Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Box Turtle fans.

I'm new to the forum and new to turtles in general. I have enjoyed reading through the forum and soaking up info.

Does anyone out there live in my area?

Anyway, I could sure use some help and suggestions. We aquired our first box turtle around mid October of last year. She came to us quite by accident as she just suddenly appeared in our yard. Sice I know we are way to far north for her to be native I can only guess that she was either "released" by a well meaning pet owner that got tired of her or she was dumped here on purpose by someone who knows we are suckers for rescues. We live on a farm and our nearest neighbors are 2 wooded miles away and it got down to 17 degrees the night she showed up so all I can say is she is probably just lucky to be alive.

I have raised cornsnakes, ball pythons and a couple of iguannas in the past and used to subscribe to "Reptiles" magazine so I knew right away she was not a native turtle but it took me several days of searching the internet before we were able to identify what kind of turtle she was and at first I thought she was a tortios. I now know she is an adult female western box turtle. I'm pretty sure she is an ornate but she could be a desert.

I'm concerend because at first she was eating very well. Never boxed up or seemed afraid of us in any way and she sure knew what a food bowl was for. After a while though she stopped eating and has been pretty depressed. From what I have read I can only assume that she would really like to hybernate but I'm afraid to let her considering our little knowledge on the subject and I'm afraid we may have stressed her quite a bit in an effort to get her eating again before we realized what was likely going on.

We plan to build an outdoor enclosure for her this summer but for now we have set her up in the largest area we have room for....the bathtub in our spare bathroom. I have a basking lamp, pool big enough for a good soak and about 4 inches of bed-a-beast/moss/sand/aspen bark substrate. She has a half round of bark for a cave to hide in.

Before she stopped eating we were feeding fruits, berries, veggies, canned dog food, earthworms, mealworm, crickets and a few different kinds of comercial box turtle diets. We also ordered some turtle brittle and suppliments from Carolina pet supply and all the insects were dusted in reptivite.

I'm concerened that our very northern climate will not allow us to keep her outside much even in the summer. Our night time temps rarely stay above 65 degrees and we don't have many days that reach 80 degrees or higher. I'm thinking we will need a very well set up indoor terrarium with a place outside for regular "field tripps" only when the weather is warm enough.

Well, I know its a long post but I hope someone can help us. My 9 year old son just adores his "Yertle the turtle" and we don't want her to die.

Glenna in North Idaho

The conditions in your bathroom is probably not as warm and humid as is required to keep the turtle active in the winter. Since you don't know what kind of food the turtle ate all summer and therefore may not be in the best conditions, I would not let it hibernate this winter but make the changes necessary to keep it active and eating.

Instead of trying to heat and keep humid a whole room, it might be best to put the turtle in a smaller container where you can control the conditions easier. A large plastic tote or a large glass tank will be easier to heat and keep moist. I have a great indoor setup described and pictured in my book that will be appropriate for long term usage. It might be what you are looking for as a permanent indoor home. The night time pen I describe in the book might be the right "field trip" pen for the turtle

Reproduce summer like conditions and see if that helps.
Good luck.
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

Thank you for the reply. Yours is one of the books I haven't gotten yet. (I have purchased five different box turtle books so far.) I guess yours will be next on my list to purchase.

I have two heat lamps over our turtle right now. One red for 24/7 heat and one UVB basking lamp that I turn on in the morning and off at night. So far I have managed to keep her day time temps between 70(cool end) and 90(directly under the basking lamp) and the humidity at about 50-60%. From the reading I have done so far I gathered that ornates like it a bit hotter and dryer than other box turtles.

I have no idea how long she was on the loose before we found her. She was pooping little pea gravel from our driveway for the first few days we had her and then later I noticed her trying to eat pebbles from the sand mix I mixed with the bed-a-beast and moss. She ate really well for the fist month or so we had her. In fact we probably over fed her but she won't touch food now. She still seems perky and active for short periods durring the day. She comes out of her cave and basks in the morning. Sometimes she spends all day soaking in her water bowl and she seems generaly bright eyed when she's not asleep.

I did have her checked for impaction from the gravel and an exray showd a clear digestive track. I don't know what else to do but keep her warm and wait till she starts eating agian.

I just wish she would eat.

Glenna

Glenna,

Thanks for buying the book from me

Most turtles lose their appetite during the winter months. It often takes something delicious (to a turtle) to spark their appetite. Since you have kept other reptiles you know about pinky mice. You can try that to get it eating again. My ornates love corn on the cob and will often go back to eating once they eat anything.

What is the weight of your turtle and its straight line measurement? Maybe it can be hibernated for a short time if it has a good weight. The book will describe how to do a short hibernation in a cool place or dorm fridge.

Tess

Sounds to me like she would like to just do what comes natural; brumate. Fighting nature, messing with natures course, or trying to manipulate natural instincts, by baking her with an overdose of UV and heat (and please don't even think about overdosing her with vitamins as the "cure" to her not eating, or pumping her full of every drug know to man) will only cause MORE STRESS and deeper issues. She was feeding well for you in the fall, so just let her cool and sleep now and don't worry about trying to get her to eat, if she is inactive and cool she can go a long time without food with no problems, easily for the next couple months (as can most reptiles, this is not the same as a person going on a hunger strike).....relax, don't stress, and in a couple months she will "spring" back to life. Even if you can only have her outside for a couple months in the summer were you live, it will still do the turtle much good to be outside.
Sorry if this seems blunt or brash, it's not meant to be personal, but rather trying to be of help, these are just my personal, humble and honest oppinions.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Not to worry. I'm a tell it like I see it kind of person and I appreciate your response.

In the begining I did try to force feed a couple of times ane we changed her caging around several times before moving her into the bathtub. We live in a small trailer house with two bathrooms and that bathroom got used more as a "shop sink" for thawing frozen water hoses and washing out "icky farm stuff" so it was no great stretch to move the turtle into there for a few months.

We never saw any signs of respritory or eye problems so we never went the rout of medications. Though we did try a mineral oil enima suggested by the vet when we though she might be impacted with pumic stone from the substrate I had tried to use. I saw her crunching and eating this for a few days after we put it in her cage.

We have since stopped messing with her and I keep the door shut to the bathroom she is in so she has as much piece and quite as possible. I joined the forum with the intention of doing nothing else with her until I was better educated since despite all the stress she does not seem to be at deaths door and is fairly bright eyed and active in between long naps.

Thanks again for the response and information.

Glenna