Boxie Hatchling Care

Saleama

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Different kinds of boxies can live and breed together right? Or is that bad?
Most of the box turtles in the US actually have overlapping territories and they interbreed in the wild. You can look up the different species. Most of them are actually subs of the same species. I keep different subs together. I have Ornates, three toed and coastals. I would probably make a new garden if I had some deserts or easterns just because I would want eastern and desert babies and not mixed subs. You will get many people that will tell you to keep them seperate but that is for purity of the sub species. Their care is very similar and it is easy to make a garden or habitat that contains everything that all the sub species need. For instance, our garden has wild grown veggies in the back and a large grass area in front and there are 5 or 6 oil pans filled with water located all over the garden. There are also low spots that fill with water when it rains or when we flood them and a "house" they get locked in in the winter. The diversity of the area provides a good habitat for all the species and subs we will ever get. In Fargo you will have a lot less of an oportunity to make an outdoor garden but since box turtles actually do well in lower temps, as long as it is aroun 60 at night and gets up around 70 - 75 in the day, you should be able to have an outdoor area for them. That is something you don't need to worry about for four or five years if you get babies.
 

StarSapphire22

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Most of the box turtles in the US actually have overlapping territories and they interbreed in the wild. You can look up the different species. Most of them are actually subs of the same species. I keep different subs together. I have Ornates, three toed and coastals. I would probably make a new garden if I had some deserts or easterns just because I would want eastern and desert babies and not mixed subs. You will get many people that will tell you to keep them seperate but that is for purity of the sub species. Their care is very similar and it is easy to make a garden or habitat that contains everything that all the sub species need. For instance, our garden has wild grown veggies in the back and a large grass area in front and there are 5 or 6 oil pans filled with water located all over the garden. There are also low spots that fill with water when it rains or when we flood them and a "house" they get locked in in the winter. The diversity of the area provides a good habitat for all the species and subs we will ever get. In Fargo you will have a lot less of an oportunity to make an outdoor garden but since box turtles actually do well in lower temps, as long as it is aroun 60 at night and gets up around 70 - 75 in the day, you should be able to have an outdoor area for them. That is something you don't need to worry about for four or five years if you get babies.

Thanks! I'd like to keep them pure if possible, but I always keep an eye out for rescues, etc. so it's nice to know I can take someone in fairly easily if I need to down the road.

We hopefully won't be in Fargo for too much longer. I'd like to move away in about a year. It's not tort/turtle/Jessica friendly weather, haha! I'm hoping to go to school in CA for the next couple years, then who knows after that...my fiancé and I are upper Midwest born and raised, but I want OUT! :p

At what age do you move them outside permanently? And, if for some reason, life didn't go as planned and we didn't get a house in a year or two, how long could I house inside for (still occasional field trips outside when weather permits)?
 

StarSapphire22

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Today I had a long chat with Chris on the phone about care and I'm feeling a bit more educated! :)

Also...my fiance said yes! I'm going to get box turtles! :D
 

Saleama

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It really is a matter of size rather than age. My oldest juveniles are quite small because of the harsh conditions they were born into. We had 99 days in a row of 100 plus weather the year they were hatched. I would say you could feasibly keep them indoors, with enough space, forever as long as you get them lots of outside time. I have two outdoor play pens, one for turtles and one for tortoises. Of course, that is not ideal for them and most people, myself included, will advise that you move them outdoors as soon as possible which is why I have indoor and outdoor areas for the smaller ones. I have some ornates that are around 5 years old that will go out for good in a year or so. They are still rather small and I worry more about them because I got them when they were little. I have a coastal I put outside when he hit 4.5 inches and another that I will put out his fall who is also around 4.5 inches (head to tail length). When you put them out they go feral quick so it is hard to have a baby you hand feed for years and then turn out only to watch them go wild. But at the same time it is thrilling! Box turtles mature rather late compared to other turtles. They start mating around 10 -12 years old if I remember correctly. You can find my post with pictures. There are some ok shots of some of my older babies.
 

terryo

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I keep my hatchlings up to three years old in the house in planted vivariums (glass tanks). My Father raised box turtles so I just do what he did. When they are about 3 they go outside in a planted garden. These are pictures of some inside vivariums. If there is only one hatchling I keep it in a 10 gal. tank. Any more than one I use a 20 gal. or a 40 gal. breeder. The best advise with loads of pictures: http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/raisingbabyturtles.htm

Here's a few pictures of mine. Hope this helps










This is what I feed my older turtles every day. Each week the mix is different. Chopped greens, fruit, soaked turtle brittle, mushrooms, and some ground venison.


