Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby box turtle is getting thicker in the shoulder area and she/he is not using the back legs to move around because they cannot reach the ground, its very strange. She can however, move the back legs if you touch them. The pet store owner thought she could be a little over weight and I should taper down the feeding. She seems healthy and alert otherwise. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Sounds like metabolic bone disease.
What you really have is a lack of calcium, the turtle can’t grow his shell normally.
It is also typical to have some rear leg paralysis.
Box turtles are notoriously difficult feeders, typically they start off eating live mostly meal worms and it is difficult to get them on a diversified diet.

I am thinking this is what has happened to you. Things that you have to be careful for are light you have to have a good UVB light so that the turtle can produce vitamin D3
Which will help transport and metabolize the calcium he is getting in his diet.

Something to try is using a commercial turtle food so you can get some balanced nutrition in him.
A trick I have leaned is to use “Reptomin floating food sticks” which really is for water turtles but is much better then just feeding him worms or a very narrow diet.
The trick is fill a little turtle dish with water just enough to cover the bottom (maybe a ¼ of an inch ) sprinkle the sticks in the water and put the turtle in , when he moves around he will see the sticks jiggle and eat them. Add calcium with D3 to the water once a week. You will see an improvement in a couple of months.
You have to work fast and be diligent your turtle is at critical cross road.

Posting a picture would help to confirm his condition along with other information like, his diet, and the lighting condition.

Sam Pascucci
www.FloridaIguana.com

Thank you for the advice, I will definitely take action. I will get the calcium sticks and try the water dish. I think I might also change my light bulb, even though it is not burned out yet.

UVB Bulbs only emit UVB light for about a year; even though you see light they are not doing what you think they are.
Sam

A picture would help and also knowing what you feed the turtle and how its tank is set up. Diet, lighting and housing all play a part in how a young turtle's shell develops. If diet is lacking, lighting is poor and the housing is dry-the shell will be deformed. If the shell is deformed, internal organs may be affected as well.

I have a free online box turtle care book at www.boxturtlesite.info. Please check it out if you haven't already. It along with other care resources will help you fine tune your care to get the best results for your baby turtle.
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info