Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, my mom rescued a three-toed a few months ago while I was at school. The person giving up the turtle said they had been feeding it hamburger meat (what?!), and that's it. Despite this, the turtle looks really good and is about 4 inches long.

The problem is, he won't eat. Anything. She has tried everything and I have tried more. He has been "hibernating" for about 4 months now (we live in Southern California, he definitely doesn't need to be), we soak him every few weeks and offer food but to no avail. I've tried red wrigglers, night crawlers, snails, strawberries, crickets, blueberries, bell pepper, various greens, dandelions, squash, and pumpkin. Nothing. I was hoping he would eventually come out and begin moving around, but that doesn't seem to be the case any more.

I have another 3T and an eastern that I raise indoors. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on gettin' this guy to break his hunger strike. I could take him in doors, put a light on him like the others have, and make him stay awake.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Andrew

For openers, what is the photo of?
as for your box turtle I would put a heat lamp or source on him they won't eat until they are warmed up. After he's warmed up he'll wake up and move around then he might start to look at food and eventually start eating. I have a baby 7 months old and she has not eaten anything yet and I'm freak'n my others from the past started to eat at 4 or 5 months. I wake her daily with a continual heat source and she still hasn't shown any interest.
Good luck with yours and keep him warm till he eats.
Alan

>>For openers, what is the photo of?
>>as for your box turtle I would put a heat lamp or source on him they won't eat until they are warmed up. After he's warmed up he'll wake up and move around then he might start to look at food and eventually start eating. I have a baby 7 months old and she has not eaten anything yet and I'm freak'n my others from the past started to eat at 4 or 5 months. I wake her daily with a continual heat source and she still hasn't shown any interest.
>>Good luck with yours and keep him warm till he eats.
>>Alan

Put your baby on some dark substrate. Get some smallish crickets and dust them with repti-cal (white powder). The now white crickets on a dark background will attract the baby turtles attention and he will eat them. Works every time with my baby turtles.......and I've raised a bunch. Mine usually start eating 1-2 weeks after hatching.......

-----
Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

>>So, my mom rescued a three-toed a few months ago while I was at school. The person giving up the turtle said they had been feeding it hamburger meat (what?!), and that's it. Despite this, the turtle looks really good and is about 4 inches long.
>>
>>The problem is, he won't eat. Anything. She has tried everything and I have tried more. He has been "hibernating" for about 4 months now (we live in Southern California, he definitely doesn't need to be), we soak him every few weeks and offer food but to no avail. I've tried red wrigglers, night crawlers, snails, strawberries, crickets, blueberries, bell pepper, various greens, dandelions, squash, and pumpkin. Nothing. I was hoping he would eventually come out and begin moving around, but that doesn't seem to be the case any more.
>>
>>I have another 3T and an eastern that I raise indoors. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on gettin' this guy to break his hunger strike. I could take him in doors, put a light on him like the others have, and make him stay awake.
>>
>>Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Andrew
>>

A leopard gecko????

You should check out this thread from 2010.........

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1801926,1801926

Search the forum from a few years back and there's a thread somewhere about "turtle balls". That is mostly what I feed my turtles. Venison, berries, turtle sticks, spinach, sweet potato, an egg, pumpkin, leafy veggies, squash, all of these go into my turtle balls. Box Turtles are very carnivorous.

-----
Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius