Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have to place my hatchling eastern box turtle on top of the reptalawn that he stays under and put a mealworm in front of him every day for him to eat.How can I get him to come out on his own and hunt the crickets I've added?My setup is a 20L 2/3 fluker's reptalawn 1/3 bed abeast with a lava rock cave and 75winfrared heat lamp at that end.He prefers to hide under the lawn at the other cooler 72F end.

i have had the same problem with mine.. he will not hunt crickets.. but he will eat mealworms and phoenix worms when i put them in front of him.. i just keep taking him out in the morning and feeding him.. i try to keep it around the same time every day ... he has started to show up at that time wandering around the tank.. not sure if he is learning that this is feeding time or if its just a coincidence.. but its worth a shot.. it took about two weeks of routine feeding for him to start coming out on his own..
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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.

The easiest way I know t get these little guys to eat is to offer them food in very shallow water. I keep my hatchling box turtles in moist spagnum moss. I would steer clear of repticarpet if you mean the green "astro-turf" material. More box turtle hatchlings die of dehydration than probably anything else in captivity. They seek high humidity areas (replicating forest floor environment) and will do much better and eat more readily under these conditions. I also have one hatchling who is so shy, he will eat only after I have completely left the room. So try this and see if it works for you. Goodluck!

J

Oh the humidity stays high.The "lawn" is like a woven sod you sprinlke grass seed over and it grows a living lawn.Petsmart sells it called Fluker's Reptalawn.He hides under it untill I take him out to feed him.I geuss this is normal since they hide in the leaf liter in the wild.Look like I'll just have to take him out from under there once a day for feeding untill he is a yr old.my hatchling Easternis fat and eats 2 mealworms wax worms redworms crushed crickets etc but I've never seen him hunting on his own yet.