Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone. Great info....Here is my story.

My daughter asked for a box turtle and I told her she could get one if she got her math grade up and she did. Luckily I am an animal person so I was very happy to do this for her and learn about these little creatures. We have a busy household with a couple of dogs (coonhound, beagle), cats (maine coon and a stray) and a sweet little bunny named Eugenia. I have also owned birds in the past so I know taking on an exotic animal is a big thing and I take pet ownership seriously.

Now, Im disappointed in myself for not knowing or asking if this turtle was captive bred which Ive learned here that it most probably wasnt. This little guy is a Gulf Coast box turtle and I was told maybe about 3 years old.....We found him in the only store in our Southern NH area (RJ's exotics) that had box turtles. My daughter didnt want a water turtle which I had thought were more work anyway.

Now it seems that he is going to need a bigger house for him? Outside? We can do that but I know she will want to keep him inside. Can I even do this in my New England environment?

He is currently in a large rubbermaid thing, with some barky mulch type stuff we got at the store. I dont think its warm enough in there though..finally tonight it went up to almost 80 but was in the low 70's previously. I have a full spectrum light, a regular lightbulb for the heat, a heating pad underneath. Got the water in there...a glass rectangular pan.....He hasnt eaten all that much. Loves the meal worms (how many to feed each time? every other day is this right?) and today he ate all the carrot out of the plate with the spinach. He has a box inside of his crate thing and he has been in it a lot though. We have had him about a week. The first days he was more active. Now he is in the box (which we didnt have for the first couple days) and I have to take the box out to give him the food. I guess he would find it if he's hungry. I also have read not to feed the meal worms too often because of constipation. Oh..thats another thing. Whats the turtles poop look like? I havent seen it yet! How often should I be seeing it? I thought I had read after they eat usually they will elimate.

If youre still with me, thank you

Now I went to Bills turtle box page and read over the info. This turtle has occasionally puffed out his throat and does extend his neck. Normal? This is quoted from Bills site :::::=-->Puffing out of the throat, extending the neck, gaping mouth making gasping noises...respiratory infection.

Is this normal to do the puffing occasionally and the neck stretching thing also occasionally? I dont have the gasping.

How long should he be in his box hiding?
Thanks for any and all info
Tabatha

Below is a link to Tess Cook's website, which goes into more detail on some aspects of care.
You would not be able to keep a Gulf Coast Box turtle outdoors year round in NH: July and August maybe...

Stephanie
Link

Ok, I did read her website. Im still confused. Am I going to have to keep the turtle inside for most of the year in a large enclosure and just put him outside for the very warm months in NH? Should I return him and try to find one that is captive bred? My daughter wont want to do this, I am sure.

Tabatha

The native habitat of a Gulf Coast turtle is considerably warmer than the climate of NH, so yes, it would need to live indoors for most of the year.
I would suggest that you take it back, and then research suitable pets BEFORE purchasing/aquiring another one: it just isn't fair to the animal. We are talking about a living creature.
Keep in mind that box turtles require lots of room to roam, so keeping one inside in a confined space is less than ideal. Also, it gets expensive: all the gear needed to keep a turtle healthy adds up quickly.
Maybe this is an opportunity for you to educate your child about the importance of leaving threatened animals in their natural habitats, and of letting wild animals be wild. Go on nature walks and look for wild turtles, instead of indulging the desire to have one as a pet. Turtles aren't exactly warm and cuddly creatures that want to curl up in your lap, so the novelty will probably wear off pretty quickly.

Hey,

I admire your rewarding your kid for improving on math grades by getting her a turtle. From what you wrote, it seems like you already have lots of pets and can teach her the value of responsibility as well.

However, as previously posted, they aren't cuddly pets even though they can display a wide variety of behaviors that we deem cute. If you do plan on keeping the turtle, obviously you'd need to keep it inside for now since the weather's so cold, but I definitely recommend letting it have a large outdoor enclosure during the summer. Sunlight is extremely beneficial to a turtle's health and so is fresh air (unless you live in a smog-filled area). Living indoors possibly requires more dedication to set the conditions right for a southern turtle.

As for the diet, I think a lot of experts actually would not recommend what you're feeding as a whole diet. Mealworms can cause impaction, spinach contains oxalates that inhibit calcium absorption, but I think carrots are ok (provides vitamin A and keeps their beaks in check). But the keyword is VARIETY. Try romaine lettuce and dandelions for vegetables, and earthworms and crickets for meat, as well as others. And dust vitamin supplement to increase nutrition.

Hope this helps. I hope you and your daughter won't consider it as just a toy that will become a burden later. If you're devoted to caring for this turtle, it can live with you and your daughter for life (100 years).

Johnny

Hi Johnny,
Thank you, too, for the positive post. I've come for support...thanks.

I admire your rewarding your kid for improving on math grades by getting her a turtle. From what you wrote, it seems like you already have lots of pets and can teach her the value of responsibility as well. >>>>>>>
She didnt get it on a whim.....and we thought about it for a while. I kinda thought I was a cool mom to let her

However, as previously posted, they aren't cuddly pets even though they can display a wide variety of behaviors that we deem cute. If you do plan on keeping the turtle, obviously you'd need to keep it inside for now since the weather's so cold, but I definitely recommend letting it have a large outdoor enclosure during the summer. Sunlight is extremely beneficial to a turtle's health and so is fresh air (unless you live in a smog-filled area). Living indoors possibly requires more dedication to set the conditions right for a southern turtle.
>>>>>>>
We are dedicated to making a good set up for the winter months.....I do have a uva (or whatever) lite for the inside time.

