Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, some eggs were disturbed at a construction site at my work. I brought them home and three of the eggs hatched into box turtles yesterday.
So, now what? I called the nature center and was told to keep them in a on damp aquarium gravel and feed soaked dogfood.
My question for this moment is - how do I make them eat?
They show no interst in the dog food - should I worry? or will they eat when ready?
Any info appreciated. I have fish, dogs, cats, hamsters but no experience with turtles.

If they still have a big yellow thing on the belly, this is called yolk. Until that is gone you should keep them on wet paper towels, dont want damage the yolk with rocks or sharp objects. Anyway they will not eat until this yolk is gone, this is their food until then. Once gone they eat bugs, small little red worms cut up into wiggly pieces. They need a plate with water they can climb in and out of, not to deep, halfway up the shell or a bit less. You can feed them in this plate as well. They tend to use the bathroom in water so change it often!

Click on this link and scroll down to read about care for hatchlings:
Link

thanx for info -
yolk sac is gone - they dropped them yesterday.

i have soaked dogfood in there with them but they are not eating - any tips for getting them to actually start eating?

i have them in a plastic box with gravel and water - water only barely above the rock line.

do i need to worry them hurting each other?

i read info on link, thanx again

no, they wont hurt each other. but they wont eat the dog food either. they want small bugs. when hatched in the wild they dont have a supply of dog food. they hide in leaf litter and wait for a bug to come by. dig up or buy some earth worms, cut them into small wiggly pieces, place them in a plate of water, add the boxies and walk out of the room for a few 15 minutes. they will eat.

If you read my chapter on box tutle hactling care you know gravel is WRONG. Get them off rocks and put them on wet paper towels or moist spaghmum moss.

They don't "drop" their yolk sacs, they are absorbed into the body over the course of a few days. If the yolk sacs broke among the gravel, they are in danger of dying due to loss of nutrition and fluid volume.

Please read my chapter on hatchling care more carefully and follow the instuctions. Better yet, buy my box turtle care book where I have included pictures and more details of hatchling tanks. Good luck!
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info