First time posting ... Florida box turtle very inactive & worried about diet

[CatsinQ]

Hi, along with many others I thought I was doing a box turtle a "favor" last year when I picked it up and brought it inside to take care of it. Not my best idea, granted. I had never kept any reptile before. At the time he or she was about the size of a silver dollar and is now about 4.5 inches long. I am getting concerned though because he spends most of his time hiding. I never see or hear him walking around although I find him in various places, so he must be moving around a little. I don't really handle him except to give him an occasional bath and I dig him up about every other day to feed him. Is this lack of activity normal? Or is it a sign of some kind of turtle depression?
My second concern is that he WILL NOT EAT anything but protein. I can get him to take one or two bites of fruit but he prefers to eat only meat. I was feeding him live worms and pillbugs and then he tasted some cat food (I make my cat food myself using raw chicken, organ meats, eggs, and some supplements) and he loved it. So, he mostly eats cat food. I try mixing tiny bits of fruit in with his chicken but then he ignores it completely.
Clearly he's growing and looks healthy, but I am concerned. Is his lack of activity normal, and how can I get him to expand his diet?
As for his habitat, he is in a 3-foot diameter kiddie pool with a light lamp and heat lamp. He has a below substrate pool (a round pie plate with gravel in the bottom), I also splash water all over the habitat so maintain high humidity. He has two hides, one is made of stone and is right next to the heat source, the other is a half log from the pet store. His substrate is basically vermiculture compost - dirt and twigs and leaves from outside with worms living in it. I put about a cup of raw fruits/veggies in it each week for the worms, so it has a LOT of worms. He used to eat them but now he prefers chicken! I harvest the dirt for house plants and replenish with new material.

Thanks for any help you can give.

PS: I have cats; they can't get at him, but sometimes they do peer over the top of his enclosure and I suppose he knows they're there.

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum, @CastinQ .

Please post pics which would enable us to help you more easily.

 

[Eric Phillips]

Hi, along with many others I thought I was doing a box turtle a "favor" last year when I picked it up and brought it inside to take care of it. Not my best idea, granted. I had never kept any reptile before. At the time he or she was about the size of a silver dollar and is now about 4.5 inches long. I am getting concerned though because he spends most of his time hiding. I never see or hear him walking around although I find him in various places, so he must be moving around a little. I don't really handle him except to give him an occasional bath and I dig him up about every other day to feed him. Is this lack of activity normal? Or is it a sign of some kind of turtle depression?
My second concern is that he WILL NOT EAT anything but protein. I can get him to take one or two bites of fruit but he prefers to eat only meat. I was feeding him live worms and pillbugs and then he tasted some cat food (I make my cat food myself using raw chicken, organ meats, eggs, and some supplements) and he loved it. So, he mostly eats cat food. I try mixing tiny bits of fruit in with his chicken but then he ignores it completely.
Clearly he's growing and looks healthy, but I am concerned. Is his lack of activity normal, and how can I get him to expand his diet?
As for his habitat, he is in a 3-foot diameter kiddie pool with a light lamp and heat lamp. He has a below substrate pool (a round pie plate with gravel in the bottom), I also splash water all over the habitat so maintain high humidity. He has two hides, one is made of stone and is right next to the heat source, the other is a half log from the pet store. His substrate is basically vermiculture compost - dirt and twigs and leaves from outside with worms living in it. I put about a cup of raw fruits/veggies in it each week for the worms, so it has a LOT of worms. He used to eat them but now he prefers chicken! I harvest the dirt for house plants and replenish with new material.

Thanks for any help you can give.

PS: I have cats; they can't get at him, but sometimes they do peer over the top of his enclosure and I suppose he knows they're there.

Hello CatsinQ and welcome! Gillian made a great point, if you can post pictures of your turtle and habitat it would be most helpful to assess the situation. Yes, Box Turtles do slow down this time of year even in the southern states. However, there could be some lighting or husbandry issue also causing your turtle to be less active. Pictures can help us help you. As for protein only diet...don’t worry there are many ways to help a picky protein eater to eat a more varied diet. 1) Blend for your friend....blend vitamin A greens like red lettuce, mustard greens, etc. with fruits, vegetables, and steamed sweet potato till you get a nice mash, then coat your worms with the mash I would then start gradually feeding the mash alone. I would also consider purchasing mazuri aquatic sticks, Omega one turtle sticks, or Hikari and provide the floating sticks in the weekly soaks. The water will absorb some nutrients from the sticks and if you can get your turtle eating the sticks then you can incorporate them into your fruits and veggies dish. I would also make sure to serve a different variety of proteins to not get it used to just worms, etc.. For example my box turtles love boiled or scrambled eggs with the shell. Be creative and think out of the box to provide a more variety diet.

I am also a firm believer the sooner you can get them on pellets/sticks the easier the transition to other variety foods.

Just remember there isn’t a 1 fix all, might have to experiment to find a combination that works.
Good luck!

 

[CatsinQ]

Thanks you guys for responding so quickly - had to wait til I got home to post pics. Here he is, he is kind of wet but hopefully you can see him well. Also his habitat and his baby picture - a couple days after I found him. At that point I was trying to get him to eat meal worms.

 

[lisa127]

Thanks you guys for responding so quickly - had to wait til I got home to post pics. Here he is, he is kind of wet but hopefully you can see him well. Also his habitat and his baby picture - a couple days after I found him. At that point I was trying to get him to eat meal worms.

Cutie! You have a gulf coast box turtle, not a Florida box turtle. Young turtles do love their protein so your problem is common. Try erics suggestions. Eventually he will begin nibbling.

 

[CatsinQ]

So I shouldn't worry about his lack of moving around? LOL - I called him a Florida Box Turtle because I found him here in Florida - and it turns out to be a real type of turtle! I do live about a third of a mile from the beach. How can you tell he is a Gulf Coast type? And he looks healthy? He's grown a lot hasn't he?

 

[lisa127]

So I shouldn't worry about his lack of moving around? LOL - I called him a Florida Box Turtle because I found him here in Florida - and it turns out to be a real type of turtle! I do live about a third of a mile from the beach. How can you tell he is a Gulf Coast type? And he looks healthy? He's grown a lot hasn't he?

Yes, both gulf coasts and floridas are native to florida and they look very different from each other. Gulf coast, like you have, are the largest sub species of box turtle. Thats why it seems hes grown a lot. As you said, you see evidence of him exploring so i would not worry so long as hes eating and growing. Yes, he looks healthy. He may become more outgoing with age and size. I have one a bit smaller than yours. Hes 15 months old.

 

[lisa127]

This is a Florida box turtle
https://www.google.com/search?clien...YktIRyOM:&scso=uid_WhUBRgACk6AKg8eCZg02FA_8:0