Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a very young what I think is a three toed about 6 mon ago and I just wanted to get some opinions on a few things. Is the spine ridge usually this defined? If not what causes it? Another is what causes pyrimiding and how is it prevented?

The little guy seems to be doing really well as far as activity is concerned. He eats the calcium turtle pellets every day and I give him a chopped up worm 1-2 times a week. Do I need to change the diet at all? when should I start adding fruits and veggies?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

-Thomas

Hi...What are calcium turtle pellets ? I feed my Three Toed a mixture of soaked Mazuri, chopped greens, and some fruit every other day and in between I give butter worms, night crawler worms, crickets and any other bug I can find outside. They usually start eating fruits and veggies at about a year. Before that it is mostly live food. Anyway, that is what I do with my boxies.

The pellets are the calcium fortified Wardley's turtle food pellets. I have read on a few care sheets that they are a complete food source for the first year.

I don't know when mine was born but it was barely the size of a quarter when I got him. should I start adding fruits and veggies now or wait a bit?

-Thomas

Feed veggies and fruits as soon as possible. For calcium sources, feed collard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, and pillbugs. Aside from the pillbugs, these aren't usually the first things boxies go for, so especially for a baby, you may need to blend it with other more tasty veggies, fruits and earthworms to sneak it past them. I blend a green, another veggie or two like mushrooms, bell pepper and squash, a fruit and one or two worms in a food processor. It usually comes out all smelling like earthworm, which none of my boxies resist. Others on this forum have some really good recipes too. It's tough work sometimes to get a young boxie to eat it's veggies, but I don't believe in raising any turtle on just food sticks or pellets.