Desert Box Turtle Food Recommendations

[sassyjnj]

Hello!

New box turtle owner! Looking for some recommendations for a good quality formula/pellet products available for box turtles. I have her(?) on a rotation right now every other day so she doesn't get picky with me. The different meals consists of a vegetable bowl with calcium powder (squash, carrots, and collard greens blended in a food processor), live superworms, or the T-Rex Box Turtle Dry Formula.

The previous owners gave me the T-Rex dry formula and I just don't know if it's really the best for her. The first three ingredients listed are all corn. Would something with more protein be better? I've seen people recommend aquatic turtle pellets for box turtles and I saw tortoise food on the pinned post. Would love to hear what other people are using.

Also a small side question about humidity so I don't have to make a separate post: I'm really struggling to find information on the recommended humidity for a desert box turtle. How much humidity does she need and how is that managed without over-doing it?

 

[PJay]

Welcome to box turtles! There are several high quality commercial foods on the market that are suitable for box turtles. Box turtle diet is similar enough to most aquatic turtles to use commercial foods labeled as being prepared for aquatics. I use Omega One turtle sticks, Hikari turtle food and Mazuri aquatic turtle food. Omega One is expensive, but it's first three ingredients are natural protein sources in the form of fish. Hikari seems to turn hatchlings into some really nice juveniles and claims to contain a probiotic ingredient for the digestive system. Mazuri Aquatic Turtle Food is a nice cost effective commercial food that will provide all the basic nutrients at a fair price. I alternate all three commercial foods along with a variety of insects, worms, fruit and leafy greens. Many box turtles will not eat the leafy greens so you may have to chop or puree them and add to their favorite foods. You can also feed the greens to insects before offering the insects to the turtles. I wouldn't give tortoise food to a box turtle as they tend to be high fiber, vegetation based foods.

As a rule, hatchling and juvenile box turtles need more humidity than adults to prevent dehydration. Don't be fooled by the label of "desert" box turtle. While they do live in more arid environments than many box turtles, they will be active during the time of day when the air carries more moisture and retreat to areas such as the underground burrows of other animals that stay cooler and more humid during the hottest, driest part of the day. I keep my desert box turtles at a 60-70% humidity level and they seem to be thriving at that level.

 

[ColleenT]

There is a link in my signature which is a huge article about box turtle feeding.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I essentially have a shelf full of various foods for my yearling box turtle. I keep switching them up in what I feed her. Some she likes better than others. I haven't tried the Mazuri yet.

I like the ZooMed Natural Aquatic Turtle diets pretty well. My boxie gets their Juvenile turtle formula. She likes them okay. I like that they'll get soft (easier to eat) if you put them in water, but they don't fall apart very quickly (less mess).

As @PJay said, you really can't beat the Omega One Juvenile Turtle pellets on ingredients. This seems to be a favorite of my box turtle, and at least one of my hatchling mud turtles really likes it too. (The other mud turtle would rather not eat anything that wasn't alive, but does make a occasional exceptions.)

The ReptoMin Pro Juvenile Turtle Formula is a favorite of all three turtles. Even my teensy tiny picky mud turtle will peck at it - and for that turtle, it's an endorsement!

I've had mixed luck with the Saki-Hikari turtle food. My boxie will eat it... sometimes... but not often. The one mud turtle who eats pretty much anything I give him, will eat it. I don't think it's a favorite, though.

I also rotate through the Hikari Cichlid Staple and the Hikari Wheat Germ (Koi food). The Hikari Cichlid Staple is much like the ZooMed Natural Aquatic Turtle food, but it holds together longer in water and stays more solid in water for a longer time, too. My box turtle is fairly indifferent... She can take it or leave it, doesn't go looking for it. The Hikari Wheat Germ, on the other hand, she likes. I imagine this one probably tastes different than the rest. I like using it as part of a varied diet, along with greens, insects, earthworms, etc.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I have other commercial "box turtle foods" that my boxie wouldn't eat more than a time or two. I stopped being frustrated when I realized I could feed it to earthworms, crickets, earwigs and superworms. It isn't the only thing I gutload with, but I certainly don't mind the ingredients getting into the feeder insects and earthworms. Especially considering my teensy tiny picky hatchling mud turtle.