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 #1792907


Tree_frogger
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 Diet too varied?

I have a male eastren box turtle and try to make sure his deit is varied a lot. i feed him lettuce and friut with cruncnhy box turtle food from the store. i did notice he liked to chase mice around his tank. i didnt let him get the mouse becuase i didnt want him ti get bit, so i bought him a frozen fuzzy. he loved it! are frozen mice bad for box turtles?
07/12/08  06:38pm

 #1793332


Dragongirl6
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   Message To: Tree_frogger   In reference to Message Id: 1792907


 Diet too varied?

Um...box turtles should probably not be eating mice. They are pretty much vegetarians, and therefore do not need the fat and protein in a mouse. I’ve seen box turtles eat a few crickets or worms, but never a mouse. A mouse could probably compact an EBT with its bones. It also seems pretty cruel to just stick a mouse in with him pointlessly to scare it...

Anyway, the diet should be varied. Lettuce isn’t that nutritious, go with mustard greens, collard greens, endive, escarole, butternut squash, kale, etc. with carrots, zucchini, and fruit a bit less often. You should be dusting the food with calcium powder as well.

IMO, canned box turtle food is not natural and provides little nutritional value. Think about it, it’s dried pellets full of preservatives in a can. How nutritious does that sound? Stick to fresh foods and be sure to use calcium powder.
07/13/08  02:37am

 #1793366


RepticTay
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   Message To: Tree_frogger   In reference to Message Id: 1792907


 Diet too varied?

Eastern box turtles in the wild eat a mixture of both plant and animal matter, in captivity it is an even of 60% animal and 40% plant.

Animal matters can be anything of worms, red worms, wax worms, crickets, grass hoppers, slugs are good things to feed.

Plant matters can be anything of grated carrots, grated squash, blackberries, blueberries, dandelion leaves, kale, pumpkin, strawberries, mulberries, tomato, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and endive.

Easterns are omnivores as adults, and eat both plant and animals, hatchlings and young boxies are mostly carnivorous, so they would eat mostly live foods.

I read on one site that Pinkies (live or dead baby mice) are good as a weekly or monthly treat.
07/13/08  06:21am

 #1793493


Tree_frogger
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   Message To: Dragongirl6   In reference to Message Id: 1793332


 Diet too varied?

Quote:

It also seems pretty cruel to just stick a mouse in with him pointlessly to scare it...



I was fedding my bp in the tank right next door. the box turtle saw the mouse and looked intersted so i put the mouse in there. The mouse wasnt very scared of a box turtle.. lol. Im not cruel!!

Anywho.. i have only fed him the frozen mouse once, and prolly wont do it again. I did think of impaction too. Lettuce isnt good for them!? I give him carrots somtimes, but dont even know were to get endive, escarole, butternut squash, kale, and that other stuff.

Where can I get calcium powder? i have never heard of it?
07/13/08  12:08pm

 #1793601


Dragongirl6
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   Message To: Tree_frogger   In reference to Message Id: 1793493


 Diet too varied?

Lol ok.

Lettuce isn’t bad for them, it just isn’t as nutritious as other things. You can get any of those things at the grocery store, mustard and collard greens being my favorites.

Calcium powder is sold in pet stores, get the kind without vitamin D3 and without phosphorous. Just plain calcium powder. Rep-Cal is my favorite brand, you’d want the one with the green label.

Do you have a UVB light on him? UVB is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D3, which is necessary to process and use calcium. In other words, he needs a UVB bulb to grow and have healthy bones and teeth, and the calcium powder will be useless if he doesn’t have the bulb. A reptisun 10.0 is your best bet, it should cover the length of the cage. The UVB bulb is separate from the heat lamp. What are you using as a substrate?
07/13/08  01:39pm

 #1793677


RepticTay
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   Message To: Dragongirl6   In reference to Message Id: 1793601


 Diet too varied?

Don’t forget to buy crickets, meal worms and so on from what i had said as they also need their animal foods aswell as plant foods.

if your going to feed, give Romaine Lettuce, its better for them.

You have many brands of calcium and supplements, you can get nutrobal, rep-cal, tnt, t-rex and much more. If your just wanting calcium, just buy a cuttlefish bone, he may nibble he may not. Otherwise get a proper supplement.

You can buy combinations of a UV and Heat lamp in one bulb, they cost alot but last longer than a seperate uv and heat light would last.
Just thought id say, incase you wanted ONE light that provides all things needed.
07/13/08  02:43pm

 #1793721


Tree_frogger
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   Message To: RepticTay   In reference to Message Id: 1793677


 Diet too varied?

he has cedar bark as bedding. it is soft he buries himself in it.



07/13/08  03:10pm

 #1793724


Dragongirl6
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   Message To: RepticTay   In reference to Message Id: 1793677


 Diet too varied?

I’d stay away from meal worms actually. We boarded a box turtle once that we had to take to the vet because it was impacted with meal worm shells (chitin). Silkworms, super worms, and crickets are safer choices.

Again, I wouldn’t feed a pinkie to anything but a snake. I’ve seen it end badly too many times.
07/13/08  03:11pm

 #1793791


Tree_frogger
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   Message To: Dragongirl6   In reference to Message Id: 1793724


 Diet too varied?

you got it dragongirl6, i wont feed him anymore mice :P
i feed him crickets all the time, my tree frog usually has some extras
07/13/08  04:20pm

 #1794256


Dragongirl6
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   Message To: Tree_frogger   In reference to Message Id: 1793791


 Diet too varied?

Quote:

he has cedar bark as bedding


I’d change the bedding as well. Cedar has toxic phenols in it that are harmful for basically any animal that has to live in it. Go for reptile carpet and make sure you have plenty of hides. If he likes to dig, perhaps provide a tub of eco earth or something similar that he can dig in. You also never want him to eat a loose substrate, cedar chips would rip up his intestines if he ate a piece. Earthworms are good, too.

Good luck!!
07/13/08  10:54pm

 #1794263


Tree_frogger
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   Message To: Dragongirl6   In reference to Message Id: 1794256


 Diet too varied?

eco earth!!! no way! i tryed it once, he ate some
07/13/08  10:57pm

 #1794428


Dragongirl6
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   Message To: Tree_frogger   In reference to Message Id: 1794263


 Diet too varied?

I’m not suggesting you use eco earth as a substrate. I suggested that if he really likes to dig it be put in a small tub off to the side if he wanted to dig. If he ate eco earth, imagine what would happen if he ate shards of cedar wood?

Reptile carpet is the way I would go. Maybe put some carefresh shavings in a tub for him to dig in....
07/14/08  01:13am

 #1794524


RepticTay
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   Message To: Dragongirl6   In reference to Message Id: 1794428


 Diet too varied?

In the wild they are often found in moist leaf litters around forests and similar areas.

You could use bed-a-beast with pete moss thats moist.

You need a bedding that is moist but not wet.

You can use a thing layer of bed-a-beast and then have leaf litter over the top with a tub of carefresh.
07/14/08  06:49am

 #1795189


Tree_frogger
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   Message To: RepticTay   In reference to Message Id: 1794524


 Diet too varied?

Alrighty, thanks for all the advise everybody! next time i change the bedding it wont be cedar, it will be reptilecarpet with bedabeast. thanks!
07/14/08  05:20pm


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