Boxie Hatchling Care
- Thread starter StarSapphire22
- Start date
I look forward to it
He's who I got my little Hermann's tortoise from (Tallula)
Mine too! He's pretty smart.
Your enclosure looks great. As for the worms, just don't let it get too wet....moist, but not wet.
Thanks Terry!
We've now decided to get 5 hatchlings! They will be Pippin, Sprout, Luna, Willow, and Echo.
Worms need dark. I use a 10 gal tub from Wal-Mart with the lid that can be locked down because they will escape a loose lid.. I put about 4 inches of coco coir and wet it down so it is moist, not wet wet. I use coco coir because it is the same as what I have in the turtle tanks and I can just scoop out a bit with worms in it and drop right into the tank with the turtles. I bought 2000 worms from Uncle Jim's worm farm and dumped them in, chopped up all my veggie and fruit scraps like strawberry tops, celery tops and ends...you get the picture, mix that up with fine ground egg shells and pour it on top. Layer it with news paper (they eat this as well) and wet that down. Cover the top and let them do their thing. After about 6 months I will get a second tub because they tend to stop breeding when there are a lot of worms in there. The black "dirt" that starts to form is worm poop (castings they call it) and is great for the garden!
I do the same thing as Stephen. When you see that there is mostly castings, (it you leave it alone it will become wet and they will eventually die) then push everything over to one side. On the empty side put some new substrate with some ripped up newspaper and greens. Eventually all the worms will go over to the new side and then you can take out the castings and use it for your plants and gardens.
Does printer paper work instead of newspaper? I don't get the newspaper.
I have the same question. Also, to get plenty of paper just grab a handfull of adds when you go to the grocery store. i get 5 or 6 whenever I run out and it lasts for a few months. One paper would last you for a very long time. The main reason to laydown paper is so fruit flys will not lay eggs in your worm dirt. They will not go through the news paper.Does printer paper work instead of newspaper? I don't get the newspaper.
Do I need to cover the entire surface in paper? I read somewhere they can't have colored ink (only black and white) and all our newspapers and adds seem to be colored.
I tear the newspaper in strips and then into small squares. I have friends who use no soil, only newspapers and then throw in all their veggie and fruit scraps. The worms eat everything including the paper. They even eat paper towels. I can't answer about the colored paper as I only throw in the black and white. I also put drainage holes in the bottom and put the tub in another plastic shorter, but bigger tub to collect any water.
Here is a site to buy the worms and to show you how to set up the bin.
http://www.cathyscomposters.com/instructions.htm
http://www.cathyscomposters.com/instructions.htm
So I wanted to take some time to write down the info I received from Chris...I know he's super busy right now with nesting season. This info was accumulated through a lengthy phone call and some emails and is by no means all encompassing, but good info nonetheless!
Chris recommends starting boxie hatchlings in a Rubbermaid bin, with the lid, flat on the ground (or stand/table/whatever). He does not provide a basking light or temperature gradient for his hatchlings (he, in fact, strongly recommends against it), and says that an average room temperature of 70-75 should be adequate. However, he did say that if you find yourself on the lower end of their temperature range and are noticing less activity, you could use a heating pad below 6-8 inches of substrate for a gentle heat to warm them up. For substrates he recommends cypress mulch, Zoomed Forest floor, leaf litter, dirt, coco coir, etc. "To make it as close to a nasty, wet forest floor as possible." Babies should be kept moist and humid, even wet, and have plenty of leaf litter/moss to hide under, as that's where they would spend most of their time in the wild. Since they spend so much time under cover, they can be skittish under bright lights. Using a 5.0 UV fluorescent tube for about 8-12 hours, 4 days a week, should give them enough UV and allow them to have the darkness they love. Taking them outside when weather is appropriate is good too. They need a water dish or two available at all times so they can soak as needed, and should be carefully monitored to avoid dehydration. Using a "mash" diet a few times a week is encouraged, to help them get a variety in their diet, plus it's easy for your babies to eat if they ever get sick and they will be used to this diet then if that ever happens. He switches his recipe every week or so, but one example is banana, mazuri tortoise diet, ground turkey, and peas and carrot blend put through a food processor. Live worms, crickets, etc. are also good. He feeds all meat raw, and usually avoids chicken for this reason (more for his own safety and cleanliness in his operation). He recommends against beef products, but does say that beef heart is a great option, if you can get it. He notices babies to really start eating greens around 6 months. He also mentioned the you should hand feed (especially worms, etc.) when possible to get them used to you...because they're so skittish to begin with, it really helps down the road to be able to handle and inspect for injuries or health issues down the road if they know who you are.
One of my big takeaways from our discussion was when he said that if you keep boxies, you can't think of them as tortoises. Their care is too different, and sometimes tortoise people struggle with boxies not because they're hard, but because they're different.
As you can see...It was a very informative discussion!
This info was accumulated through a lengthy phone call and some emails and is by no means all encompassing, but good info nonetheless!Chris recommends starting boxie hatchlings in a Rubbermaid bin, with the lid, flat on the ground (or stand/table/whatever). He does not provide a basking light or temperature gradient for his hatchlings (he, in fact, strongly recommends against it), and says that an average room temperature of 70-75 should be adequate. However, he did say that if you find yourself on the lower end of their temperature range and are noticing less activity, you could use a heating pad below 6-8 inches of substrate for a gentle heat to warm them up. For substrates he recommends cypress mulch, Zoomed Forest floor, leaf litter, dirt, coco coir, etc. "To make it as close to a nasty, wet forest floor as possible." Babies should be kept moist and humid, even wet, and have plenty of leaf litter/moss to hide under, as that's where they would spend most of their time in the wild. Since they spend so much time under cover, they can be skittish under bright lights. Using a 5.0 UV fluorescent tube for about 8-12 hours, 4 days a week, should give them enough UV and allow them to have the darkness they love. Taking them outside when weather is appropriate is good too. They need a water dish or two available at all times so they can soak as needed, and should be carefully monitored to avoid dehydration. Using a "mash" diet a few times a week is encouraged, to help them get a variety in their diet, plus it's easy for your babies to eat if they ever get sick and they will be used to this diet then if that ever happens. He switches his recipe every week or so, but one example is banana, mazuri tortoise diet, ground turkey, and peas and carrot blend put through a food processor. Live worms, crickets, etc. are also good. He feeds all meat raw, and usually avoids chicken for this reason (more for his own safety and cleanliness in his operation). He recommends against beef products, but does say that beef heart is a great option, if you can get it. He notices babies to really start eating greens around 6 months. He also mentioned the you should hand feed (especially worms, etc.) when possible to get them used to you...because they're so skittish to begin with, it really helps down the road to be able to handle and inspect for injuries or health issues down the road if they know who you are.
One of my big takeaways from our discussion was when he said that if you keep boxies, you can't think of them as tortoises. Their care is too different, and sometimes tortoise people struggle with boxies not because they're hard, but because they're different.
As you can see...It was a very informative discussion!
So, we've had other members asking about Boxie hatchling care lately...maybe we should have this stickied? Or have someone mash it all together into one caresheet and then stickied?
You can check the bottom of the circulars and papers to see what type of ink is used. Many of them use organic ink made from beet juice and other stuff. I would love to know if shredded office paper can be used?
I used it and paper towels, so I hope so!
When are you getting your babies
Chris expects them to hatch around August 14th. I am hoping to get them around the 25th-ish? But may be closer to beginning of September.
