The Water Method for Baby Box Turtles

[MichaelL]

Hi everyone,

I am very curious about this, and just wanted some opinions from you all who have experience raising baby box turtles. I have some baby box turtles due to hatch soon, and regarding their enclosure, I have seen the Garden State Tortoise video about the water method and that essentially being the method that works the best. I would personally much rather do a tank like I would for a baby tortoise, with a mix of topsoil/ coco coir or something similar for the substrate, keeping everything very moist and humid, just with slight changes (larger water dish, more leaf litter, etc).

However, I am wondering if I really should be doing the water method, if it really is that much better for them and for a strong beginning. It just feels weird to me to be exposing a terrestrial turtle to water 24/7. I know they often spend time in water but is all the time really that beneficial. I am definitely open to doing it if it really is agreed to be better, I don't know. I just came to post this to see what you all have to say. Thanks for any input

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I have kept baby Box Turtle both ways and from my experience the water method is far superior. They just seem to be healthier and happier.

 

[Yvonne G]

I place something under one end of the enclosure to put it at an angle. then I fill the lower end with water. Then I put some sort of barrier at the water's edge to keep th substrate out of it - aquarium gravel works. You have to be creative and mess around with it until you get it right. On the substrate end I plant many plants to keep the 'prey' babies hidden. Every so often I have to take a cup to dip out the fouled water and add fresh.

 

[wellington]

I have kept baby Box Turtle both ways and from my experience the water method is far superior. They just seem to be healthier and happier.

I do not keep Box turtles. I know very little about them. I am native to a state that some of them are also native too.
I would like to know, just out of curiosity, how and why water method 24/7 could be better when they do not live in water 24/7 in the wild.
How do they get to dig, bury, rut for food etc?
Is it not really 24/7 in water and if it is, how long would you keep them like that?
Thanks.

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I do not keep Box turtles. I know very little about them. I am native to a state that some of them are also native too.
I would like to know, just out of curiosity, how and why water method 24/7 could be better when they do not live in water 24/7 in the wild.
How do they get to dig, bury, rut for food etc?
Is it not really 24/7 in water and if it is, how long would you keep them like that?
Thanks.

They dehydrate so easily when small the water method keeps them so much healthier. Even in a close chamber like we keep our tortoises with high humidity the box turtles don’t seem to be as happy as they do in a quarter inch of water. I always make sure there are plants and stones for them to crawl out onto and into, but they tend to stay hidden under the plants in the water. Box turtles are not water turtles yes but they are inseparably connected with water and need lots of it. My Box turtle experience is not as vast as many others and I’m sure Chris would be much better at explaining it. I’m just speaking to what I’ve seen

 

[NorCal tortoise guy]

I keep them in the water method for about the first year

 

[turtlesteve]

I can vouch for keeping them in shallow water being superior. Both North American species and Cuora.

 

[wellington]

They dehydrate so easily when small the water method keeps them so much healthier. Even in a close chamber like we keep our tortoises with high humidity the box turtles don’t seem to be as happy as they do in a quarter inch of water. I always make sure there are plants and stones for them to crawl out onto and into, but they tend to stay hidden under the plants in the water. Box turtles are not water turtles yes but they are inseparably connected with water and need lots of it. My Box turtle experience is not as vast as many others and I’m sure Chris would be much better at explaining it. I’m just speaking to what I’ve seen

Thanks.
So it's not so deep they have to swim all the time.
And they do have the option to go on the rocks or plants to get out of it, but chooses to stay in the water more then out of it.
Interesting.
So, do you know, in the wild, are their eggs laid much closer to water than what I always thought, which was way deep in the woods?
I never had the pleasure of seeing a baby in the wild. I have many water turtles but not Boxies.
Maybe @mark1 can answer this to.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Chris @HermanniChris has used it,