Substrate for a 3 Legged Turtle

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

Hello,

I am new to being a Box Turtle owner and this is my first post in the forum.

I am a Veterinary Assistant and a Box Turtle was brought in about 2 months ago with her left hind leg dangling. It was literally only held on by tendon. One of the Vets amputated her leg and we gave her Baytril injections every 72 hours for 10 days. The wound healed up nicely and she is in otherwise good health. We don't really know how this injury happened and the person who dumped her here didn't say much. Anyhow, I ended up keeping her. She is now called Mahila and other than missing one leg she is in very good health.

My question is, when I first got her set up in the terrarium I had used Forest Floor and she seemed to do well. Then I was at Petco and they only had Repti Bark and I needed to change the substrate, so I ended up buying that. She did very well with it and had very little difficulty getting up onto her basking platform and in and out of her water. Yesterday I had found a large back of Forest Floor at Petco and since she did well with it the first time and it states that it is good for turtles and tortoises I bought it. I changed the substrate yesterday and immediately after putting her back into her terrarium she was having difficulty getting around the way she had been. She has trouble getting on to her basking platform and because it is so messy compared to the Repti Bark her soaking dish gets filthy immediately. I have changed it multiple times today.

Is it possible that this difficulty is because of her only having three legs and having been used to the relatively stable feel of the Repti Bark? And if so, has anyone else had similar issues between these two products?

Thank you!
Zulfikar

 

[cmacusa3]

@ColleenT can help you because she has dealt with one that had this issue. Turtles love to bury them selves in damp substrate and part of having them in this type of enclosure is dealing with messy dishes. if you could post some pictures and we could help you set up things better,

 

[lisa127]

There's nothing you can do about dirty water dishes....that's what box turtles do. As for the leg, maybe try getting some organic peat moss from a garden store. Wet it and pack it down to make a solid walking surface. Then put whatever she likes to burrow in in her sleeping area. Maybe a pile of long fibred sphagnum moss or leaf litter. Just a thought....

 

[Yvonne G]

Both of those substrate should be fine, however, with box turtles I like to use potting soil. Talk about dirty! With potting soil, the water only stays clean until the first turtle walks through it. But it's easy for them to walk on and bury down into. Plus you can grow plants in it.

I've had quite a few three-legged turtles. They get around just fine. You might try patting the substrate firmly with the palm of your hand to pack it down a bit.

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

I'm not concerned about the dirty dish, I was just mentioning it in contrast to the Repti Bark. Is Repti Bark any good? She seemed to be quite happy with it. I'll get some pictures soon to post.

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

 

[BrianWI]

Here are my suggestions from years with boxies:

Invest in at least a 40 breeder for her. The tank is so small.
Remove her raised basking platform and replace with a piece of flat rock.Remove the raised water and replace with a terracotta saucer.
Use fine coco fiber (can get cheap in brick form) as her base under the bedding, 4 inches deep. It will hold moisture and give her nice stuff to dig into. You can put reptibark on top if that provides her good traction.
Get her a nice hide.

 

[lisa127]

I agree with what Brian says. If you don't want to buy a 40 breeder you can get a 55 gallon rubbermaid? The peat moss I suggested is similar to coco fiber but much cheaper. As for hides, mine prefers plants to hide under......fake ones with wide low growing leaves.

 

[cmacusa3]

Here are my suggestions from years with boxies:

Invest in at least a 40 breeder for her. The tank is so small.
Remove her raised basking platform and replace with a piece of flat rock.Remove the raised water and replace with a terracotta saucer.
Use fine coco fiber (can get cheap in brick form) as her base under the bedding, 4 inches deep. It will hold moisture and give her nice stuff to dig into. You can put reptibark on top if that provides her good traction.
Get her a nice hide.

Bravo! I agree.

 

[Zulfikar Shahnawaz]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[ColleenT]

Hi there. i got a turtle delivered to me with the bone sticking out and had to have the leg amputated, which we did. 6 weeks she was not allowed on ANY substrate at all. Once it was completely healed, she was allowed to be a turtle. she is outside and can dig and hunt, and swim like all the others. her leg was a hind leg which is better bc they use their front legs a lot more. So my guys are outside on dirt. I think in all honesty, your turtle would prefer dirt/soil over the reptibark. here is Ilene getting some PT before she was allowed to be in the dirt. the grass was warm and dry.

 

[Eric Phillips]

FYI, I know your in a different location but my Craigslist in my area has a wazoo of breeder tanks and other spacious potential enclosure items. If your looking to go bigger( which I would) I might try there just to see if anyone's just getting rid of something that could be valuable to you. Your in good hands with Colleen and Brian! Beautiful Eastern by the way!

 

[ColleenT]

When you keep a box turtle in a glass enclosure they stress out. If you have to use glass or anything clear, you should try to put up paper or anything that won't allow them to see outside the tank. it should be high enough they cannot see out. The larger rubbermaid bins are good, bc they are about $20 for a 55 gallon, and that is a decent size, if you have to keep her in the house. Plus the 55 gallon tubs can be dragged outside when it's nice and set in the shade. ( as long as your yard is safe from dogs and predators at the time.