Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I’m new to posting on Kingsnake and I will pre apologize for my long post. I have recently acquired an ornate box turtle from a friend of mine. He has had it for about three years and because he is moving, has decided to give it away.

I have perused through several care sheets and web sites so I could provide a suitable environment for Miguel. I came across this site and found that it was a wealth of valuable information.

Miguel is very active and eats a variety of foods (mealworms, superworms, roaches, pinkies, cactus pads, apricots, tomatoes, etc). I dust his live food once a week with calcium powder and vitamin powder. He is contained in a large (5’ X 5’) indoor enclosure with a UVB bulb, coconut fiber substrate, and a soaking dish. Temperatures range from 90 - 75° F and humidity is between 30 – 50%. His carapace length is about 100 mm and he weighs 272 g.

My primary reason for posting is to get some feedback on what my turtle Miguel looks like. I have seen many T. ornata in the wild as well as several pictures on the web and it appears to me that my turtle’s scutes and the scales on his front limbs are somewhat misshapen. There are no other problems that I have noticed (no runny eyes or nose, abscesses in his mouth), and the vet I took him to said he looked fine. I’ve noticed that some knowledgeable box turtle-keeping veterans on this site have deduced dietary or housing problems from the turtle’s appearance and I was interested in their two cents about Miguel. Again, I apologize for the extremely long post and I thank you for any feedback in my direction.

Welcome-
on the left side of his shell it appears he had a puncture wound that damaged his shell and cracks leading down from the puncture. I can't tell for sure by the picture, but it looks like it has healed and not an active isssue.

Do you know if the turtle was captive bred? Ornates will usually readily eat protein foods and may over-eat if given the opportunity and so smooth growth of the shell can be compromised. Your turtle has some of the features of too quick growth but it doesn't seem too drastic.

Good luck with the turtle! My only suggestions are to replace the UVB bulb if it is more than a year old and make a hide area where the humidity can be increased to 80 %-perhaps by adding a drip tube near the hide. You can reduce the temp on the high end to 85 degrees F.

I no longer have your message in front of me- you may have said, but what type of bedding are you using?
-----
Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

You might try various fruits and veggies (squash, romaine lettuce, strawberry, shredded sweet carrot, use your imagination...., but as long as mulberries are included I can get my ornate to eat almost anything)in addition to the live stuff. Then you can cut back on the live stuff and add more and more veggies. I offer live food about twice a week and salad smogasbord the rest of the days.

Real direct sunlight as often as possible would be a good thing too. Good luck with your guy. He looks like a cutie.

"I no longer have your message in front of me- you may have said, but what type of bedding are you using?..."

I'm using a mixture of Eco Earth coconut substrate and moss. Should I be using something else? I know I should keep him in an outdoor enclosure but right now I do not have the space. Soon I'll finish my Master's and will be moving, so his conditions should improve.

Thanks!!!

That material is fine-just keep it moist, especailly where he likes to rest. Some ornates live in arid areas but their hides are under dense shrubs or in burrows and the humidity is higher. Good luck with your oral. Tess

>>"I no longer have your message in front of me- you may have said, but what type of bedding are you using?..."
>>
>>I'm using a mixture of Eco Earth coconut substrate and moss. Should I be using something else? I know I should keep him in an outdoor enclosure but right now I do not have the space. Soon I'll finish my Master's and will be moving, so his conditions should improve.
>>
>>Thanks!!!
>>

Tess and steffke,

Thanks for all of the info!

John