Turtle not growing?

Question

I have a box turtle that i saved from a riding mower about 15 years ago and he really hasn't grown much, although he is very happy and very active. I give him plenty of water, a UV light, I spray down his box with water for the humidity and I keep him in a see-through plastic box next to a window so he really enjoys looking outside and seeing all the traffic and people (i live in NJ). The one problem I have with him is that he doesn't eat much or often. He refuses to eat daily and only takes a couple bites of food if I feed him twice a week. Also, he broke a small part of the bottom of his beak years ago, but seems to be ok, although it might be causing him a problem with tearing food. He also seems to only want to eat turkey breast and cheese and refuses to eat any live or dead food or fruits/veggies. I am trying to break him of this, any suggestions? He is about the size of my closed fist btw, so not "tiny" but I think he should be bigger.

Like I said, his shell is about the size of my closed fist and he is in one of those big plastic containers from Walmart that a lot of kids put junk it and store under their bed. It has wheels on it, know what I mean? Is that too small for a turtle that size? He seems happy, but with little appetite

Answer 1

Try some earthworms,Bil-jac frozen dog food(thaw before feeding),crickets,hard boiled eggs(shell and all) and Repto-min aquatic turtle pellets.Also corn,beans,carrots and tomatoes,apple,banana and melon.My turtles eat all of the above and have grown nicely.If you've had him for 15 years,you must be doing something right.

Answer 2

1. Wild caught turtles never do as well in captivity as captive-bred turtles will.

2. Box turtles love space. A single adult box turtle would like at least a 4'x4' space.

3. You don't mention temps. Eastern boxies have slightly different requirements than the Western or Ornate boxie. Aim for about 80, with a basking area of about 90. They need a cooler retreat- but don't like drafts.

4. Misting the tank is OK- but can create a very cool habitat unless things are nice and warm. A small ultrasonic humidifier does a better job.

5. Good lighting, but make sure the turtles have safe retreats.

6. Diet- in the wild these guys eat 75% bugs, worms, arthropods, snails, and even a little carrion. The rest is a wide variety of stuff they find around. Overfeeding is easy and you should provide some vitamins (with B13) and calcium supplements. Drop the cheese- they don't handle milk well.

7. See-through plastic boxes are actually stressful for turtles. They don't particularly do well if they can see through but cannot walk through.

8. You may want to get the beak looked at by an expert.



Stunted turtles are usually so because of diet, cold habitats, and stress. That sounds like it could be the case here.

Answer 3

First off Box Turtle are terrestiral turtle. They DO NOT go in the water. EVER! The drink it but that is where it ends. THEY CAN NOT SWIM

I am sure you know this but I saw a suggestion of a pond.

He needs something at least the size of 20 gallon aquarium to run around in. Box turtles are territorial. He may be needing a bit more territory. Try a few live plants in the terrarium. try to make his home more like his home would be in the wild.

Answer 4

may be u could try a much larger fibre tub with sand and water and make sure there is a swampy kind of set up for it. they sometimes like to hide under the mud. though i dono y they do that. u can increase the number of times u feed him to 3-4 times a week.. and keep some real live small fishes along with it in the water.

Answer 5

I agree with you, I would think that the turtle should have grown some in that length of time. I don't agree with what you are feeding him. Try watermelon, cantaloupes, strawberries, try earthworms, hard boiled eggs, canned dog food(chicken based) chopped green lettuce (not iceberg lettuce) turtles like red foods and foods with a strong odor, you'll have to try lots of things to find out what he likes the most
Good Luck

Answer 6

Your turtle grows slow because he is deprived in the food he needs. There are also species of turtle that grow very slow because they have a long life span, so take care of your pet, maybe it's still alive when your at you 70's!

Answer 7

check the link below for pet turtle care http://www.petturtle.com/ but really trurtles live for a long time and they are rather slow in everything including growth. And they digest food slowly so they don't need to eat everyday. As for the type of food, relax. I knowi t's weird but my cats like friuts. I think when you have pets, they ea what you eat. My squirrel loves chiken. I have no idea what. could be a pet thing.

Answer 8

Take him to a vet if he is over 15 years he is probably fully grown

Answer 9

His area is to small so he cant grow if you have a pond get a chest height fence around it & put him in he will grow pretty quickly in the pond, make sure you are feeding him the right amount of food. It probably has grown to its full lanth.

Answer 10

Woah! He difinately needs a terranium(aquarium) to thrive..