Hello, from El Paso, TX.

Marie Crowder

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Hi, I adopted three desert box turtles from my daughter this past spring. She had just moved back home (as they all do from time to time when her roommate left). I walked into her room and there were three little prehistoric creatures looking up at me in a fish tank. (I guess she thought she could keep them in her room and I wouldn't notice??) I thought OH NO, this is not going to work. So I immediately began researching and figuring out what the best habitat would be, what to feed them, etc. Somehow, I missed this forum, which would have made my first few weeks as a new turtle mom more reassuring (I posted my adventures with the baby turtles in reply to a new member post who had picked up a baby on the road). I found this forum this a.m. Every weekend, I take the two big turtles out, and let them run around the yard. I used to do this every pm after work, but now by the time I get home, it is dark and they are burrowed in their little houses. So now, all we have are weekends to play.

I keep a close eye on them, never leave them unattended for more than 2-5 mins. They can get into trouble in very little time. This a.m., one of them for the first time found some old dog poo my husband had missed on clean-up, She was intent on trying to eat it, no matter how much I tried to keep her from it. LOL!

So that is how I came onto this site. Looking forward to exploring and learning and providing the best care for our new family members, Scary Turtle Spice, Ginger Turtle Spice and Baby Turtle Spice.
 

sissyofone

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Hello and Welcome to TFO. Im in San Antonio. Goodluck with your turtles. We love pictures. And also this site imo has the most up to date info out there. There's so many people here who have so much experience with the turtles you have. I'm not one of them . But someone else will be along soon that can give you some good solid advice. Goodluck :)
 

Marie Crowder

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Hello and Welcome to TFO. Im in San Antonio. Goodluck with your turtles. We love pictures. And also this site imo has the most up to date info out there. There's so many people here who have so much experience with the turtles you have. I'm not one of them . But someone else will be along soon that can give you some good solid advice. Goodluck :)
Thank you I need some hibernation help-to hibernate or not. I am inclined to just let them tell me what they need. That is what we have been doing all summer and it seems to be working!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I wouldn't allow them to hibernate this first winter with you. Wait until you've given them almost a full year of good care and that way you'll know they are ready for hibernation.

Can we see pictures of them?
 

Marie Crowder

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I wouldn't allow them to hibernate this first winter with you. Wait until you've given them almost a full year of good care and that way you'll know they are ready for hibernation.

Can we see pictures of them?

I can't get the Media upload to work, I'll keep trying.
 

Yvonne G

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Put your pictures here in this thread. Down at the bottom of the screen, just to the right of "post reply" click on "upload a file". That takes you to the pictures in your computer. Choose a picture then when it loads, click on "full size image" then click on "post reply"
 

Marie Crowder

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Put your pictures here in this thread. Down at the bottom of the screen, just to the right of "post reply" click on "upload a file". That takes you to the pictures in your computer. Choose a picture then when it loads, click on "full size image" then click on "post reply"
Will do! Going to have my husband get some good pics of them.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ. I agree don't hibernate the first year you have them . And torts don't need hibernation . Evan though I hibernate mine . I don't hibernate the Egyptions , leopards , or the pancakes . But all else goes to sleep .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum
 

the_newzie

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Hi! I'm new too. Those are nice looking turtles! Grew up in las cruces, hope el paso's treating you well!
 

Yvonne G

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How cute is that!

May I suggest you get rid of that death trap waterer? Those really aren't good for tiny turtles and tortoises. As you can see in the picture, he's tipping over slightly as he climbs out. It wouldn't take much for him to fall upside down in the water. Get a plant saucer instead. You can still put the little pebbles in the bottom, but the sloping sides make it easier for them to climb out. Also, sink it down so the top edge is even with the substrate.

That little guy is just adorable!! I have several Terrapene ornata luteola, but I've never found any nests yet (or babies).
 

Ciri

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Very cute! I love how baby desert box turtles have a stripe right down the middle of their back! Mine had that too.

Here's some information on desert box turtle care put together by my reptile veterinarian. I would just add that I prefer to feed earthworms or hornworms (a kind of caterpillar you can buy on the Internet):

http://www.svg-vets.com/BoxTurtleDiet.htm

I try to feed them live food is much as possible as it's the closest to their natural diet. Sometimes I find caterpillars in my garden (where I grow everything organically), so I give them those. When I can I will catch a grasshopper, freeze it, remove the big legs, defrosted and feed it to a box turtle. They love grasshoppers! They also love beetle grubs which I sometimes find in the ground around the roots of plants. However I have one desert box turtle who will rarely eat a worm, and another who likes more variety. So I make up a fish/dog food mixture:

Food Mixture: 1/3 Holistic Animal Care Azmira brand Dog Food: Chicken & Beef
(open a new can weekly - otherwise they don’t eat well)
1/3 Cooked Fish (Catfish, Trout, Striped Bass, Salmon, Sole or other Fresh
Water Fish). (NOTE: Careful to remove all bones) (not farm-raised)
1/3 Vegetables: Raw or cooked: Zucchini, Green Beans, Mushrooms, Kale, chopped
small (1/8 inch or less) in the food chopper.
Add plenty of grated cuttlebone. (Grate the cuttlebone simply by scraping a spoon over the cuttlebone while being careful not to let any pieces of the backing get in the food. (Georgia got a cut in her mouth one time when a piece of backing got in the food.)
I use the Azmira brand of dog food because the company told me that they use meat that is graded for human consumption.
To feed: Put about 1 Tbps Food mixture on small piece of paper plate per turtle (use 6” paper plate cut in half).
Give them 20 minutes to eat their food, then pick up the left-over food and plates

Desert box turtles are rugged individualists, so I have learned to tune in to what they need and like most. They can get addicted to certain foods, especially fruit. So I don't give them fruit if they don't eat their protein food, since too much fruit creates an imbalance in their system. Also some worms that are high in fat are ones they should not eat all that often, such as super worms. Too much fat in their system can make them very sick.

Good luck with your desert box turtles. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.
 

pam

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Welcome :) Soooooooooooooooooooo cute :)
 

Ciri

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I forgot to mention that for water dishes I have found that people dishes are cheaper and seem to last longer. I have searched for a long time for the ideal water dish, and have found some good ones on the Crate & Barrel website. I look for a low dish which is around 9 inches wide. This particular dish is my favorite but there are several other good ones:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/search?query=Hue Low Bowl

For indoors I look for something that they can't easily tip over, and outdoors a dish with a more curved bottom than this one works nicely when you dig out a little soil to fit it into the ground.

I sanitize dishes to avoid getting the turtle sick. I put mine into a dishwasher and use a heated drying cycle to sanitize. However, you can also use a bleach and water mixture, soak dishes for 20 minutes and rinse them thoroughly. I would only do that with a glazed ceramic dish, rather than a porous terra-cotta type of dish, as it would absorb the bleach and that would not be healthy for the turtle.
 

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