Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am not new to box turtles. I've been raising my breeding colony of three toeds for years now and raised a couple generations of hatchlings.

Was suprised with four ornate box turtles this morning. I wanted to ask those with ornate experience the best way to set up these small yearlings. My main question is on humidity. I remember hearing a lot about how ornates can run into major problems if their habitat conditions aren't right, so wanted to ask how damp to keep these guys. Substrate either dirt or cypress?

Thanks for the help.

Ross

I keep my hatchling Ornate box turtles the same as I do my Three Toed hatchlings. On moist but not wet dirt.

Allen

Ross, nice Christmas present! Keep this yearlings the same way as three-toeds but in a moist pen-not the WET pens some folks use-you know, the tilted tub with about an inch of water in the corner. I have raised both and will say their upkeep is the same except they do not do well if the temps become too cool while the bedding is too wet, so be sure to keep them warm.

They will only want to eat protein but force them to eat plant matter as well. Of course they will prefer insects (I prefer cakes and cookies myself) but when they eat insects in the wild they are getting plenty of plant matter from the insect's guts, but not in our farm raised insects. So offer them cooked sweet potato, green beans, red leaf lettuce, and the occasional tomatoes and corn, which mine all love. Add cuttle bone (calcium) to their pens and herp vitamin to their food.

Good luck and tell us how well they grow.
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info