Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female eastern box turtle that was wild caught by a KHS member Friday. I have her in an outdoor 12'x10' enclosure with plenty of hide boxes and plants. To my knowledge, she has not eaten since Friday. I have offered her worms (from my yard),meal worms, finely chopped apples and carrots to no avail. I have held the worms up to her nostrils and she just moseys by. I have also offered it on a rock and then placed her on the rock, but she just walks over it. I am worried about her not eating. How long should I give her to acclimate to her new surroundings? She seems pretty active (especially this morning), and late this afternoon she burrowed into some freshly dug dirt and stayed there most of the rest of the afternoon. I have found a lot of info on the internet and in herp books about diet, wintering, etc. for box turtles, but not much about captive behavior. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

She may just want to hide for a few days or a couple of weeks: go ahead and let her.
Depending on where you are, too, temps might not be quite high enough for her to have much of an appetite.
If she stays in the same spot for a few days, and it warms up (65 plus), offer food to her where she is, and try to avoid handling her alot.
They can be very shy when put in a strange environment:,so just keep an eye on her from a distance, provide her with fresh water daily, and let her size you up.
Stephanie

Thanks for the reply. So, it's ok if boxies don't eat for a week or more? I figured as long as she remains active, she would be ok. It is still cool here (mid 50's today) and I think she might just have come out of hibernation a few weeks ago. Should I bring her in at night? I have a nice hide box for her that I put her in at night that has protection from the wind on 3 sides. She comes out of her shell a lot and likes to look up at me and around at her surroundings. I just adore her and want to make sure I'm doing everything to make her comfortable here.

Yes, they can go for extended periods without eating. If its only in the mid 50's, then that could indeed be why she's not eating, and if it stays that cool you shouldn't bother to try to feed her. If cou can provide a leaf pile or straw pile for her to hide under, she'd probably benefit from that.
I suspect she's not quite ready to eat yet coz its still cool. When you've had a week of solid above 65 she'll probably start showing an interest in food.
In the meantime, browse through the archives here: lots of good info to be found.
Stephanie

Hi- Where did you say they found it? A KHS member? What does KHS stand for? Thanks
Caroline

Sorry! KHS is Kentucky Herpetological Society.