Making sure I'm doing things right!

[Defiant]

Hello all this is my first post aside from my introduction. I am the proud owner of a new Three Toed Box. It has a really short tail making me assume its a female. I have had her for about 2 weeks and she would not eat until yesturday. I was told to try and give her 2nd step gerber meat baby food. She ate that happily as well as a single meal worm. I offer her Dilly worms, mealworms and some kale, mustard greens and for the most part get turned down. A few things about her enclosure which is temporary. She is in a 54gallon Rubbermaid with a mix of Eco-Earth and Cypress Mulch as a substrate approx. 4 inches deep. Temps are 85-90 on the hot side using a Mega-Ray SB100W MVB. Which she doesn't really stay under. The cool end is 70-72 and humidity is avg of 60-65%. She doesn't really do anything but stay burrowed in the substrate all day long. She is very active when I dig her up and hold her. I soak her 1-2 times a day using pedialyte as she won't eat. She has yet to use the bathroom. Unless shes doing it underground. If there are any tips or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Also with the new tale I'm building her I was curious on which plants I can grow inside to provide a lil bit more comfortability as well as snacking if she should so choose to munch. Here are some photos to give a visual idea of where shes at now.

 

[Greg T]

I'm not a box turtle expert, but what you have sure seems to be a good setup. I think it spends a lot of time hiding because it is small and natural instinct tells it to hide from potential enemies. As it settles in, I bet it becomes more active. It is probably pooping in the burrows, so you may never see it. It is a beautiful baby!

 

[Yvonne G]

Baby box turtles do eat more animal protein than fruits and veggies, changing that habit as they get older. However, I always offer it anyway. I couldn't resist buying a Slap Chop after seeing the commercial , so I cut off a bit of strawberry, a bit of cucumber, a bit of red-leaf lettuce, a bit of zucchini and I slap chop to my heart's content. When the pieces are pretty small, I put it in the baby box turtle habitat, then I'll put either some red worms or some meal worms on top of it all. Sometimes I add a tiny bit of canned cat food to the mixture before I chop it all up. I don't only use the above-mentioned fruits and veggies. I feed them whatever veggies and fruits I happen to be feeding the tortoises that day. A nice variety. I feed babies every day.

 

[terryo]

Baby boxies born in the wild stay under leaf litter and will eat any little live thingie that passes by them. It is almost impossible to find one.
I always keep my hatchlings in a heavily planted vivarium, with lots of leaf litter for hiding. Watering the plants keep the humidity up, and also give them more natural places to hide. I put a little plastic tub with a drop of water in it inside their viv. to feed them. This way they aren't stressed. You can offer some little blood worms, or pill bugs or chopped worms..small red wigglers, tiny crickets..etc. I also throw in some ReptoMin. When they're older you can soak some mazuri and add some chopped fruit and greens. This is my favorite site for pictures and information on baby boxies. I copy most of my vivariums from him.
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/raisingbabyturtles.htm

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Terry gave complete and really good advice. The only thing I would add is that they like to be really wet. In the wild they are prey so they stay hidden all the time. So you need to put it's food in then leave so it can't see you. Baby box turtles like to eat early in the morning and again in the evening. They cannot resist anything that moves so get the worms,crickets that Terry suggested and have at it!
What I do is put a brick under one end of the box then pour in water so it's kind of a bog at that end. Baby box turtles will spend a lot of time in the water so they really like that kind of a set up. Make sure he stays warm because it's bad news to be wet and cold. But warm and wet is alright.

 

[chadk]

some high quality canned cat food may get the little 'girl' interested in some food. Maybe even a bit of canned tuna. My boxies can't resist that. Keep her hydrated and feeling safe. Do you have the light on a timer? I'd make sure she has access to some natural \ ambient light in the room. Then only use the heat lamp an hour after sunrise and an hour before. The soft natural ambient light may encourage her to come foraging for food while feeling safe.

My boxies also love slugs and snails and earth worms they find (or I put in) in their outdoor pen.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Your little girl is beautiful! I think your habitat looks great - but I agree with Maggie - they need to be quite warm and wet. My little hatchlings eat anything that wiggles - superworms, earthworms, and butterworms (which I hear are high in calcium.) I drop them right in front of them so they're sure to see it. After they've become used to the routine - like learning my voice means food - I add chopped up chicken, turtle chow, fruits and veggies. They "accidentally" eat the fruits and veggies while chowing down on the proteins and learn to like them. I also add a few drops of cod liver oil once a week and calcium once a week - plus a cuttlebone to chew on whenever. Good luck!

 

[Defiant]

Wow what awesome feedback very much appreciated. I have been trying to feed her in a seperate habitat because when I put food in her habitat she doesn't come up from the substrate. So I tried digging her up putting her under the MVB and letting her warm up first then setting the food dish next to her left her alot for an hour came to check on her and all the food was there I chopped up some dilly worms from walmart and threw some mealworms in as well. Ill have to try crickets but wont the just jump around the habitat? and most of the live bugs I have to find because they escape even out of the little meal worm dish I bought. Should I just let them free like just have pill bugs hiding and running around her habitat? Im new to this so any suggestions are very much appreciated. So many questions lol It is very important for me to provide the right type of care as I have opted myself has her care taker and provider. And as far as plants go in the habitat I have read many many different plants what would be suggested to put in with her. I plan to put a pool/water area in her new table. I hope the plants and leaf litter help her not dig and hide from me I would love for her to enjoy her home.

 

[terryo]

Here's what I do. I put the little tub right in her vivarium, so she can't get out, but can feel comfortable while she eats. I just leave her there for about a half hour. When I come back most everything is gone. I always throw a tiny bit of fruit...maybe a very small piece of strawberry, jus in case she might take a nibble. She is very tiny, but I have seen a few bites out of the berry. Hope this helps.
This is the little tub inside the viv.

 

[Defiant]

I tried that Terry and it worked very well thank you so much for your help that was a great idea maybe taking her all the way out of her enclosure was making her nervous or something. here is a picture of her eating.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Awesome!!! I always give my babies (turtle or tortoise) a warm soak before I offer food. That way I know they are awake and warm and interested (or should be) in eating. How cute it is to see those little turtles eating those big worms. I love those pictures!