Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Currently my Ornate Box is on 4-5 inches of that coco-fiber stuff... My concern is that he ingests a lot of it, even feeding off a plate (he will pick up what he likes and move it to a different area). I really don't like the thought of him eating so much of the substrate... So my question is - If I provide a couple different hides in his enclosure, can I use solid substrate? I know he likes to bury himself once in a while, but he's on top 95% of the time. The hides would obviously serve as a place he could go to feel secure. I'm just worried about impaction or him getting sick, or maybe getting bits of feces that I might have missed, etc.

Any ideas?

Is he outside or inside? Everyone uses something different. I use a mix of soil, peat moss, and some Forest Floor by Zoo Med. On top of that lots of leaf litter. I don't use hides inside because they just dig under in the leaf litter. This is inside for the winter for the little guys. I put some frog moss around the water dish so it stays clean, and lots of plants to hold in the humidity.
Outside I have soil with plenty of plants to hide a small stream with a little pond at the end of it, and lots of leaf litter on one end to dig under, and a cave made from slate with leaf litter inside it. Hope this helps.

outside:

You can remove the turtle during feeding time and put it in a substrate-free container and then place it back in its cage when it's done eating.

Tim

Third Eye

For the hatchlings I usually put a little plastic tub inside the vivarium, so they feel secure, and add a little water and food.

Ha! That's a great picture! That grub must've kept him busy for a bit.

You are wise to be concerned. It is not good for turtles to eat too much bedding, even if it is digestible. Luckily, this is an easy fix.

Feed the turtle in a separate tub that is lined with wet paper towel. This will also insure there is no food in the bedding-that means less mold and the turtle will likely defecate on the wet paper towel as well-less clean up
-----
Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info