Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last evening my cat caught and killed a baby bunny, and, while he enjoyed gnawing on it for a good while, he eventually gave up on it and came inside.
Here's where it gets a little interesting: the carcase was abandoned in the turtle pen.
This morning I went out to find one of the turtles working on it...in fact he tried to carry it away when he saw that he was being watched.
I will lurk around and try to get some pics.

That happened with my redfoots. My neighbor's cat brought a newborn rabbit into the redfoot pen and the redfoots started munching on it. I read up online that redfoots eat carrion in the wild, as well as box turtles.

They're out there taking turns with it. Apparently the head is tasty. Yuck!

My vet told me this is good for them. They get vitimins and minerals from the organs and bones. But I wonder about parasites?
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.11.0 chickens
1.0.0 Dutch(rabbit)
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

I heard its good for them from a friend of mine who has kept easterns since the '70s. They say to feed pinky mice to them and I even was told by a breeder that they love live adult mice. The only living thing I was told not to feed to them is brown anoles.

I found mine eating a dead brown anole once. Turtle survived, but I am curious as to why not to feed them. I don't try to feed them lizards, but living in Florida you can't help it. Circle of life, right? I also fed pinkies once and hated it because of the screaming the pinkie did that I wasn't prepared for. They devoured it in like 10 seconds, but I couldn't stand the pinkie screaming.

They've been observed chowing down on deer carcasses, so that's no surprise. That's why they're called opportunist omnivores-they're like walking garbage cans. I posted a picture last week of a wild one I picked up that pooped out a whole cigarette butt, filter and all.

Yeah, I've read about this type of of feeding being observed, and I'm well aware of their status as opportunistic omnivores: I just hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes.

This, I get to log in my own notes.

And we've got to see some pictures. Oh, and make sure to make your turtles a lucky rabbit's foot out of what's left...

I can't find anything left!

lol, speaking of garbage disposals, my boxies are in fact that for my snakes. All mice from pinkies on up to adult mice that are refused overnight when offered to my snake get thrown into the boxie pens, and let me tell you they don't last long. Only thing that remains is when it is an adult mouse the usually leave most of the skeleton because the bones are a bit big, but anything smaller than adult mice and it's crunch, crunch. Not good for the weak stomached people to watch, my wife won't watch, but I find it amazing And what better calcium and vitamin mineral supply.
Jeff
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Jeff Benfer
You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
2.2 het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Well, I'd say "sad but cool" but I have reason to be biased right now.

Three weeks ago our collie found a cottontail nest in our backyard and killed two babies and the mother. We have been raising the surviving baby for the last 3 weeks, successfully, so far (knock on wood). We will release him when he is fully weaned and big enough to have a prayer for survival.

Just wondering, did the bunny your turtle have, have its eyes open (or could you tell?). Just wondering because the little one we have is lightning fast, and am wondering how a boxie could catch it, unless it was discovered in a nest somewhere.

Hey Lisa, long time no hear from! Hope you're well.

My cat actually caught the bunny and then abandoned the carcase in the turtle pen.

My bunny karma is currently neutral: on Easter Sunday I drove a baby bunny 30 miles to a rehabber after its nest was accidentally disturbed by a neighbor doing some yard work, and subsequently abandoned by mamma bunny. Did very well and was eventually released out int he country.

Oh its been an eventful spring. I lost a sister to cancer in late March and had my eldest graduate from high school in late May, and he's already enrolled in college now, so I've been struggling to keep up with everything.

The bunny fisco happened right in the middle of all the graduation festivities. The closest rehabber I know of is 50-60 miles away and I've had domestic rabbits for 10 years so after reserching, I decided to try and raise the baby bunny myself.

I made my poor female netherland dwarf wear an elizabethen collar for a few nights so I could collect her cecotropes(night droppings) and feed them to the baby as to seed his "gut" with the appropriate flora. Aside from one night of fever and bloat/stasis which were relieved by infant gas-x drops and pedialyte, everything has gone well and bunny has gone from weighing 50 grams to 80 grams.

Anyway this has been a weird spring for our turtles. Spring was cool and rainy and transitioned into a very hot June. I've only found one nest of eggs and caught one female nesting. I don't know if some nested in May when I was preoccupied with graduation activities or if the cool spring is making everything later.

Anyway, good to hear from you!

I'm very sorry to hear about your sister. It sounds like you have been on a roller coaster this spring.

We had a very cool May here too, and then sudden high heat, so some of my turtles do not appear to have settled into their regular routine. Surprisingly, though, egg laying started on time.

Take care!

Why, turtles chase down and catch rabbits all the time!!! Don't you watch cartoons?
Her cat caught and killed the bunny first then left it in the boxie pen for them to munch on. Now that is a very selfless cat that is willing to share with the lesser speed endowed stable mates. Who says cats aren't intelligent?
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Jeff Benfer
You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
2.2 het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Oh man, I've been out in the heat too much today. Somehow they cat part didn't sink in. THAT I can see. My sister used to tell me that her indoor/outdoor cats often brought her baby bunny "presents".

Last year a rat died in the turtle pen.
They did a good job on it.
I took it out though, because I did not know why it had died.
They seem to be opportunistic feeders.
Patsy

>>Last evening my cat caught and killed a baby bunny, and, while he enjoyed gnawing on it for a good while, he eventually gave up on it and came inside.
>>Here's where it gets a little interesting: the carcase was abandoned in the turtle pen.
>>This morning I went out to find one of the turtles working on it...in fact he tried to carry it away when he saw that he was being watched.
>>I will lurk around and try to get some pics.
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Patsy