Ok I just recently got a baby box turtle for Christmas. He is doing super well and he isn't even scared of me anymore. I have plans to build him a new enclosure but for now I wanted to know what plants are safe for him. Also how long do I leave his light on. I have heard different times. Some say 12 hours, some 10, and some even 14. I have been keeping it on for 14 but by 8 in the evening he buries himself. So I am thinking he is setting his own schedule. Also he doesn't have a lot to do. The biggest excitement for him is catching his crickets or meal worms. Can I take him out and let him explore or is there something he would enjoy in his enclosure. I have his water dish but it just covers his feet and the bottom of his shell. I don't want him to drown but I want him to have enough. He is about the size of a half dollar. He seems well adjusted and is beginning to respond to my voice. Any advice is great. Thanks.
Plants for baby box turtle house.
- Thread starter jennise77
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Baby box turtles are shy, they natually stay burried, and stuff. Its good that he/she is not super shy, because i use to have a few that were really shy. Lights should be on 12-14hours a day, i would say 13hrs, lol.. i keep it simple. They just need a good day night cycle, its important. I use to use all differnt styles of plants. For indoors i just kept them in the pots they came in, and put the soil as deep as the pots or deeper. I would not be to worried on the type of plants, they know whats good or bad, but if you google it you can find safe plant list. I use to have lots of logs, and deep soil, i think thats important. I would just keep a eye on humidity, and don't be to worried about bored.
Don't let him out to roam, its not good for the turtle, and can only cause problems. Add half logs, hides, ect.. also deep soil with the soil going up and down, and not just flat across can help.
Don't let him out to roam, its not good for the turtle, and can only cause problems. Add half logs, hides, ect.. also deep soil with the soil going up and down, and not just flat across can help.
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Hi...Congrats on the box turtle present. I have one that sounds like the same size as yours that was dug up during the construction of a home. He was really scared of me for about 4 months, then learned that the fishworms were associated with me!
Make sure your substrate is quite damp underneath a barely damp surface. Stir it up weekly after picking out poops. They need high humidity. And they dig in & totallly bury themselves. I keep a long handled wooden spoon nearby to dig them up when I need to.
And give him a good soak in warm water for 30-40 minutes at least every other day. When he gets a little bigger, you can use a small paint roller pan for him to walk in by himself. My little one does now occasionally. And my 3" one-eyed boxie goes in and out several time a day. I push their sand/cypress mix up to the edges so they can't fall in & never put enough water in so they could drown.
Dandelion leaves & flowers are great if you can find some with no fertilizer or weed killer on them. Allyssum, grape leaves, hibiscus leaves & flowers, nasturtiums, opuntia cactus, cornflowers, fuscia, portulaca, ice plant, hosta, echinacea, kalanchoe, rose of sharon leaves & flowers, dessert rose, butterfly bush, are a few plants & shrubs that can be planted in his enclosure, both inside or out. Just make sure not to use fertilizer and dont spray for bugs. If need be, spray the plant with dish soap & rinse well. I use bagged cow manure from Walmart to pot my critter-eating plants with. Depending on where you live, you can find most of these in a garden shop or Home Depot.
Good luck
Patsy
Make sure your substrate is quite damp underneath a barely damp surface. Stir it up weekly after picking out poops. They need high humidity. And they dig in & totallly bury themselves. I keep a long handled wooden spoon nearby to dig them up when I need to.
And give him a good soak in warm water for 30-40 minutes at least every other day. When he gets a little bigger, you can use a small paint roller pan for him to walk in by himself. My little one does now occasionally. And my 3" one-eyed boxie goes in and out several time a day. I push their sand/cypress mix up to the edges so they can't fall in & never put enough water in so they could drown.
Dandelion leaves & flowers are great if you can find some with no fertilizer or weed killer on them. Allyssum, grape leaves, hibiscus leaves & flowers, nasturtiums, opuntia cactus, cornflowers, fuscia, portulaca, ice plant, hosta, echinacea, kalanchoe, rose of sharon leaves & flowers, dessert rose, butterfly bush, are a few plants & shrubs that can be planted in his enclosure, both inside or out. Just make sure not to use fertilizer and dont spray for bugs. If need be, spray the plant with dish soap & rinse well. I use bagged cow manure from Walmart to pot my critter-eating plants with. Depending on where you live, you can find most of these in a garden shop or Home Depot.
Good luck
Patsy
In the wild, baby boxies always stay hidden under leaf litter and eat what ever little bugs they find under there. They get very little sun, and don't like bright lights. I keep a heat emitter on one side with temp. staying in the high 80's. On the other side I have a long tube 10.0 UVB which is over a screen to filter out some of the light. I stays in the high 70's. I have a shallow water dish in the middle. Humidity is very important as hatchlings dehydrate very easily. I keep lots of plants to hold the humidity. I also mist every day. I only keep hatchlings and juvies in a glass vivarium which I think holds the humidity much better than any plastic bin. When they are older, they go outside. This works for me....Everyone has their own way of doing things. This is my favorite site for hatchlings.
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/raisingbabyturtles.htm
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/raisingbabyturtles.htm
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