I'm taking a box turtle off of the hands of a friend that keeps it in a 5 gal tank full of water.
What do I need to know to take care of him?
What is the ideal type of indoor housing?
Does he need a heat rock or lamp?
What should I use to cover the floor in his cage?
Any information will help since I have never owned any type of reptile. Thank you!
Answers:
He keeps the box turtle in water!? box turtles are terrestrial, they live on land not in the water. Put it in a DRY container, you can use newspaper or dirt to line the cage, it will need a water dish large enough to get into and a heat lamp, possibly a heat pad or rock, a hide box. Feed it meat, fruit, and vegetables. They love watermelon, tomatoes, earthworms, and slugs.
Box Turtle are a resilient creature. They can thrive in the worst of conditions. In captivity they like moisture, but also need dry land and heat, particularly radiant or light produced heat. Ever drive by a pond on a spring day and seen hundreds of turtles on logs or rocks all seemingly looking in the same direction - towards the sun? These are box turtles.
Flooring should be a rock bed or clay bed, with plenty of vegetation, as this is a large part of their diet. Check with your local pet store for more details.
ok first and foremost...box turtles DO NOT live in water...they are LAND reptiles, not aquatic. next, u need to go to the store and get a book on box turtles...they shouldnt b no more than like $10 unless u get the thick book...i would just go get the cheapest, but most descriptive one u can find...they arent that hard to care for...they sell food in the pet shop for them and its inexpensive. i would just use like the reptile bark or moss that they sell in a pet shop or even reptile cage carpet...the carpet would be easier to clean. and yes definately get a heat lamp...theyre not that expensive either...a high wattage flood light or a black light will work fine...and b less expensive. be sure u get a dome from lowes or home depot or somewhere to cover the light so u dont have to worry about being blinded while ur sleeping if its in ur room. ur best bet, get a black light for night and white light for the daytime. and get a bigger aquarium...like 20 gallon LONG...sometimes u can find aquarium kits for reptiles with stuff in it...u just wouldnt need the heat rock but it never hurts to keep one handy...well good luck and if u need any more info then just email me at mrsturner2u@yahoo.com
First, I would get a positive ID on the turtle. Boxies don't live in water, so this may be a different type of turtle with the wrong name.
Try this link: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_o...
Box turtles do NOT live in water! If its been kept in a 5 gallon tank in water, I'm surprised it is still alive and doesn't have severe illness. It needs a very large tank, like a 75 gallon. It needs a basking heat lamp and a UVB light. It needs a fresh salad and protein in the form of insects and other foods daily. It needs a shallow pool to drink and soak in if it wants to. Please go to this link and read everything!!
http://boxturtlesite.info/bxbook.html...
First and most IMPORTANT BOX TURTLES DO NOT LIVE IN WATER! Now a box turtle should be put in a dry tank. Depending on how big he is i would say a 30 to 50 gallon tank should be fine for now. The cage should have a semi pond like area though. Small one though and not too deep. Again depending on how big he is 3 to 5 inches deep and about a foot long. The bottom of the tank can have a gently coat of moss,dirt,grass,hay, soft stuff like that that the turtle cant get hurt on easily. In the dirt you should plant some stuff, flowers, anything, I would suggest digging up some dandelion s and planting them. Simply cause they eat them too and gives them a more homey look. You can plant anything you want really. You should have a rock or so for climbing and basking. You can use the sun,uvb heating lamp, or pad heater which is placed right underneath the dirt.either would work fine. I would suggest the lamp or the sun depending on if your keeping him outside or in. Now you also need shelter. Just something that he can go into and be comfy. Last thing for the cage set up is remember KEEP IT MOIST. Now for what they eat. Again depending on how big he is ( the bigger the turtle the more they eat) A box turtle will eat fruits such as peaches,apples.bananas,nectari... also berries such as strawberries,blueberries. They will eat veggies. Now for the last of their diet they will eat worms,wax worms, meal worms, crickets, basically any insects. You should feed the box turtle anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week a small per portion of each to give it a strong healthy diet. Most of the items here can be bought at a super market or a pet store. To keep it healthy it should get about an hour or so of sunlight every day its fed to keep it easy. They don't mind if the food if its rotten so through any of your old spoiled foods into their cage. Don't over feed them if they haven't finished their meal from the last day don't keep feeding them. clean out their cage every 4 days as well. There is a higher chance of them getting sick if they are living in waste. Wash your hands after every pick up or interactive touches with turtles to prevent salmonella which most turtles don't carry but just in case. And last turtles are illegal without permits in N.J. So be careful. If you have any caging,sexing,health or any problems at all I would suggest going to illegal.com. Hope this helps and good luck. :)
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