What should i feed my picky Box turtle

C. Nelson

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I definitely think there is quite a bit of individuality with box turtles, and some develop preferences for sure. Mine goes nuts for super worms or meal worms but with bee pollen sprinkled on them. I am serious about bee pollen, it is like crack. My boxie will happily eat a white mushroom on occasion, but not every time. So there are a few more things to try and see.

Yes. I used to gut load my mealworms with oatmeal. The box turtles loved them! Super juicy.
 

ColleenT

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Yes. I used to gut load my mealworms with oatmeal. The box turtles loved them! Super juicy.

From the link in my signature written by Sandy Barnett.

Earthworms are quite different from mealworms,supermealies, and waxworms. The latter three invertebrates are insect larvae, not true worms. (Mealworms and supermealies become beetles; waxworms become moths). Unlike earthworms, which are annelids, nearly all insects have low calcium content and an inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. In small amounts they are fine to offer as treats –most box turtles love them – but a steady diet will interfere with calcium absorption and cause calcium to be removed from a turtle’s bones, possibly leading to Metabolic Bone Disease. This can happen especially quickly in young growing turtles with high calcium requirements. If you feed commercially raised insects (e.g., mealworms, supermealies, waxworms, house crickets) dust them with calcium powder (Rep-Cal,

ZooMed) immediately before serving. The calcium should have Vit D3 additive if your turtles live indoors.
 

William Lee Kohler

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"there are things in cat fiod that should not be inclided in a turtles diet on a tegular basis"

Such as..........?
 

Shelley Whittington

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Box turtles have survived millions of years by eating a great variety of things.. eating a diet of a product that was developed for another animal, a mammal at that, will eventually cause an imbalance .. just look at a label of cat food and see what they would not come across in a natural diet.. Taurine for one.. variety is the key to healthy box turtles
 

William Lee Kohler

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Box turtles have survived millions of years by eating a great variety of things.. eating a diet of a product that was developed for another animal, a mammal at that, will eventually cause an imbalance .. just look at a label of cat food and see what they would not come across in a natural diet.. Taurine for one.. variety is the key to healthy box turtles

I wouldn't recommend a fully meat based protein diet for any tortoise or omnivorous critters either. Years ago I could get Purina Monkey chow protein based and soak and give to my Redfoot often. He loved them. Then they switched to a vegetable apparently non protein formula and he wouldn't have anything to do with them, I used the former as a better protein substitute for canned dog food that I had used. And what's wrong with taurine?
 

Shelley Whittington

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I wouldn't recommend a fully meat based protein diet for any tortoise or omnivorous critters either. Years ago I could get Purina Monkey chow protein based and soak and give to my Redfoot often. He loved them. Then they switched to a vegetable apparently non protein formula and he wouldn't have anything to do with them, I used the former as a better protein substitute for canned dog food that I had used. And what's wrong with taurine?
 

Shelley Whittington

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LOl.. cat food is processed for cats.. just noting that turtles.. box turtles, are omnivores, and a varied diet is very important.. moderation in processed foods would be a better and an assortment of both protein and veggies would be best..
 

Maggie T

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From the link in my signature written by Sandy Barnett.

Earthworms are quite different from mealworms,supermealies, and waxworms. The latter three invertebrates are insect larvae, not true worms. (Mealworms and supermealies become beetles; waxworms become moths). Unlike earthworms, which are annelids, nearly all insects have low calcium content and an inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. In small amounts they are fine to offer as treats –most box turtles love them – but a steady diet will interfere with calcium absorption and cause calcium to be removed from a turtle’s bones, possibly leading to Metabolic Bone Disease. This can happen especially quickly in young growing turtles with high calcium requirements. If you feed commercially raised insects (e.g., mealworms, supermealies, waxworms, house crickets) dust them with calcium powder (Rep-Cal,

ZooMed) immediately before serving. The calcium should have Vit D3 additive if your turtles live indoors.

Wow, I didn’t know that, thank you for sharing! From what I’d read, mealworms were definitely one of the recommended food to feed. And while I tried to give my babies a varied diet, mealworms were fed either weekly or every other week. I’ve just recently learned that two of my juveniles have MBD, and was trying to figure out what caused this. I did sprinkle calcium and also threw in cuttlefish bones. I did notice those two didn’t much partake of the cuttlefish bones. Could that have been why those two have MBD?
 

ColleenT

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Wow, I didn’t know that, thank you for sharing! From what I’d read, mealworms were definitely one of the recommended food to feed. And while I tried to give my babies a varied diet, mealworms were fed either weekly or every other week. I’ve just recently learned that two of my juveniles have MBD, and was trying to figure out what caused this. I did sprinkle calcium and also threw in cuttlefish bones. I did notice those two didn’t much partake of the cuttlefish bones. Could that have been why those two have MBD?

Probably. Sorry. don't feed mealworms or superworms.
 

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