Sudden Death of Florida Box Turtle

[RumWeatherReptiles]

Extremely disheartened by the sudden death of my few month old Florida Box Turtle (t.c.bauri) who we simply called “Bauri”. This little guy/or girl was so full of personality. The most energetic little turtle ever. He was like a little bulldozer. When you picked him up he would nearly jump out of your hand. We live in South Jersey and when i picked him up from Fedex he nearly leapt out of the box. He has been thriving in the months i have had him. He ate Mazuri pellets every day with eagerness. I kept him similar to how i keep my eastern box turtles when they are small, except warmer. His warm side at about 80 and his cool side around 73. He had a rock that he basked on regularly and a hide on the cool side where he slept at night. As well as tons of plastic leafy vines that he regularly climbed on. The whole enclosure had a slight tilt so the warmer side held about 1.5 inches of water while the cold was about 0.5. This past day, he ate his breakfast like always and then was sitting on his rock like always. I went to pull him out to get a few pictures of him and realized he was completely stiff. A total gut punch. I can’t think of anything i could have done differently, but maybe there is something i was missing. Any ideas?

 

[jeff kushner]

That sucks so much.....I'm really sorry that you lost your little friend.

Sounds like an anomaly, he just died for no apparent reason. I would guess parasite but typically, his energy would have waned before dying. Maybe some of the smart folks will chime in??



Warmer temps are needed though. From what I've learned, they cannot digest food below 83-84F.

I really am sorry for your loss.....finding a dead turtle sucks, any time!

jeff

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'm also at a loss for a theory.
Usually there will be some signs before death that something isn't right.
The fact that he ate just a few hours beforehand is most puzzling

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

I agree. I am at a total loss. I would think it was something in the food, but it was Mazuri pellets out of the same container he always eats from. I am always careful not to contaminate the food.

 

[mark1]

you raise your box turtles in water ? how do you heat the water ? might not have anything to do with this , but i assure you juvenile box turtles do not live in water ...... most commonly they live in leaf litter .... i've heard of folks raising them in water , not to offend anyone , but my thought is why ? there is a paper on t.c.bauri substrate use , in their study they captured like a thousand , i think more , only a few were found in water , and those were mud puddles from heavy rains ....... been my experience baby box turtle bury themselves to , what appears to me, feel safe ......burying themselves is a natural instinct, not having that opportunity i would think is stressful ........

 

[Lyn W]

So very sorry for your loss.
Do you think he could have choked on something he ate?

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

you raise your box turtles in water ? how do you heat the water ? might not have anything to do with this , but i assure you juvenile box turtles do not live in water ...... most commonly they live in leaf litter .... i've heard of folks raising them in water , not to offend anyone , but my thought is why ? there is a paper on t.c.bauri substrate use , in their study they captured like a thousand , i think more , only a few were found in water , and those were mud puddles from heavy rains ....... been my experience baby box turtle bury themselves to , what appears to me, feel safe ......burying themselves is a natural instinct, not having that opportunity i would think is stressful ........

I have seen both ways recommended. I have raised eastern box turtles for years before trying my hand with Bauri. I have found more success keeping them aquatic for the first year or so. In my experience they can borrow into areas where moisture is lower and can dry out very quickly. A dry hatchling is a dead hatchling. Keeping them aquatic takes away that danger. In the wild they do burrow into leaf litter. There they stay in that constant moist habitat and feed on those invertebrates. I find it harder to replicate that indoors without mold and fruit flies. They definitely do like to hide. I always include a hide in each container. I usually separate them early on too, or they will start nipping at each other.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

So very sorry for your loss.
Do you think he could have choked on something he ate?

That is possible. But its the same tiny pellets that he always eats.

 

[jeff kushner]

I refrained from posting too much about this in detail but I've mentioned it in other threads recently. As many here know, I kept sliders and maps for decades......of course some passed away.

90% of the time when one died, it was within a half-day of eating pond sticks of various varieties.

I don't have any evidence they caused it, just the observation that it nearly always happened within 12 hrs of being fed sticks and never was there an apparent other reason.

 

[RISING SUN]

First sorry for your lost from the heart 💜. Second very strange that after eating suddenly passed away or their after.Ive had my Russian tortoise 26 years raised from a hatchling and feed Joe Joe carrots . cabbage.and fruits and leave Joe out in our yard from April until October before he comes into our house 🏠 to spend the winter months here in Japan 🗾. Florida is very warm year round so weather seems great for a box turtle 🐢.I hope this down pain passes soon for you best regards Japan.

 

[TeamZissou]

Did you buy this turtle from a reputable breeder? Who produced it?

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

The turtle came from a trusted friend and very reputable source. He was very healthy for a long time. Growing like a weed. I have to think it is something I did wrong. That being said, my only experience thus far is raising Eastern Box Turtles. Florida Box Turtles was a new endeavor on my end. That is why i’m trying to figure out exactly what happened. I want to learn from this experience.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Well, a few months old, is a precarious time. Many things can go wrong, w/o you even knowing it...
I'm so sorry this happened to you, even only having him/her we develop a bond/love for this lil creatures.
Wishing you peace....💔

 

[methos75]

Sometimes they just die without explanation. My baby Wood Turtle died without warning. I took him out of his tub to feed and he was active and eating as usual, nothing was amiss. After he chowed down I placed him back in his tub and went to take a shower. Came back 20 mins later and he was died, no idea why or how.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm going to mention what I see wrong in that picture, not to hurt your feelings or pick on you, but to offer a suggestion as to why he died.

Because baby box turtles are so very, very small, they dry out quite quickly. They need to be kept in very moist conditions. Not just soaking and access to water, but moist substrate and maybe leaf litter to hide under. I don't see any substrate at all in that picture, just a bare, glass floor. My baby box turtles live is swamp-like conditions and you can actually see water standing in several places around the enclosure.

I'm so very sorry you lost little Bauri. They are beautiful box turtles and quite entertaining to keep.

 

[Yvonne G]

Didn't realize this was such an old thread. I doubt the OP is here to read our replies.

 

[jeff kushner]

Yeah Y but good advise is never a waste of print!

 

[Cathie G]

Amen.

 

[methos75]

I'm going to mention what I see wrong in that picture, not to hurt your feelings or pick on you, but to offer a suggestion as to why he died.

Because baby box turtles are so very, very small, they dry out quite quickly. They need to be kept in very moist conditions. Not just soaking and access to water, but moist substrate and maybe leaf litter to hide under. I don't see any substrate at all in that picture, just a bare, glass floor. My baby box turtles live is swamp-like conditions and you can actually see water standing in several places around the enclosure.

I'm so very sorry you lost little Bauri. They are beautiful box turtles and quite entertaining to keep.

It looks like he was being kept in shallow water, I can see it in the pics.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

It looks like he was being kept in shallow water, I can see it in the pics.

He was indeed kept in shallow water. About 3/4 of an inch. And the water was changed every other day or so.