Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,this is my first post and my first box turtle.I adopted him from where i work at a Veterinarians as the last owners did not want him and were going to have him euthanized.From what i could understand they did not want to spend any more money on him.He has had prolapses in the past,they did not want to give him any medication to see if it might have been parasites.I have had him sine the middle of May and he seems to be doing well,i thought he might have been constipated so my Vet took x-rays(he has been working with reptiles for almost 25 years) so i have some help if needed.He was not constipated.As i live on the 3rd floor of an apartment i cannot put him outside.I have him in a large(39x21)enclosure.I have 2 Vitalights over him.I have him on forest bark which he seems to like.I am feeding him a variety of things,veggies,collards,dandilion leaves,trout chow and many other things.Right now i am feeding him every day as my Vet thinks he is not eating enough,he weighed 230 GR.when i brought him home.I find he varies in weight.I weighed him today and he weighed 229 GR.He is from what i have been told 5 years old.Should he weigh more than this?Sorry for making this so long,i`m sure i forgot to mention a few things about him.By the way,i called him Raphael.Thanks for listening

Good for you for taking him in! It sounds like he has a very good home. One of the biggest challanges I've had with my boxie has been trying to get him to gain and maintain a decent weight as he's VERY fussy. I don't remember what his weight is offhand but my vet told me that when picking him up he should feel "solid" if that makes any sense.

Thanks PH,he does feel solid when i pick him up...i was able to get a fecal sample...it was negative...when he eats he takes 4 or 5 good mouthfuls so i am hoping that is enough...i weigh him every few days and he is maintaining his weight...i spray the wood chips twice a day and the sides of the enclousure also...