Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does your turtle eat?

Mine doesn't eat every day, and I'm pretty sure that's normal. Especially because he's so tiny.

I offer him food every day. He only seems interested every three or four days. Even if the worm is very wiggly.

I feed Mikey (adult ornate boxie) as much as he wants every other day. Sometimes every third day if he ate a really big meal. I alternate between bugs and non bug foods. I used to feed him daily but he never ate daily so I stopped. When I had a yard and he was outside I only fed him two or three times a week as he had food growing and crawling in his enclosure.

It can depend on a variety of factors. Two that I've found to be the biggest are the species/subspecies of Box turtle and the temperatures at which they are being kept. A young Ornate Box turtle will eat 10X the amount that the same aged Eastern Box turtle will. Also, even a nightly dip in temperature can affect appetite.

I wouldn't be too concerned as long as your little turtle seems bright, alert, is growing evenly, passing stool well, and eating regularly. However, if this is from temperature...low temperatures for a prolonged period of time can lead to illness.

It could also be an individual thing. I've had hatchlings that were apathetic eaters and grew very slowly, but they came around eventually.

Mine get feed veggies/fruits 3 times a week. They also eat anything they find and whatever other protein I give them, which usually depends on how much stuff I run across in the yard.