Eyes?

[Tijjer]

Heres a picture of my baby's eyes. This eye that I'm focusing on tends to usually be squinted when I wake her up. I'm assuming that shes not soaking long enough? Since winter has been making her slow down she hasn't really been wanting to soak as of late and the same with eating (she basically wants to sleep mostly). Alongside that heres other information-

I have one side of her terrarium ( a 50 gallon, quite huge) heated with a heat lamp which heats up (and gets UVA) her water/soak dish below and the other side which is cool and just only gets uva/uvb in which she tends to spend most of her day in. I also make sure to mist and her bedding is that coconut type tortoise bedding that she loves to borrow into. Her breathing seems to be fine and theres no mucus coming out of her noise. I feed her aquatic turtle pellets, strawberries (which she majorly eats) and have been trying to feed her some lettuce (romaine), tomatoes, and box turtle pellets from ZooMed.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[Yvonne G]

Sometimes it's pretty hard to keep a turtle that normally hibernates awake during the winter. All I can suggest is make sure to check and double check the temperature on the floor of the habitat and keep your lights on for 14 hours a day. Also, re-read the box turtle care sheet and adjust your turtle's diet.

 

[HLogic]

Try earthworms or crickets. I'll bet either one gets her going...

 

[Tijjer]

Try earthworms or crickets. I'll bet either one gets her going...

I was thinking the same would do. As much as I want to go out and by some earthworms I'm worried that she won't eat those either. Sigh shes just a very picky eater as I always say. I guess When the snow lets up here in a few days I'll go get her some earthworms or redworms and see! I remember trying a cricket before...well a mole cricket that had gotten into our house. Lets just say she was not amused and didn't take any interest in it.

 

[Tijjer]

Sometimes it's pretty hard to keep a turtle that normally hibernates awake during the winter. All I can suggest is make sure to check and double check the temperature on the floor of the habitat and keep your lights on for 14 hours a day. Also, re-read the box turtle care sheet and adjust your turtle's diet.

Shes not allowed to hibernate. She just got her new tank and I heard that if they just been given a new home not to hibernate. Plus I'm rather inexperienced at hibernation so thats one reason I don't let her do so. I've never though of having her lets on for an extra hour or two. I usually turn them on in the morning and turn them off when it gets dark early and as soon as the heat lamp cools off switch the day bulb with the night bulb.

 

[Yvonne G]

I wasn't suggesting you allow hibernation, merely stating that they WANT to hibernate and its sometimes hard to keep them active during this time.

 

[dmmj]

I can"t guarantee but even picky boxes, love earth worms.

 

[Randi]

What are your temperatures inside the enclosure? Especially your basking spot? Humidity?

Does she get any insects at all? I'd also expand her greens. A great website for looking up foods is the Tortoise Table Plant Database. I just google it and it pops right up at the top. You can look through the categories on the site. You can determine which plants are safe to feed and what to avoid. If you click "See More" under the plant being shown, it gives a lot of info. It also has a recommended frequency for feeding. Good luck to you and yours.

 

[Tijjer]

What are your temperatures inside the enclosure? Especially your basking spot? Humidity?

Does she get any insects at all? I'd also expand her greens. A great website for looking up foods is the Tortoise Table Plant Database. I just google it and it pops right up at the top. You can look through the categories on the site. You can determine which plants are safe to feed and what to avoid. If you click "See More" under the plant being shown, it gives a lot of info. It also has a recommended frequency for feeding. Good luck to you and yours.

Temperatures tend to only get too 23.0-9 C or 24.0-9 C (75 watt for day and 60 for night) and as for humidity my gauge tends to say comfortable when her temps are in that range and humidity I think like...50? She doesn't really get any insects as I previously mentioned but before posting this thread I did think of buying earth/redworms and now I think I will. And yes I also want to expand her greens too. We get a lot of dandelions in spring/summer so I thought I would see about gathering some of them. I'll check out the that website, sounds very useful!

