
We have some sort of cricket, not the hard black kind but a soft bodied one that I find often around the tortoise water dish.
I feed those to them too when I find them.
Roly polies are accepted too.. I just can't ever remember all the stuff I find.
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PHRatz

>>PHRatz,
>>You have to be able to both dish it out and take it at my house and have a sence of humor, it's the only way to stay married.

Same here... LOL

I have ornates & they are a bit more carnivorous than other box turtle species. I feed them a wide variety of live foods. Crickets, roaches, waxworms, nightcrawlers, earthworms, mealworms, superworms, grubs, and anything edible I find in our organic lawn. We have some sort of small black beetle that one of them loves to eat, the others won't. I've given them commercial food before, can't get any of them to eat it.
Although a couple of them will eat thawed out bloodworms sold as fish food.
They love berries, bananas, cactus fruit.. can't get them to eat a green for anything. They have plenty of them to eat outdoors but they won't.
That's about all I can think of I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

I'm the keeper of the animals here.. my husband just about died laughing when we first took in Janie. At first I thought she was a wild turtle.. wasn't going to keep her but it's a long story for why she stayed. I don't normally just take wild turtles and keep them for no good reason.
Anway she'd been here like a week & my husband saw her in the yard stalking me. Right off the bat after the first time or two I fed her she would insist that I give her food, he thought that was funniest thing he'd ever seen.
That first summer she stayed in the yard without there being a pen, she would walk right up the dog ramp to get up to the porch demanding food.

I have never seen a wild one behave like she does.. I still see plenty of wild ones & they are afraid, they will accept food from me as long as I put it in front of them & leave but they don't take to me like she did. I just don't think she was wild when I found her.
Ok now I'm yakking too much so I'll stop.
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PHRatz

" can't get them to eat a green for anything. They have plenty of them to eat outdoors but they won't. "

My babies eat them with no problems, they associate their dish with food so will automatically eat or at least pick at anything I put in it. The adults were originally wild caught so maybe that's why they're more reluctant. The female used to eat veggies better than the male, he's picky and will only go for them if I add something brightly colored to the mix.

Interestingly, I have found also that my male is much, much more carnivorous, the female will eat everything. I think in general humans are that way too, perhaps due to a it's hormonal difference. Sounds like a potiential research paper to me.

>>Interestingly, I have found also that my male is much, much more carnivorous, the female will eat everything. I think in general humans are that way too, perhaps due to a it's hormonal difference. Sounds like a potiential research paper to me.

Not a bad idea- the research paper. DH & many men I know want meat & potatoes oh bread with that but nothing else.
Heart attacks in the making but they don't want fruit & veggies.
I don't get that.
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PHRatz

"Not a bad idea- the research paper. DH & many men I know want meat & potatoes oh bread with that but nothing else.
Heart attacks in the making but they don't want fruit & veggies.
I don't get that."

It's because they don't know what's good for them!
I've started eating much more veggies since I started caring for turtles and have been successful in making my DH eat more with much the same method used for turtles. Cut it up small and mix it with stuff he likes.

>>It's because they don't know what's good for them!
>>I've started eating much more veggies since I started caring for turtles and have been successful in making my DH eat more with much the same method used for turtles. Cut it up small and mix it with stuff he likes.

Bwahahahahaha!
That sounds funny but actually.. it's not a bad idea!!

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PHRatz

the cut up nightcrawlers on top of the veggies method, somehow I doubted that would have been a big hit.

A favorite is cut up veggies in spaghetti, squash, zucchini, broccoli , okra, carrots.

>>the cut up nightcrawlers on top of the veggies method, somehow I doubted that would have been a big hit.

Bwahahahahahaha
Yeah ya know it doesn't really sound too appetizing.

I've been wanting to buy a cheap blender to use for blending up bugs when I need a slurry food for a sick reptile.
I AM NOT going to use my good blender for that but for some reason I just cannot bring myself to do it at all.
How much grosser could you get than liquified insects?
ewwwwww
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PHRatz

"How much grosser could you get than liquified insects?"

Hehe, how about liquified mice and fish? I bought a little "pinkie masher" when I used to breed Aussie pythons. I used to have to forcefeed for first feedings because it's hard to get lizard eaters to eat pinks. I love my little Pink-o-matic (SNL fans may remember the Bass-o-matic).

Seriously, it's a great idea Ratz! Mine comes in very handy.

I dunno, I would rather use a blender to liquify them than to cut them up myself. Awhile back we had a lizard lay eggs at work and the first batch hatched out early. I had to cut up insects and hand feed them insect bits. That was really gross.

"I've been wanting to buy a cheap blender to use for blending up bugs when I need a slurry food for a sick reptile. "

If they still have them, there's small drink sized blenders at walmart. That should be strong enough to handle insects and a bit easier to clean out.

Yeah I see cheap 10 dollar blenders advertised fairly often. Walgreens, Walmart both carry them.. probably Target maybe even the grocery stores.
I do like the idea because when I've had sick turtles and need to feed them I'd rather not use a dog food or even reptile pellet foods.

So far I have not been able to bring myself to do this, and Mel.. I did cut up a nightcrawler so that the baby Kibbles could have some.
Oh man that did gross me out. I used hemostats to hold it then looked away as I cut with the knife. LOL
But the baby enjoyed the food so I am going to have to force myself to the next level because spring is coming.
With the turtles waking up soon there's always a really good chance that another injured box will come my way.
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PHRatz

"I did cut up a nightcrawler so that the baby Kibbles could have some.
Oh man that did gross me out. I used hemostats to hold it then looked away as I cut with the knife. LOL "

I use a small glass dish, like a small pyrex measuring cup and a pair of kitchen shears.... and look away while I'm cutting. lol
(little warning, do not cut up red worms)

Luckily, I've never had to make insect slurry for any of my reptiles.

When I have made slurry I've done it with things like turtle pellets, Gerbers, Ensure, Oxbow's Critical Care.
The Ensure gets too gunky if you can't flush it out good.
I am not a fan of turtle or tortoise pellets but in a pinch.. they're better than nothing.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to blend bugs.. I think about it but I don't ever do it. LOL
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PHRatz