I have a Baby North American Wood Turtle, it eats like a Horse but will only consume certain foods.?

Question

Examples: Dog/Cat Food, Beef, Chicken, Liver and some Fish. He won't eat any fruits or greens. Also he sleeps in his waterbowl everynight ans comes out only when the Light is on to sun himself.....All of this Normal?

Answer 1

sounds pretty normal to me, baby turtles don't like fruits and vegetables, they prefer meats and really like live foods so if you can get yours to eat non-live foods then you are doing well, also
the wood turtles seems to be more aquatic than a box turtle
my sister found several babies 2 yrs ago and they are really doing well, seem to be pretty easy to care for
Good Luck w/yours, just keep doing what you're doing

Answer 2

Hello there... Poor little turtle!! I have a RES and he's ill proper now too, so i will consider your affliction dude. :( It sounds as though your turtle has an illness. A number of your symptoms.. Swollen eyes, now not eating ingesting... Would imply that your little man/girl has a Vit A or D deficiency or it has conjunctivitis. Have you ever been feeding your turtle whatever distinct? I know that it's not been consuming, however try to discover what the turtle ate before it used to be in your care. Also find out about water nice. I know that turtles ordinarily want at the least 50% water trade every week and a full tank change every 2 - three weeks, and the filter will have to be transformed regulary (they more often than not final about 3 months). And now, along with your turtle being ailing, you must be changing the water more in most cases anyway. My vet has instructed me that when my turtle will get in poor health, that i'm to change the water as a minimum as soon as a week due to the fact that it could be something within the water. It is like whilst you get ill at work... When you keep at work, you are going to stay ailing longer, but in the event you keep house for a few days in a smooth environment, you get higher turbo. Even nonetheless, I consider the response above the place you should go to a zoo and ask them seeing that generally they find out about matters that you most commonly never even would have inspiration of. **i'm no longer definite of where you reside, but up right here in Canada (Ontario), we have now a position called "Reptilia". It's like an indoor zoo for reptiles. When i've had problems with my turtle, i've been able to call them and they have got been ready to help me determine many of the disorders without me having to move and pay a vet to tell me. If you want to call them, the quantity is 1-888-REPTILIA (73784841).** i've looked for a couple of excellent care pages for you... They don't seem to be all particular to box turtles, but swollen eyes and waning appetite are beautiful common. Good luck with your turtle!! I am hoping it will get better soon!!

Answer 3

This is completely normal. It sounds like you've already discovered two very important facts about hatchling wood turtles-- they're semi-aquatic, and mostly carnivorous at this age. I recommend you read this article thoroughly for specific diet and housing information: http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/insculptacare.htm

Good luck!

Also, please be careful which commercial cat and dog food you're feeding your baby! Canned foods are very high in fat, and not a good idea-- instead, soak some low-fat dog kibble in water until it's nice and soft, preferably something like Science Diet. :)

Answer 4

I would ask or do a search to see if they eat any "greens" in the wild. If he is eating good, I wouldn't worry to much right away. Yes, it is normal for them to sleep in water, in the wild, they will sleep in shallows of ponds and even mud puddles or under wet leaves

Answer 5

Pretty normal.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-nawood.htm