Can box turtles be cold?

Question

I got a box turtle and i want to this web site and it said it needed have light inside to keep it warm but it does not seem to be working but i dont know how to tell if it is cold. PLEASE HELP. thx

Answer 1

Turtles are reptiles which are cold-blooded, meaning they can not produce their own heat. Their temperature will be the temperature of their environment. If they get too cold, in the 60F or lower, they may start hibernating. Their core temps will get down to 40F even in the northern ranges.

A good box turtle set-up needs a cool end around 70F (or room temp) and a warm end (85-90F). This allows the boxies to thermoregulate. If it is hot, it cools off in the cool end and vice versa. The warm end can be achieved by a 75 watt bulb at 10-12" away. You can use any type of clamp lamp or desk lamp. If you can provide UV light, great, but not a big deal. If you cannot provide artificial UV, bring the turtle out once a week for 30 minutes basking. 30 minutes a week of natural UV is better than a week of artifical UV light.

You should provide 50/50 sand and soil substrate. This mixture of substrate hold the correct moisture for box turtles. If it is too dry, box turtles may get RI (respiratory infection) or other cimplications.

Provide some real plants for cover or fake ones. As well a hide (cave) is good for them to hide as well. They will bury themselves in the substrate sometimes.

Make sure they have a water dish, not deeper than their shell and they can go in out by themselves so they can soak.

Feed ripened fruit, live feeders (crickets, worms, etc.) and pellets. Pellets have the right balance of vitamins and minerals.

Check out the caresheet. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-easternboxie.htm

Answer 2

put a small thermometer in there under the light. It should be around 75 to 80 degree's. Box turtles actually hibernate in the winter. You can brumate your turtle in the fall by not feeding for two weeks but giving plenty of water. Then drop their temperature slowly to around 55 degrees it will dig down and hibernate. In the spring bring the temp back up slowly and feed well. This is a method used for breeding and not necessary for healthy turtles. Just make sure there is enouph space in the cage that he can get out from under the light. This is called a temperature gradient. Half the cage warm and half room temp.

Answer 3

They need a heat lamp and a fluorescent light on them for 10-12 hours a day. Also an under-tank heating pad on one side of his/her cage is a good idea. A box turtle needs a temperature of about 80 in it's tank/cage and a basking area where the temp. is about 90-95. You need to go to the pet store and get two thermometers to monitor the temperature.

Answer 4

Turtles are cold-blooded therefore cannot regulate there own body temperature. They need an external source for heat.

Answer 5

1. Yes you should feed him 2. Get a infrared heat bulb from your local pet store keep it on 24 hours atleast a 75 watt 3. Buy one if you have to

Answer 6

All reptiles are cold blooded meaning they'll be whatever temperature inside as they are outside. therefore you should put like a heat lamp on his cage where he could I supose you could call it- sun bathe. that'll keep him warm.

Answer 7

turtles are reptiles they are cold blooded. they dont get cold,but if there habitat is cold and i mean real cold they will die.lol why do you ask? they are turtles they really dont do anything but walk real slow!lol good luck.

Answer 8

yes they need a heat source not a heat rock though cause they get hot spots