 

[Tijjer]

I wasn't suggesting you allow hibernation, merely stating that they WANT to hibernate and its sometimes hard to keep them active during this time.

Oh sorry, I kinda of skimmed it. Anyhow, yes it is hard keeping her active. There was like one day where she came out by herself, but other then that I've been basically getting her up and running and just recently I put my foot down and told her that she was going to bask every day (for like an half-an-hour or so) and during this period she would not be allowed in her hut. We both wish spring would come faster :/

 

[Randi]

Temperatures tend to only get too 23.0-9 C or 24.0-9 C (75 watt for day and 60 for night) and as for humidity my gauge tends to say comfortable when her temps are in that range and humidity I think like...50? She doesn't really get any insects as I previously mentioned but before posting this thread I did think of buying earth/redworms and now I think I will. And yes I also want to expand her greens too. We get a lot of dandelions in spring/summer so I thought I would see about gathering some of them. I'll check out the that website, sounds very useful!

To keep her active and get her metabolism up, I'd raise your temperatures. I think it is too cold in the enclosure. They need a basking spot. I believe the basking spot can be 32*C. Do you have a hygrometer in the enclosure so you know what the humidity is? 50% is low for these guys.

 

[Tijjer]

To keep her active and get her metabolism up, I'd raise your temperatures. I think it is too cold in the enclosure. They need a basking spot. I believe the basking spot can be 32*C. Do you have a hygrometer in the enclosure so you know what the humidity is? 50% is low for these guys.

How much should I increase the temperature by? Should I go for a 100 watt heat bulb? (though whenever I see her bask she seems quite enjoyed) And yes I have a hygrometer thats also a thermostat. Her humidity I try to go for 60% or whatever it says is comfortable. What is the right humidity for her?

Edit: I looked up some sources and it for the heat it really seems to vary. One says that a 75 (the one I currently have now) is good but another says that 85 is the maximum. And on says 85-90. So should I go with the source and increase the heat to a 85?

 

[Randi]

I would increase the basking spot to 30*C or 32*C (87*F to 90*F). The rest of the tank will be lower then the basking spot. You want a warm side and cool side. Don't let the tank fall below 75*F to 80*F, at night especially. That can cause respiratory problems. Your temperatures can be lowered a bit as your baby feels better but I would try to boost the metabolism first with heat. I'd raise your humidity to 75-80% in the tank. Misting twice a day with warm water will help with humidity. Possibly closing off the top on one side can help keep humidity and heat in. Low humidity will result in dehydration, eyes that stay shut, problems shedding, etc. Give a small area that is dry so they can choose. I would buy a hygrometer that gives a digital reading where you place a probe inside the tank, as well as a thermometer. You can also place glass ones near those to be sure on temps. You can soak with warm water if you feel s/he isn't doing it. Good luck to you and yours.

 

[Tijjer]

I would increase the basking spot to 30*C or 32*C (87*F to 90*F). The rest of the tank will be lower then the basking spot. You want a warm side and cool side. Don't let the tank fall below 75*F to 80*F, at night especially. That can cause respiratory problems. Your temperatures can be lowered a bit as your baby feels better but I would try to boost the metabolism first with heat. I'd raise your humidity to 75-80% in the tank. Misting twice a day with warm water will help with humidity. Possibly closing off the top on one side can help keep humidity and heat in. Low humidity will result in dehydration, eyes that stay shut, problems shedding, etc. Give a small area that is dry so they can choose. I would buy a hygrometer that gives a digital reading where you place a probe inside the tank, as well as a thermometer. You can also place glass ones near those to be sure on temps. You can soak with warm water if you feel s/he isn't doing it. Good luck to you and yours.

Ok so more heat, a watt of 100, She already has a cool and heat side, increase the humidity, and get another humidity/temperature gauge for the other side (which I was planning on at some point). I'll make sure she soaks two times a day in till she seems to brighten up (which at the time of this writing shes currently soaking). Thanks Randi for the help!