Cooler weather

[cc123]

My box turtle has barely eaten since it got down to the 50s at night. The daytime temps are still in the 70s. She does come out of her house and lie on her rocks, but refuses worms her favorite food. And now she is not eating her daily veggie/fruit pieces. Has she gone into brumation even tho she's still coming out of her burrow? She is in an 8*10 outside enclosure with a pond and has dug down a little burrow about 6 inches deep. Which I don't feel like is deep enough. Should I loosen the soil for her? And is her lack of appetite normal this time of year? Thanks! You guys are awesome

 

[DoubleD1996!]

My box turtle has barely eaten since it got down to the 50s at night. The daytime temps are still in the 70s. She does come out of her house and lie on her rocks, but refuses worms her favorite food. And now she is not eating her daily veggie/fruit pieces. Has she gone into brumation even tho she's still coming out of her burrow? She is in an 8*10 outside enclosure with a pond and has dug down a little burrow about 6 inches deep. Which I don't feel like is deep enough. Should I loosen the soil for her? And is her lack of appetite normal this time of year? Thanks! You guys are awesome

If she doesn't have any swelling in the eyes or discharge from nose, I wouldn't be concerned.

Appetite tends to decline as we get down into these lower temps. You've gotta remember these guys are ectothermic, so they rely on basking to aid digestion. They slow down this time of year with food, because anything left in the stomach when it's cold can potentially rot.

You're more than likely experiencing a cold snap now until the temperature truly starts to drop, so she may eat a few more meals. If the temps go up.

As far as her burrowing, I wouldn't worry about it. She knows what to do. Just be sure to provide her with things like dead grass and the falling leaves and dump them in her enclosure. This gives her something to hide under, and acts as a buffer against the cold. Especially that decaying grass. It gets nice in warm in the sun during winter.

 

[jeff kushner]

Relax CC,

Yup....everything DoubleD said!

Fwiw: I'm not a pro but i read a lot.....reptiles require heat for digestion and since they don't generate their own as DD noted above, they typically need temps in the low 80's to digest their stomach contents.

Pics seem to go a long way on this forum....just saying...