Pulled my boxie out from soaked soil

[Maggie T]

Hello,

I’m new but had been studying the recommendations here. I need help! It’s been raining in Southern Cal and forecasted to rain a few more days. Today I went to check on my brumating boxie. I found her buried down, but the substrate was completely soaked. I pulled her out and is soaking her now in warm water. What should I do next?
I appreciate any suggestions !! Thank you!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I will defer to @Yvonne G and others with more experience, but I would say that your boxie's brumation is now over. Start treating her like it's spring, at least indoors. Do you have an indoor enclosure set up for her? She may be content to go under a hide or dig down into the substrate and snooze for another few weeks, for the most part.

How is she acting or reacting right now? Is she paying attention to what is going on around her? Is she drinking? I wouldn't expect her to be pooping yet, because she hasn't been eating while she's been brumating.

 

[Maggie T]

Thank you @ Pastel Tortie.
I don’t have an indoor enclosure set up for her. She’s been outside for the past year. I didn’t want her to catch a cold ( if that’s something they get?), so I just put her in a box with moist coconut coir inside a bigger box. She sounds like she’s scratching or digging?
When I first took her out, she was moving her legs, and once she got in the water, she rested a bit and alternately moving and resting. I checked her eyes, no puffiness, looked good. Should I now try to continue her brumation or as you suggested, keep her up indoors? Thank you!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I think you should keep her inside until the outside temperatures are warm enough for her to be active outside. It's okay if she digs down and sleeps most of the time, for a while still. Even for the boxies that don't hibernate or brumate, they often slow down a bit and sleep more during the winter. Wake her up (dig her out) once or twice a week to soak her. You can offer her food during her warm water soaks, but it may still be a while before she eats it. The soaks will keep her hydrated.

If you don't already have a kitchen scale (gram scale), it's probably worth your peace of mind to pick one up. Figure around $20, available at Walmart or wherever. Then when you give her soaks, weigh her and keep a record of it. As long as she isn't losing weight, you're fine. I weigh my boxie both before and after her soaks, because there is a difference.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

If you want her to continue brumating, do not offer food because if she eats you will have to keep her up. If she goes back into brumating with food in her belly, it can rot and kill her.

 

[mark1]

id agree to keep her up until spring , whenever that is by you ? i'd guess a month or so ? just get one of them plastic bins from Walmart , put damp cypress mulch in it , a water dish she can get in and out of ….. a che to leave on all the time and some good bright lights 14 hrs a day ……. i'd let her hide as much as she wants , i'd get her out twice a day put her in her water and offer her food …….. when your spring has sprung , put her back out first warm spell you get .

 

[Maggie T]

I think you should keep her inside until the outside temperatures are warm enough for her to be active outside. It's okay if she digs down and sleeps most of the time, for a while still. Even for the boxies that don't hibernate or brumate, they often slow down a bit and sleep more during the winter. Wake her up (dig her out) once or twice a week to soak her. You can offer her food during her warm water soaks, but it may still be a while before she eats it. The soaks will keep her hydrated.

If you don't already have a kitchen scale (gram scale), it's probably worth your peace of mind to pick one up. Figure around $20, available at Walmart or wherever. Then when you give her soaks, weigh her and keep a record of it. As long as she isn't losing weight, you're fine. I weigh my boxie both before and after her soaks, because there is a difference.

Ok, that’s great advice. That’s great advice, thanks Pastel Tortie!

 

[Maggie T]

id agree to keep her up until spring , whenever that is by you ? i'd guess a month or so ? just get one of them plastic bins from Walmart , put damp cypress mulch in it , a water dish she can get in and out of ….. a che to leave on all the time and some good bright lights 14 hrs a day ……. i'd let her hide as much as she wants , i'd get her out twice a day put her in her water and offer her food …….. when your spring has sprung , put her back out first warm spell you get .

Thanks Mark1! 2 more questions please: I just ordered 2 bags of coconut coir, can I use that instead? And just out of curiosity, what are the reasons behind choosing to keep her up vs continuing to brumate?

 

[mark1]

Thanks Mark1! 2 more questions please: I just ordered 2 bags of coconut coir, can I use that instead? And just out of curiosity, what are the reasons behind choosing to keep her up vs continuing to brumate?

I think a lot of folks use that coconut coir , I've just never used it ……. I don't know your climate , I assume you had a reason for digging her up , sounds like her spot might have been less than optimal ......where i'm at our winter and springs can be brutally cold and wet ……. if I ever brought one in , it was for a reason , I had doubts about their behavior , or something went wrong , I feel it's safer to just wake them up at that point and wait for spring …… your weather i'm sure is way milder than mine , I have taken them from outside and put them in fridge , but at no point did I warm them up and then try to return them …..I have eastern box turtles , they are very cold tolerant …..

 

[Yvonne G]

Box turtles are totally fine in wet soil. This is a normal occurrence for them while brumating in the wild. The only thing to worry about is if the brumation location is on a higher ground so it doesn't flood there.

Here in Central California, we are getting the rain storms a day before you, but the same storms. My box turtles all live outside and are brumating under a nice big pile of garden trash and leaves. It's wet and will continue to get wet all through the winter months. Everyone will wake up just fine in the Spring.

 

[Maggie T]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

If you like, you can get some long grain sphagnum moss (orchid moss) at a garden center, wet it (squeeze out most of the excess water), and layer that on top of the coco coir. My boxie likes to bask from under her moss with just her head showing. It's a decent substitute for leaf litter, so if your boxie doesn't want to dig in all the way, she doesn't have to (but she can still feel hidden). It's nice and fairly soft, too.

 

[Maggie T]

If you like, you can get some long grain sphagnum moss (orchid moss) at a garden center, wet it (squeeze out most of the excess water), and layer that on top of the coco coir. My boxie likes to bask from under her moss with just her head showing. It's a decent substitute for leaf litter, so if your boxie doesn't want to dig in all the way, she doesn't have to (but she can still feel hidden). It's nice and fairly soft, too.

I’ll see if Armstrong nursery carries it. Thanks Pastel Tortie. She sounds so cute! I just love when they peek out. Lol

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I’ll see if Armstrong nursery carries it. Thanks Pastel Tortie. She sounds so cute! I just love when they peek out. Lol

My Redfoot likes to pile up all the Moss at the door of his hide then peak out. I think he's saying "Do not disturb" lol

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I’ll see if Armstrong nursery carries it. Thanks Pastel Tortie. She sounds so cute! I just love when they peek out. Lol

You can probably find it at Home Depot or Lowe's, even some Walmarts may carry it.

 

[Maggie T]

You can probably find it at Home Depot or Lowe's, even some Walmarts may carry it.

[emoji1362]Home Depot has almost become my second home lol

 

[Maggie T]

My Redfoot likes to pile up all the Moss at the door of his hide then peak out. I think he's saying "Do not disturb" lolView attachment 264132

Adorable!! I love pictures, thanks for sharing!

 

[Gillian M]

My Redfoot likes to pile up all the Moss at the door of his hide then peak out. I think he's saying "Do not disturb" lolView attachment 264132

OH, he's adorable!