Have printed out several care sheets and read several pages online already. But I have some questions that I'd like to check on...
We have a wild caught/rescued three-toed box turtle. It's missing its front left foot. No claws there. Some shell damage. Otherwise, looks healthy. Has me wondering what happened to the guy.
We have it setup under out kitchen table in what used to be a 275 gallon water storage tank. It's only ever held rainwater. This section is about 38" x 45" by about 18" high.
We just brought him in last night. He has one hide that we'll be taking out and putting in two new hides that will be set up better. Got some sphagnum moss coming today that will be used in there so we can mist and keep moisture high in those areas at least. We also have a uv bulb coming today.
Most of my questions are regarding food.
In the time we've had this little guy, we've SEEN him eat worms and pill bugs and such. We THINK he's eaten some plant matter, but haven't seen it. Is it tricky to get them to eat fruits and vegetables?
We have a few care sheets that list good ones...
We have a sweet potato and will be getting some good greens like collards and kale. With things like that, I am curious if we can FREEZE those things in portions so that food doesn't go bad in our fridge.
Our yard is this animal's wild habitat, and so we have some dirt/soil from the yard(no chemicals ever here, no potting soil) as well as some leaf litter.
I'm reading that compressed coconut fiber/husk stuff is good substrate to add? (if so, mix in or add on top?)
With leaf litter, is it okay to find smaller leaves, or crumple up the leaves we have? These are big, dry, and NOISY when he's crawling around at night. HA.
Does the feed dish matter as far as what it is? Right now we have a plastic plate in there... not toooooo smooth, but, he did manage to tip himself over in it this morning and didn't seem to right himself. We'll move the object that I imagine he climbed on to fall in the first place, but am wondering if we should have a difference food dish. Though, it's an old plate that nobody likes, and it's not a hard smooth plastic. I could easily scratch lines in it for something to grab onto.
Almost forgot one of the main things I wanted to ask about. My son read stuff about growing edible plants right in the enclosure. Is this affordable and effective? What kind of seeds are good to try? I know I can find some dandelion plants in the yard right now that I could move easily... but, planting/growing stuff that would be good for him to nibble on whenever he wants would be awesome.
Lastly... though we plan to give him very nutritious foods, is it advisable to get a powder or something to supplement calcium and/or other vitamins? And, does that affect their interest in eating?
We have some grass in there right now, and some pieces of slate(not store bought, flat, thin, black stones found at the river years ago. And then the hides we're working on... as well as a dish for him to soak in... not too deep.
Do you think he needs or would appreciate anything else? Something we're not thinking of?
We have a wild caught/rescued three-toed box turtle. It's missing its front left foot. No claws there. Some shell damage. Otherwise, looks healthy. Has me wondering what happened to the guy.
We have it setup under out kitchen table in what used to be a 275 gallon water storage tank. It's only ever held rainwater. This section is about 38" x 45" by about 18" high.
We just brought him in last night. He has one hide that we'll be taking out and putting in two new hides that will be set up better. Got some sphagnum moss coming today that will be used in there so we can mist and keep moisture high in those areas at least. We also have a uv bulb coming today.
Most of my questions are regarding food.
In the time we've had this little guy, we've SEEN him eat worms and pill bugs and such. We THINK he's eaten some plant matter, but haven't seen it. Is it tricky to get them to eat fruits and vegetables?
We have a few care sheets that list good ones...
We have a sweet potato and will be getting some good greens like collards and kale. With things like that, I am curious if we can FREEZE those things in portions so that food doesn't go bad in our fridge.
Our yard is this animal's wild habitat, and so we have some dirt/soil from the yard(no chemicals ever here, no potting soil) as well as some leaf litter.
I'm reading that compressed coconut fiber/husk stuff is good substrate to add? (if so, mix in or add on top?)
With leaf litter, is it okay to find smaller leaves, or crumple up the leaves we have? These are big, dry, and NOISY when he's crawling around at night. HA.
Does the feed dish matter as far as what it is? Right now we have a plastic plate in there... not toooooo smooth, but, he did manage to tip himself over in it this morning and didn't seem to right himself. We'll move the object that I imagine he climbed on to fall in the first place, but am wondering if we should have a difference food dish. Though, it's an old plate that nobody likes, and it's not a hard smooth plastic. I could easily scratch lines in it for something to grab onto.
Almost forgot one of the main things I wanted to ask about. My son read stuff about growing edible plants right in the enclosure. Is this affordable and effective? What kind of seeds are good to try? I know I can find some dandelion plants in the yard right now that I could move easily... but, planting/growing stuff that would be good for him to nibble on whenever he wants would be awesome.
Lastly... though we plan to give him very nutritious foods, is it advisable to get a powder or something to supplement calcium and/or other vitamins? And, does that affect their interest in eating?
We have some grass in there right now, and some pieces of slate(not store bought, flat, thin, black stones found at the river years ago. And then the hides we're working on... as well as a dish for him to soak in... not too deep.
Do you think he needs or would appreciate anything else? Something we're not thinking of?
