Box Turltle Info - URGENT!

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Posted by Lexi on September 09, 2000 at 11:12:52:

Hi,

Can someone please tell me if the info on this caresheet is correct and full? I know that there are better ones out there but I made this one for a little neighbor girl who caught a Box Turtle (yes, I told her to put it back but her AND her parents won't listen and I'm pretty sure he was already a pet because I live in Northern Colorado and I've never seen a Box turtle here EVER) and she doesn't understand anything that MK's and other caresheets say, so I tried to make this one as simple as possible. Well any input would be helpful! Thanks!

Box Turtles
There are four North American species currently available in the pet trade: the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), the Three-toed box turtle (T. c. triunguis), the Gulf Coast box turtle (T. c. major) and the Ornate box turtle (T. C. ornata). Chinese box turtles (Cuora flavomarginata), and Malayan (Amboina) box turtles (C. amboinensis) are currently being imported for the pet trade. American Box turtles are partially aquatic turtles. The Chinese and Malayan box turtles (Cuora sp.) are more aquatic than the American box turtles. When you first bring your turtle home you should immediately get a stool sample and take it to a reptile vet ASAP. Most box turtles are wild caught and therefore carry lots of parasites and diseases (that are usually easy to treat). Never paint on your turtles shell! It will kill them. Signs of illness include: bubbles coming out of the nostrils or mouth, runny stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, soft shell, build up of food and sheddings around the head or neck, spots on the bottom shell, carapace (top shell) or body, and listlessness. If you notice any of these get your turtle to a reptile vet IMMEDIATELY! You shouldn�t handle your pet for about a week after bringing him home but once that time has passed you can hold him with two hands letting them feel your fingers under them. Young children should not be allowed to handle turtles.

Diet

Their diet should include:

Animal Protein such as captive bred and gutloaded (fed greens, fruits, vegetables, and tropical fish food for at least 36 hours before feeding) crickets, nightcrawlers, slugs, snails, mealworms, and high quality, low fat, and wet cat/dog food (Chinese box turtles can be offered small feeder goldfish). Greens such as Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Endive, Dandelion Greens, Romaine Lettuce. Fruits and Flowers such as strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, melon, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, hibiscus flowers, and prickly pear cactus fruits and flowers. Vegetables such as grated carrots, grated squash, grated zucchini, frozen mixed veggies.
Add a multi-vitamin (Reptivite) twice a week. Do not feed cauliflower, beets, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, or iceberg lettuce because they can bind vitamins your turtle needs causing serious health problems. Instead of catching wild insects to feed to your turtle you should buy them from a pet store or mail order company due to the fact that wild-caught insects can carry diseases and pesticides!

Temperatures

U.S. species need one side of the enclosure to reach temps of 85-88 F and the rest of the cage should stay over 75 F with night temps that should never drop below 70 F. Chinese box turtles need daytime temps of 75-88 F and their night temps should never drop below 70 F. Malayan box turtles need a water temp of 75-85 F and a air temp of 85 F during the day and night temps shouldn�t drop below 70 F. Do not use hot rocks for any turtle! You can have an undertank heater on one side of the tank and an incandescent hot light can be added to the other. If you cannot keep the water temp around 75-78 F you might want to use an underwater heater but make sure your turtle cannot break it and electrocute itself. To keep the humidity to the proper 60-80% you can add a pile of wet peat moss to one corner of the cage and keep it damp at all times. You should also keep an always clean, shallow water dish in the cage at all times so the turtles can soak in it.
All turtles require a two-three month hibernation period at temperatures around 50-65 F.

Lighting

A full spectrum lighting fixture and bulb is required to be on for at least 10 hours a day. This bulb should be replaced every 6 months even if it does not burn out at that time. Vita-lite and repti sun are the most common brands. Aquarium and plant lights do not work!

Housing

The smallest size of indoor caging they require is a 40-gallon breeder tank. You might also want to consider building an outdoor enclosure for warm months. It should be escape and predator proof with shelter and warm spots. You should also make sure your turtle could not dig under the fence and get out. Alfalfa pellets, sterile potting soil (bed-a-beast), fir or orchard bark make good substrates. Ornates like to dig under things so they should have a hollow log or slab of bark and their substrate should be made up of potting soil (bed-a beast) and 25% sand mixture for easy digging. There should also be a large but shallow water dish that allows the turtles to cover � of their shell in water. You will need to change this daily. A large kitty litter pan sunk into the substrate with a ramp leading out of it does well.

