Reptile & Amphibian Forums

someone brought a hatchling box turtle to the petstore i work at.. they wanted to keep it in a bowl... so after a lengthy conversation on care they decided that thier five year old son was not ready for the responsibility involved and gave it to me..

i live in georgia, so i am assuming it is an eastern boxie.. he is brown with a yellowish stripe down the middle of his shell and orange spots on his face and legs..

right now i have him in a ten gallon with some driftwood hiding spots, eco earth, sphagnum moss and a water dish.. is this sufficient space for the time being or should i move him up to a 20 long? i have adult and year-two year old boxies but have never had one this small before .. any advice on feeding and general care would be appreciated... so far he has just been burying himself under the moss... havent seen him come out.. the temp is around 80 during the day and 70 at night and humidity is around 75.. trying to mimic georgia weather the best i can... i will make any adjustments necessary to keep him happy... thanks in advance for advice and comments!
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

Hey, I just replied to that other message about hibernating baby box turtles. I've been keeping and breeding box turtles for about 20 years. They are amazing little creatures! Keep the temperature near 75 degrees. You'll notice that in GA, most box turtles are active during rain, in the morning and evening. They like it 65 to 75 degrees. Babies should be kept near the warmer end. Keep the little guy really moist, but watch for fungal growth. I like sphagnum moss, moistened well, changed weekly. Herp companies sell it too expensive...buy cheap bags at craft stores. Offer only live foods daily...earthworms!! Also small mealworms, waxworms, and just about any other little creapy crawley that he can fit in his mouth. Dust with vitamin/mineral powder weekly. After about a year, you can usually get them to eat canned dog food and some veggies. Soak in room temp. water daily to every other day. These little guys hide a lot, but be patient. It'll bond to you in no time. P.S. Invest in 18" zoomed reptisun bulbs, 5.0 or even 10.0...they can only help.

have you ever used phoenix worms? they are new to the store i work at and ive never seen them anywhere else.. they are supposed to be high calcium... anyway.. thats all the baby has eaten so far... i put them in front of them and got around the side of the tank where he couldnt see me and he munched on them for a minute before going back to hide again... i am worried that he will try to hibernate ... is there any way to prevent this? i have read something about upping the temp by a certain amount .. but i dont know enough about it to experiment...
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

Phoenix worms? No, I've never heard of them. I can't really comment. I do know that as varied a diet as possible is best. So, could be a great addition. I even googled them and got nothing. Can you send me some internet info.?
As far as the hibernation, they will typically remain active at temperatures from 60 to 80 degrees. I usually shoot for 70 to 75 degrees for optimal hatchling health. They often won't eat if it's cooler than that. So, buy a cheap outdoor thermometer and try to keep the youngun' near room temperature. It shouldn't hibernate. Some people say that the daylength will put them into hibernation, which makes sense, but I've just never experienced that. Good luck.

the official website is phoenixworm.com
it doesnt have information yet.. but i did find a site where Dr. Sheppard provides some info.. it is probably the most useful..

http://www.forums.repashy.com/showthread.php?p=8157#post8157

my babies LOVE them... i have so far fed them to my frogs, crested gecko, juvenile boxies and anoles... all of them will eat the worms readily... the crested in particular gobbles them up...

they were discovered or utilized by this guy:

http://entomology.ent.uga.edu/personnel/faculty/sheppard.htm

and you can buy them here:

http://www.armstrongcrickets.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ACF&Category_Code=PW
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.