One baby all grown up and outside in the turtle garden


Here's a Christmas tree storage bin outside on the side of the house so the babies can get some sun






this is just a small 10 gal. tank for one hatchling


 

StarSapphire22

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Thanks Terry! Your enclosures are beautiful!

Are those bloodworms live or frozen?
 

terryo

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Frozen. They come in little frozen cubes. I defrost one and that's what I start off new hatchlings with.
 

Ferretinmyshoes

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Here's how's I keep my boxie hatchlings:
5B135733-7809-49A3-A600-328B25172491_zpsp9trygqc.jpg


Normally there are plants in there too for them to crawl around through but the sun scorched the ones in there too bad when I moved them out for the summer so there's more sphagnum moss until I get some new ones in there. Multiple hides, a water dish for soaking and primarily cocofiber substrate kept moist. It's seeded with isopods, springtails, and earthworms and they get other snacks too. The top allows them to be outside without worrying about crows and inside without worrying about the cats messing with them. And the the screen top allows lots of sun or for their heat lamp and UVB bulb when they're indoors for the winter. There are two in there currently and there are some days where you'd have to dump the whole thing to find one! Amazing little hiders.

Mine don't go outside into the bigger enclosure until they're 4 or 5 depending on how big they are.
 

Saleama

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@terryo I noticed that you have a dome lamp on top of the tank. What type of light do you use in it? I have one on the far end of my baby tank with a regular 60 watt bulb that keeps the heat up to about 85 on that end. I always worry that they will get too hot or not be able to regulate their temps if I lower it or raise that temp. Most of the time though, I only have a UVB light bar that makes a good, dusky light that seems to suit them better and the temps stay pretty constant at 76 - 80 depending on the temps in the house.
 

terryo

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My house is very cold. I hate heat (hot flashes...LOL) I keep a 60 wt. heat emitter on all the inside babies in the Winter. I put it in the middle, because I don't use any hides, just plants and moss and I don't want them to dry out. Putting it in the middle gives just enough heat to keep it warm, but not to dry it out. Also a long tube 5.0 UVB. At night I shut off the UVB, but the heat emitter stays on 24/7 for the little ones.
 

dannel

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So do boxie hatchlings need a temp gradient and humidity gradient? BTW @terryo what are your temps/humidity in those enclosures, and what plants do you use?
 

terryo

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I never really checked the humidity. The temp. stays around 78 - 80 throughout the viv. Under the CHE it's only about 85. (which is right over the eating stone). As for the plants, the most recent vivarium that I have inside has only one side with a bunch of silk plants that are hung over the top to form a cave. I found that the silk plants stay wet longer and hold the humidity well.
 

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terryo

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I forgot to say that is a 40 gal. breeder and there is one little Gulf Coast about a year old in there.
 

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StarSapphire22

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So, I am getting my hatchlings around the end of August...will be getting 3 or 4. Is it too soon to start worm farming? I was thinking of setting up a container for red wigglers, but 4 new hatchlings can't go through big worms all that fast...I don't want to end up with a zillion million worms.
 

Saleama

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Four new hatchlings will eat you out of house and home in no time. Don't let their size fool you. These little turds can eat! I have 5 hatchlings in one tank and I have seen them power through 30 crickets within an hour. Bug parts everywhere!
 

StarSapphire22

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Okay, so I was thinking of using a spare 10 gallon and filling it mostly full with organic soil, then letting one or two dozen worms go. They can eat Littlefoot's scraps for now. Is there anything else I need to do for them? Any tips?
 

StarSapphire22

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I spent the afternoon working on the boxie enclosure...I gotta say, I really thought I'd have more to buy/do. Between the stuff I got with a Petsmart gift card I got for my bday and stuff I already had on hand, all that's left is one more water dish for the front left corner and a UV light. :D

Enclosure is a 55 gallon Rubbermaid. Substrate is 3 bricks of eco earth, 10 quarts of reptibark, and like 2ish pounds of organic potting soil leftover from making my worm farm. I might add some more bark, I haven't decided yet. All the plants are plastic aquarium plants that I cleaned up from my old aquarium supplies...should do well with the humidity and low light. :p

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions. :)
 

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