Suggested Reading

Turtles and Tortoises
By Bartlett and Bartlett

Here is the sheet on a web page

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: Hi, : Can someone please tell me if the info on this caresheet is correct and full? I know that there are better ones out there but I made this one for a little neighbor girl who caught a Box Turtle (yes, I told her to put it back but her AND her parents won't listen and I'm pretty sure he was already a pet because I live in Northern Colorado and I've never seen a Box turtle here EVER) and she doesn't understand anything that MK's and other caresheets say, so I tried to make this one as simple as possible. Well any input would be helpful! Thanks! : : Box Turtles : There are four North American species currently available in the pet trade: the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), the Three-toed box turtle (T. c. triunguis), the Gulf Coast box turtle (T. c. major) and the Ornate box turtle (T. C. ornata). Chinese box turtles (Cuora flavomarginata), and Malayan (Amboina) box turtles (C. amboinensis) are currently being imported for the pet trade. American Box turtles are partially aquatic turtles. The Chinese and Malayan box turtles (Cuora sp.) are more aquatic than the American box turtles. When you first bring your turtle home you should immediately get a stool sample and take it to a reptile vet ASAP. Most box turtles are wild caught and therefore carry lots of parasites and diseases (that are usually easy to treat). Never paint on your turtles shell! It will kill them. Signs of illness include: bubbles coming out of the nostrils or mouth, runny stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, soft shell, build up of food and sheddings around the head or neck, spots on the bottom shell, carapace (top shell) or body, and listlessness. If you notice any of these get your turtle to a reptile vet IMMEDIATELY! You shouldn�t handle your pet for about a week after bringing him home but once that time has passed you can hold him with two hands letting them feel your fingers under them. Young children should not be allowed to handle turtles. : Diet : Their diet should include: : Animal Protein such as captive bred and gutloaded (fed greens, fruits, vegetables, and tropical fish food for at least 36 hours before feeding) crickets, nightcrawlers, slugs, snails, mealworms, and high quality, low fat, and wet cat/dog food (Chinese box turtles can be offered small feeder goldfish). Greens such as Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Endive, Dandelion Greens, Romaine Lettuce. Fruits and Flowers such as strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, melon, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, hibiscus flowers, and prickly pear cactus fruits and flowers. Vegetables such as grated carrots, grated squash, grated zucchini, frozen mixed veggies. : Add a multi-vitamin (Reptivite) twice a week. Do not feed cauliflower, beets, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, or iceberg lettuce because they can bind vitamins your turtle needs causing serious health problems. Instead of catching wild insects to feed to your turtle you should buy them from a pet store or mail order company due to the fact that wild-caught insects can carry diseases and pesticides! : Temperatures : U.S. species need one side of the enclosure to reach temps of 85-88 F and the rest of the cage should stay over 75 F with night temps that should never drop below 70 F. Chinese box turtles need daytime temps of 75-88 F and their night temps should never drop below 70 F. Malayan box turtles need a water temp of 75-85 F and a air temp of 85 F during the day and night temps shouldn�t drop below 70 F. Do not use hot rocks for any turtle! You can have an undertank heater on one side of the tank and an incandescent hot light can be added to the other. If you cannot keep the water temp around 75-78 F you might want to use an underwater heater but make sure your turtle cannot break it and electrocute itself. To keep the humidity to the proper 60-80% you can add a pile of wet peat moss to one corner of the cage and keep it damp at all times. You should also keep an always clean, shallow water dish in the cage at all times so the turtles can soak in it. : All turtles require a two-three month hibernation period at temperatures around 50-65 F. : Lighting : A full spectrum lighting fixture and bulb is required to be on for at least 10 hours a day. This bulb should be replaced every 6 months even if it does not burn out at that time. Vita-lite and repti sun are the most common brands. Aquarium and plant lights do not work! : Housing : The smallest size of indoor caging they require is a 40-gallon breeder tank. You might also want to consider building an outdoor enclosure for warm months. It should be escape and predator proof with shelter and warm spots. You should also make sure your turtle could not dig under the fence and get out. Alfalfa pellets, sterile potting soil (bed-a-beast), fir or orchard bark make good substrates. Ornates like to dig under things so they should have a hollow log or slab of bark and their substrate should be made up of potting soil (bed-a beast) and 25% sand mixture for easy digging. There should also be a large but shallow water dish that allows the turtles to cover � of their shell in water. You will need to change this daily. A large kitty litter pan sunk into the substrate with a ramp leading out of it does well. : Suggested Reading : Turtles and Tortoises : By Bartlett and Bartlett

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