As for the diet, I think a lot of experts actually would not recommend what you're feeding as a whole diet. Mealworms can cause impaction, spinach contains oxalates that inhibit calcium absorption, but I think carrots are ok (provides vitamin A and keeps their beaks in check). But the keyword is VARIETY. Try romaine lettuce and dandelions for vegetables, and earthworms and crickets for meat, as well as others. And dust vitamin supplement to increase nutrition.
>>>>>>>
ok...plan on using a wide varity of things. He loved apples, i've tried some low fat dog food softened (love that) though I have read mixed reviews on that one.....

Hope this helps. I hope you and your daughter won't consider it as just a toy that will become a burden later. If you're devoted to caring for this turtle, it can live with you and your daughter for life (100 years).
>>>>>>>>>>>
well the good thing is I think this guy is a very cool pet and Im trying to learn all i can to provide a healthy home envioronment for him.

Tabatha

As far as the neck puffing is concerned, yours sounds normal. Out of the different types of box turtles I have the gulf coasts do more of this than the others. As long as you see no open-mouthed gasping or discharge from eyes or nose it's normal gulfie behavior

what she was discribing sounds like yawning to me.. and as far as I know there is know variation(in yawning..) between subspecies..

ok, thanks. I dont notice any wheezing or discharge from his nose, mouth.....

so a little puffing is normal.

return the animal? i don't know if i (personally) would have the heart to return an animal, captive bred or not... if you're able to give him back to the pet store then maybe you shouldn't keep the animal because you feel no attachment to it. this is your daughter's pet, and it may break her heart seeing her turtle removed. BUT... seems as though you really care about its well being, and the turtle is far better off with you rather than sending it back with the chance it will not go to an owner as responsible as yourself. if it were me, i'd keept the turtle... and if i wanted a captive bred turtle, i'd get another... lol.

-gina

Dear Gina,

Thank you for your thoughtful response I appreciate it. Im stuck it seems. We have plenty of room to make a large enclosed pen outside for the warmer months around here, possibly June, July and August. Sometimes even May days are warm. How would he respond to being transported inside and out? Would it stress him? I do understand (now) the need for him to have a lot of room to roam and explore. We (husband) can make him an indoor large area though not as large as outdoors, perhaps it will be ok for the cold months.

Returning it I dont see as an option unless we were truly harming him. Its here in NH....and some other NH person will obviously purchase it if he's returned, perhaps someone not as educated about the care (Im still learning). I do care about the well being of my animals and Im not a person to abandon them. I take owning them as a lifetime commitment....again, if i were honestly hurting this animal perhaps I would return him. I think we can give him a good life. My daughter is very attached already and when I told her he belonged outside, that didnt go over well I explained further and we will do that come summer.

Anyway, thanks for the supportive comments.
Tabatha

WELL, my box turtle, Rowley is a very happy turtle outside. She has a large enclosure, with plenty of sunlight, shade, and water. I provided a rotten tree limb for her to search for bugs in. she likes to "hunt" ... but often times i drop worms in and she'll eat as many as 10 or 12 at a time... I still spend time with her every day. In the winter, she's indoors. Taking her inside does seem to stress her out, and will not eat for maybe a few weeks. but after a little bit she comes around and everything is back to normal. she eats a little less in the winter. going outside never seems to stress her out. she really loves it out there.

-gina

Thanks again, Gina.

I think this is what we will do. I cant find any worms locally at this time..where does everyone order them?

Tabatha

Tabitha,

Since you have the turtle now anyway, I wouldn't return it. It would just stress it out more to go back and forth. In the spring you can consider adopting it out to someone in a warmer climate. Turtle Homes and other groups can help place it. Turtles can be shipped to adopters in the spring. How much did you pay for it? That can be an indicator to see if it was captive bred or wild-caught. All of the box turtles I've seen in pet stores were WC.

If you want a larger enclosure, you can use a bookcase on it's back, with the shelves removed, and seal the interior or use a pond liner to make it water proof. Also, a finely shredded hardwood mulch is better for holding moisture and allowing natural digging and hiding than the bark chips found in pet stores. The use of mulch and artificial silk plants will help more with thermoregulating and UVB accessability than a hiding box. As mentioned, you'll want to offer a variety of foods. Softened dog food, IMO, is not a problem so long as it is used sparingly. If the turtle shows a preference for it, you can can grate veggies in with the dog food to enrich the diet and get him to eat things he might be avoiding, but should be eating. Also try baked sweet potato, grated squashes (both summer and winter), melons, cantaloupe, blueberries, earthworms, superworms (sparingly also), and an occasional tomato slice.

Katrina

Thanks, Kartina.

I want to wait and see how he does. He is a little piggy though....he eats everything we give him and I wonder how much is the right amout of 'stuff' to give. He has eaten everything except for that spinache which Ive read isnt the best for him anyway. And that was the day after we got him so perhaps that was a factor anyway.

Great idea about the bookcase! Never thought of that....thank you Everyone has been so helpful.

Tabatha

I forgot to mention, I paid about 55.00 for him. He had three different guys there...a bunch of water turtles, some tortoises too (I dont know the cost of those...)

Tabatha

Yeah, he's wild caught. I can't think of anyone selling adult box turtles that cheap if they were captive bred. Was he in with the other turtles and/or tortoises? It's always a good idea to get a fecal to a vet to check for parasites.

Katrina