Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got two box turtles, one male one female, 12 days ago. The female will eat anything I give her. The male on the other hand has not eaten for me yet. I know he probably is mentally in hibernation mode, but I don’t want to hibernate him. He also acts very sluggish. I have tried a variety of fruits and vegitables for him to eat. I have even tried live crikets. The basking temperature is constantley around 85 degrees Ferinheit and the cage temperature is around 75 degrees Ferinheit. What should I do? What should I try different? Is this normal? Would it be a good idea to just let him not eat until their hibernation season is over?

Try soaking him in warm water for 20 minutes and offering him a live earthworm while still in the water. Soak him by himself. Sometimes the live food works best when trying to stimulate the appetite. Keeping him plenty hydrated is good too.

>>Try soaking him in warm water for 20 minutes and offering him a live earthworm while still in the water. Soak him by himself. Sometimes the live food works best when trying to stimulate the appetite. Keeping him plenty hydrated is good too.

To add to this thought.. I have some boxies that will eat anything any time, but others want complete privacy before they'll eat anything.
Keep in mind that you may need to leave the room when you offer the food. I have one that will not eat at all if someone is watching & he knows it.
If the worm in the water doesn't work, try without water & then leave the room.. that may work.
Another thought is, you may have bought a male who has parasites, sometimes when they have them they won't eat. They also won't eat if they're sick with something else.. so if he doesn't eat soon, a checkup with a reptile vet is a good idea.
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PHRatz

Excellent advice above, the worm-in-water trick is my normal feeding pattern for my three-toe.

I would throw in to evaluate general housing conditions, specifically:

Is there a big enough hide box?
Is there a big enough enclosure?
Is there enough substrate for burrowing?
Is the enclosure too exposed, in a high traffic area?

The last one can be hard--people who like turtles like to show them off, but this can be stressful for captives. A shy captive might need a big warm enclosure far from foot traffic.

I have the same exact thing going on but with my male eating and the female not eating.
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Mike

1.1 Peninsula Cooters
0.1 Green Iguana
1.0.2 Southern Painteds
0.0.3 Western Painteds
1.1 Ornate Box Turtles