Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion :: my Boxie doesn't want to eat!

[imderanged]

Gherkin has turned his nose up st meal worms (live) and blood worms (frozen/thawed) a number of times recently. It's been 2 or three days since he's eaten. How long can a baby (hatched early October) go without eating? He shouldn't be trying to hibernate, he's indoors. Not sure what to do.....?

[jenaero]

My boxie slows down this time of year. Even if temps are kept constant, I think they have an internal clock that tells them what time of year it is. Keep offering food daily and he'll take it when he wants it. One thing my boxie has NEVER turned down is earthworms... give that a try.

[imderanged]

I will try that. He is still a small turtle though (his egg tooth just came off) he's around the size of a half dollar. Should I chop up the earthworm, or let him chew it up?

[Terryo]

When I feed my hatchlings, I put them in a little plastic tub with a little bit of water, then I put the little tub in their enclosure so they feel secure. I put some blood worms, a meal worm, a few pellets (water turtle food) and some pill bugs. These things are easy for they to eat as they are small. You could chop up some red wigglers or earth worms too. Then I go away. I leave them alone for about 15 min. They usually eat something by that time. The warmer the enclosure the more active they will be. I keep mine at 85 - 87 degrees. Sometimes I will put the food in their water dish.
Hope this helps

[rsour24]

Terryo - u have an adorable turtle

[freshprince2146]

very cute!!

[imderanged]

Terryo, he/she is cute! The face looks a lot like my Gherkin, but the shell is different. Gherkin is an eastern box turtle. Is your baby a three toe?

Ps, I do soak Gherkin in his water dish before trying to feed him and he usually ate if I threw some blood worms in his dish with him or took him out and threw a meal worm right in front of him on the dirt. Actually he will normally take food right from my fingers. He just stopped all of a sudden. I got hurt and had to let my husband feed him, and for a couple days he wouldn't eat for Ray, but then I had him bring the turtle's whole enclosure upstairs, and he ate for me. Then we got him to eat for Ray, but now he stopped and won't eat for either of us. He still didn't eat last night. I sent my hubby to the store to get some earthworms and we will try again.
And I keep his tub in a room in the house with a heat lamp and a UVB bulb. I'm not sure the exact temp because my dog ate my temp gun. Maybe I should add an under tank heater? I didn't think he would need too much additional heat since he is a native species to my area.

[Terryo]

Baby boxies like warm, humid, and dark. I don't have any light but a long tube 5.0 UVB, which doesn't give off too much light. For heat I have a heat emitter on one side of the enclosure. In the wild, you never see baby boxies. They are always hidden under leaf litter, and eat any little passing bug they see. No matter what you do this time of the year they tend to slow down a bit. Right now my little Three Toed hasn't come up for two days. In a day or so, I will see him sitting in his water dish and then I'll feed him. I don't pull them out every day. Just keep the humidity up and mist once a day. I also put lots of leaf litter on one side for them to dig under. In the middle I put a flat piece of bark and then on the other side where the water dish is and the UVB I have frog moss. It really helps to keep up the humidity. Everyone does something different, but this works for me. I'm sure yours will be OK.

[rsour24]

Terry id love to see ur whole habitat

[imderanged]

Gherkin ate 3 meal worms yesterday!