Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,
Just finished collecting more mass data for my four E. Box Turtle hatchlings. They were hatched in late summer of 2006 and have been in my care since November 2006.
Here are the data:

The turtles (the photos are not pretty, just for reference):
B1 has gained 26.7g (182% or 2.82x its weight since December)

A1 has gained 10.8g (59.7% or 1.60x its weight since December)

B2 has gained 26.8g (150% or 2.50x its weight since December)

A2 has gained 39.5g (284% or 3.84x its weight since December)

Quite the variability in growth, eh?
A2 is a monster!

I think the pictures are pretty.
This is really interesting data, thanks for posting it.
-----
PHRatz

..

You got me a little worried about my easterns. Mine are about the same age but do not show nearly the growth that yours have. Could you please give a little information on your basic setup and feeding etc.

Sure I can... I have a lot to say.

They are housed individually (see photos at the end of post) with a few hiding places and lots of damp sphagnum moss (no standing water). They have access to a warm area that stays at a fairly constant 85F (heat tape) and a cooler area that is ~75F during the day and ~70F at night. Full spectrum lighting is used, though they are buried in the sphagnum for the majority of the day.

I feed them 3-4 times per week. Usually Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - so as to avoid too rapid of growth from overfeeding and to ensure a good feeding response at mealtime. Sometimes they are fed every other day for a few weeks, it really depends on my schedule, but they always get at least three meals a week and never more than two days in between.

I usually alternate between water and dry feeding regimens. That is, on one feeding, I will feed them in ~1" of lukewarm water and the next I will feed them on dry land (they are fed in individual opaque containers). I do this to ensure that they get a good soak a couple times a week (also encourages regular defecation) and also because there are a variety of foods that are better suited to water and a variety of foods better suited to dry land.

I believe in variety and this does include commercially prepared pellets. Now, this is based on many years of head starting for research protocols. Commercial diets can and do play a very important role in rounding out a captive's diet. For example, during a water feed, I may offer a few pellets each of HBH Turtle Bites, Rep-Cal Aquatic Turtle Food, ReptoTreat Suprema, Gammarus Pellet Turtle Food, Zilla Aquatic Turtle Food, and Reptomin Baby Aquatic Turtle Food. I do not believe that anyone should rely on a commercial diet exclusively. In addition, using more than one brand will help make up for any pellet that may be lacking somehow. As such, I offer a little bit of everything. I will also add bloodworms, canned mealworms (easily digested), etc. during a water feed.

On dry land, I feed butterworms, waxworms, crickets, superworms, earthworms, chopped pink mice, etc. All items are dusted with Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Calcium w/ Vitamin D3 and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins. I also offer shredded carrots, cantaloupe, and other carotenoids to ensure proper vitamin A intake while avoiding toxicity (vitamin A is fat soluble and can reach toxic levels). I will be incorporating dark, leafy items soon: dandelion, kale, collard, etc.

They seem to be growing well, very smooth and continuous. They will be coming with me to my field site this summer so they will experience regular access to sunlight and lots of field collected bugs. They will also be artifically brumated this year with my North American Erycines.

Hope any of this helps

Thanks for that great response!
That's exactly the kind of info I need. There's a lot I need to do. For starters I have not been feeding frequently enough. I usually feed water soaked reptomin and insects but not near the variety you describe. I keep them on damp peat moss but no zones of temperature variation. Mine always feed well and seem active but I'm not getting anywhere near the growth that yours have shown. I have wondered if the light is necessary. I started out with a UVB light but, like you said, they just stayed buried in the moss most the time and I didn't think they were getting much exposure so I took it out.
Your turtles look to be in excellent condition and your growth records were an eye opener for me.
Thanks again for the great response.
PS: Do you know what kind of weight you would expect to see in a wild eastern of that same age?

You are welcome. It is my pleasure.
Wild Eastern Box Turtles of the same age should show considerably less growth, only because they would have spent the last ~5 months in hibernation. They should still show some noticeable growth. Age at sexual maturity of a well-raised CB animal is similar to that in the wild so growth is fairly similar (but it depends on the environment, in both cases).
Here's a photo of a wild (>1 year) Chrysemys picta marginata. The photo was taken in early July and since I am at the northern portion of the species' range, the animal likely overwintered in the nest. Thus, the growth you see may only represent 3-4 months of growth.

.

I just looked through my notes and found that my bunch show similar results.

Nice looking youngsters!