Baby boxie basics

[bmt123]

So I will be fostering a baby boxie and and I need pointers on caring or setting it up. I have a 4,2,2 plywood enclosure that I am going to put a shower curtain on the lower half to help to keep the bottom from warping. As far as care I know that they need lots of humidity so I figured I would use a sphagnum and Eco earth mix. I currently have two adults but I know that babies are harder to care for any

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So any pointers would be greatly appreciated

 

[Yvonne G]

I know we're always saying make it bigger, make it bigger!!! However, in this case, I think smaller would be better. Baby box turtles dehydrate VERY QUICKLY because they are so small. A plastic tub would be a much better deal. You can then pour a whole pitcher of water over the substrate and keep it really moist. I do this every day! Right now I have several baby box turtles in a plastic bin that is only about 1.5' x 1'. There are two half flower pot hiding places at one end and the feeding station at the other end. I dig them up and soak them every morning and they drink every time because the lights dry them out (even though they've been buried in the moist substrate).

 

[earthyman71]

my question would be how old are your babies? for the first several months of life, babie boxies are decently aquatic. when raising my hatchlings, i start them out in a container that has a mix of freshwater and moss in it, elevating one end so they can clib out/dry/sun if they want. this leaves the other end as a shallow pool - almost like a pond/stream edge in the wild.

when they're past the several month stage, i have a pen set up with damp eco earth, a hide log, fresh dry hay, a small wading area, uva/uvb bulb and plants.

check out www.aboxturtle.com for tips. (a great site that has taught me so much!)

 

[Michael in MO]

So I will be fostering a baby boxie and and I need pointers on caring or setting it up. I have a 4,2,2 plywood enclosure that I am going to put a shower curtain on the lower half to help to keep the bottom from warping. As far as care I know that they need lots of humidity so I figured I would use a sphagnum and Eco earth mix. I currently have two adults but I know that babies are harder to care for any

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So any pointers would be greatly appreciated

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IMHO baby turtles benefit from being observed more than adults. That being said I usually start babies in a dreaded aquarium actually in a main part of the house where there's a fair amount of traffic. My bedroom has worked great for this and I turn on a their light when I get up and off when it's time for bed they eat when I eat so I can observe while I get ready for work. A big enclosure like you're proposing will have you searching for the turtle and digging him up to check on him.. that's my 2 cents worth

 

[bmt123]

To answer earthy mans question I at this time do not know the age because they have not contacted me about a turtle. But when they do a will set it up according to what you said about its age. I was wondering what you guys where doing as far as lighting goes like the wattage and amount of uvb

 

[Roxie]

Dumb question....the wet eco earth and peat gets stuck all over their eyes and mouth. Big deal or no big deal??

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

I have a 4X2 glass enclosure with a plexiglass lid. I have a 125w Solar Glo MVB for heat and uv and a 150w CHE for night heat. The tank is in the middle of the living/dining room, so there's always a lot of activity around them, and I handle them quite a bit. I think it's worked well for us, they're not skittish at all and they'll eat even when we're right there watching.
I agree with going smaller for babies though, I used to have daily panic attacks looking for hidden babies ;-)

@rosie Yes, little dirt balls are no big deal, I'm sure they eat a fair amount of dirt when digging for worms ;-)

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Oops, sorry, I meant Roxie

 

[Keeblercop]

Thank you earthyman71 for the web link...I'm still learning and am sure it's going to be so useful...am hoping to find some EBTs to buy/adopt soon.