Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I just acquired a Western Box female that seems to be a full grown adult (4-5", but I have no clue how old she is (she was wild caught). I have her indoors, but let her roam the house and outside throughout the day. I have the proper bulbs and water for her, as well as a good hiding spot. I have only had her two days and she is eating a ton! She LOVES strawberries and she has also eaten mustard greens, mealworms, blueberries, and she caught an earthworm outside yesterday!
My question is, how much should I let her eat? I have read they can become obese, but I also want her to get enough! Yesterday she had one strawberry, two small mealworms, an earthworm, and some greens. She doesn't like the turtle food. So should I let her eat until she doesn't eat anymore? I can't seem to find much help in the articles I have read online. Thanks in advance!
Melissa & Tala Turtle in Ohio

My thoughts on how much to feed are that it depends on the turtle & that particular turtle's situation.
For those who've been here for a long time I feed every other day & so far they are not obese. The ones that live inside get to go outside a lot & all of them do a lot of walking every day so they get a lot of exercise.
I have one that I got a year ago who was found by a neighborhood kid. I know she'd been a pet because she had nail polish on her. I don't know how long she'd been roaming alone but I've never seen one eat as much as she did when she first got here.
I think she was starving to death on her own so I fed her every day, as much as she would eat & she would eat ANYTHING that I put in front of her.
After about 2 to 3 months she began to taper off on her own with the food so then I tapered off on trying to feed her. She got to a point where she wouldn't eat just anything, she stopped eating the pellet foods which I prefer not to feed anyway, I just fed them to her at that time to help build her up.
Today she eats like a normal turtle, every other day is enough for her & she's not obese. I feed all of them until they get full, they always leave some food uneaten.
She still eats a huge variety of foods but they're fresh insects,(sometimes vitamin/calcium dusted) veggies, & fruits, but not pellets.
In my personal experience which is with ornates only, they won't keep eating when they've had enough.
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PHRatz

Personally, All the boxies I have are fed twice a week & all they can eat. (plus all the critters they catch in the enclosure) That seems to be enough for them & I never had a problem with an obese turtle by feeding them this way. Good luck!