Urgent Care :: oliver ate a box elder bug

[laurapa]

(Oliver is 3 or 4 years old and about 4.5 inches long.)

A box elder bug fell into my turtle's tank today and he promptly hunted it, ripped it apart, and ate it. He was very scared of it at first but that didn't deter him for long. At first I was proud of him because it was his first hunting experience, but now I'm worried.

Are box elder bugs safe for turtles to eat? Do they happen to be toxic or anything? Will the exoskeleton hurt his insides?

For all I know he has been eating these bugs since they swarmed our apartment in November and this is just the first time I've seen it.

Somebody ease my mind!

[emma]

Have you read through this section? http://www.redearslider.com/prey.html

I think its pretty safe for your turtle to eat these. Since your turtle isn't a hatchling, the exo- skeleton shouldnt hurt your turtle. Just don't let him have to many bugs.

[laurapa]

Thank you for replying so quickly! (And positively!)

I had read that section on live prey but I was just wondering if box elder bugs were specifically a bad thing to eat. And just worrying a little extra on the side. : )

There have been so many of them crawling around the outside of his tank and driving him crazy that I bet he's happy to have finally caught one!

[marisa]

So that's the name of the bug I've occasionally seen around here.

As it says at the bottom of http://unexco.com/boxelder.html don't worry about boxelderbugs---they're a nuisance but aren't poisonous and won't hurt pets. They do sound rather unappealing, though (they emit an odor).

I'd be more concerned if you were trying to control them with some kind of spray/pesticide (unnecessary) and your turtle was eating those.

They also don't look like they'd have much nutrition---is your turtle hungry or just after something moving?

[laurapa]

Oliver will just eat and eat and eat until he explodes if you let him!

Box elder bugs are harmless to the house, and they don't bite, so I let them walk around freely when they come in looking for warmth in the fall. They die in a few days on their own. I've never noticed any odor. No pesticides for us!

Having two votes of confidence for Oliver and his first hunting adventure, I am officially not worried anymore and will offer him my congratulations!

Thanks for your help!