Wild Eastern Box Turtle?

Question

I recentley caught a box turtle, the shell is about 4 inches long so its young and Im feeding it earthworms, tomatoes, lettuce, june bugs, various fruits, and the occasional mushrooms.
10 gallon tank with moss which it goes under to keep cool and a small pool for it to bathe in and drink.

I was wondering if the young eastern box turtle will tolerate this and be happy.

Answer 1

I know you are having fun with the new box turtle but this turtle was born wild and should be set free. It is against the law to take wild Eastern Box Turtles and keep them for pets. You are doing a great job feeding it but it needs his freedom. When it gets cooler (toward autumn) he will be looking for a den to hibernate and he must eat all kinds of protein to fatten up for the winter. Even though you are feeding him, he will go through hibernation when the time comes and you will not be able to provide the environment he needs to do this. Enjoy him for awhile but then set him free to do what Box turtles do.

Answer 2

It would be a good idea to check your local laws, and are you certain it is a box turtle? Box turtles are omnivorous, they eat meat and veggies, fruit, worms and bugs. I'm not sure why yours isn't eating, maybe it is still uncertain about it's new home. I use a "lid" from a peanut butter jar for my very small pets water dishes. when they get a bit bigger, I cut a very shallow dish from a plastic food container, like cottage cheese comes in. The hardest part of caring for turtles is their need for UVB light. They either need to get outside unfiltered sunshine (not through a window) or have a UV light. The good ones are pretty expensive and they need to be changed regularly because even though they still light, the amount of UV diminishes greatly after six months of use. Turtles also need a high calcium diet. Most people find the use of calcium supplements a good idea, but if you can feed your turtle a lot of whole small fish, snails with the shell and worms that come out of the dirt (not bait worms you buy) they should be OK without a supplement. Box turtles are NOT universally illegal to keep as pets, but there are often laws that a person cannot just take one from the wild for a pet. This is to protect local populations. There is lots of information online about keeping boxies, and even forums to share ideas with other turtle keepers. You can google box turtle care sheet, and turtle forum to find some. If you don't have any experience keeping turtles, or if the info I've given sounds too complicated, best to release the turtle back where you found it. Turtles are great pets for the right person, a dedicated owner who loves turtles for what they are, and doesn't expect them to be like a cat, dog, or other warm fuzzy pet, and an owner who has the space and means to provide them with what they need. boxies are one of the easier turtles to care for, but they still require study and dedication to do it right.

Answer 3

1. Box turtles are threatened or endangered in much of their range and are disappearing quickly. Please return it to the place you found it to help protect this species.

2. Because of the above, they are also protected by law in most states. Another good reason to return it.

3. Wild caught Box Turtles generally do not thrive in captivity. Instead of the 50+ year lifespan they should enjoy, they usually die in captivity within 1-5 years. It is very stressful to take a turtle out of the wild- and this is esepcially true of Box Turtles. Another good reason to return it.

4. A 10 gallon tank is very small for this size- which is nearly an adult. The care needs for this size of Eastern is:
- Space of about 4' x 4' with several microclimates in it.
- General temps in the 75-85F range
- Humidities in the 85%+ range in at least some of the habitat
- Subdued light that offers some UVB rays
- Warm area of about 85F, cool area that can be low 70's at night
- Lots of hiding places

5. The diet is not bad but needs more variety and no head lettuce or tomatoes. A good Box Turtle diet is:
- 1/3rd worms, soft-shelled insects (few mealworms or other hard-shelled things- they constipate the turtle), athropods, etc. Crickets, slugs, snails, Superworms, Phoenix worms, etc. are commonly used.
- 1/3rd box turtle or other turtle chow, cooked chicken bits, beef heart, high quality weight control cat food (well-soaked if it is dry kibble), canned carnivore diet, hard-boiled eggs (and shell). Either use the turtle chow OR a variety of other protein sources.
- 1/3rd salad, using a changing variety of dark leafy greens (dandelion greens, turnip greens, escarole lettuce, endive lettuce, etc.), mushrooms, yard plants, edible flowers, or chopped yellow-orange veggies (squash is best).

A 4" turtle gets fed about every other day, an amount of food about the size of it's head or so. Add a small dash of reptile multi-vitamins and a pinch of calcium supplement once or twice a week.

Some helpful sites would include:
- http://www.boxturtlesite.info
- http://www.tortoisetrust.org
- http://www.austinsturtlepage.com