Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have a box turtle we, my wife and I, saved from a sure highway death. The Turtle had teeth marks and a broken shell along the edge from her front leg to rear leg, huge gap. We taped it back together and its healing ok. We've had her about 6 months, in which time she has gained our confidence and also
a good balanced diet. About 3 days back I accidentally dropped her down the basement stairs. Since then she has stopped eating period, however she still climbs, walks, runs and opens her mouth for water. She acts like her old self
but won’t eat. The only noticeable thing is her eyes seem a little moist but she must see ok as she will chase her image in a mirror. She use to eat worms as soon as they hit the ground, now nothing just looks and walks away almost unheard of in Box Turtle lore.
Any ideas, Thanks Norristhenut

Well, things could be wrong internally and the box turtle may be hiding the true extent of her problems and that's why you may still think things are OK. Most wild animals do that and reptiles are very notorious for doing it. That's why we long time keepers never take a change in behavior lightly. A change in her eating habits may be a sign, or may not.

Look at her stool and urine. To do this place her in a deep container filled with lukewarm water (about 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep) and look for any blood in the water or bloody feces. If you see any then she might have been hurt in her fall. Or it could be she is now spooked and won't eat till she feels more comfortable. And have you consider carrying her around in a container so she won't have any more accidents?
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Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host

Thank you for the response, her stool looks OK. She used to eat out of my wife’s hand, but not now. Is it normal for a box turtle to let you pet them? She will let you pet her head and legs still, but won’t eat anything yet. I guess we will have to wait and see.
Thanks again Norristhenut