# box turtle help!!!



## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

i found a box turtle and my local petstore said not to let him go because it is not sertain were he came from.he is a female but looks like a he so i call her a he.his name is spike.i feed him bannanna slices,lettuce,apples,tangelos,oranges,raisins,grapes,and nuts.he is not eating them now because i just got him.will it be ok to feed him that and meal worms?if not,please post a variety of suitable food.
THANKS!!!


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

sorry,i forgot,is it ok to have hamster bedding???


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

You need to do a lot of researching on the internet. When my daughter got her box turtle, I found several good sites on identification, sexing, raising and breeding. 
Keeping a box turtle properly isn't as easy as it sounds. Contrary to their common name (BOX turtle), they aren't to be kept in a "box". Mine is kept in a very LARGE plastic tub and the only reason I don't have her in an outdoor habitat is because of stray cats that get in my yard.
She is almost 5 yrs old and I've had her for 3 yrs now so it looks like she'll be with me the rest of her life.
As for what to feed, you need to identify what species it is. Some are carnivores, some herbivores and some omnivores. Same thing with the habitat...sand, loamy soil...etc. I don't recommend wood shaving though because it can cause serious injury to the eyes. Mine has about three inches of garden soil topped with another inch or two of grass clippings. But you need to find out what kind you have and what their natural habitat is to know the best way to set up it's home.

BTW, I have a Western Ornate.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

....double post


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

mine is a eastern box turtle.the people who had it bought it as a western ornate box turtle but they got ripped off.it got two big so they released it.there was a note GLUED on the shell.he is about 2-4 years old.i keep him in a 10 gallon but plan to get a big plastic tub.the bedding i will use will be store-bought moss,potting soil,and some grass clippings mixed to a mulch.please send me a post of the proper diet.i have looked and found few things but io want to know the complete diet so i can give a variety of it.he is not eating for some odd reason.im trying to go to petco to get the biggest water dish they have.ohh,i will also put gravel and stones in there.i want him to have the best life possible.by the way,i think it was cruel how they GLUED the note to the shell.they should have just took it to a petstore!!!


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2008)

Easterns are illegal to keep I believe beacuse they are endangered. 

Easterns eat more plant matter than others. Feed lettuce, peas, carrots, brocceli, etc. Box turtle pellets, mealworms, crickets, etc. They LOVE earthworms.

Get a 50 gallon tub at least. Big waterdish is a must. 

Google is your friend.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

i was using yahoo.he is doing good and i believe he ate some raisins.i will get the biggest tub i can find and use half of it for a shallow pond.i spray him with water twice a day.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

go to this website:


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


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2008)

There is no need to spray him. he's not a frog.

If you live in an area where they live naturally, they're illeagle to keep.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

nope.they are not native were i live.today i am getting a water area because there is no big water container.yesterday it rained,so i put him outside and he loved it.i have been mixing fruit and veggies with catfood.is that ok?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

I wouldn't feed cat food, it's full of fillers.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

ok.is it breeding time for them.if it is,i think she might has eggs.they cant be fertile.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Re: your sig..
Holy overstock, batman!


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

the 55gallon,they are small and deformed.the 5 gallon,i need to get another tank!!!the 2.5 gallon fish is recovering.my friend,taylor,gave him to me.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2008)

just because they are small and deformed doesn't mean that they don't desserve a correct size tank.

What's a muppy? That is also waaaay overstocked.

What type of mbuna is it?

Where do you live? What state? Don't feed cat food. Feed crickets, worms, and fruits and veggies.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

I think she means "mud puppy."


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2008)

I think so too, and mud puppies don't belong in 5.5 gallon aquariums.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

know,its a guppy,mollie mix.i thought they couldnt breed but they did.the ones i have are very small.the deformed fish are small.thats why i keep them in small tanks.the mbuna is a mystery.i have no idea what kind he is.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Wait a minute. I remember you posting a thread about "petsmart cichlids!!" and saying that you BOUGHT the albino mbuna from petsmart, not that you got it from a friend. 

Honesty will get you the most help from us.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

they died.my brother put toilet paper in the tank for them to eat.i also posted that mollies and guppys couldn't cross but i was wrong.i do apalogise.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

i may not make much sense but please belive me

i have got bitten by the turtle bug!!!
if i buy a 50 gallon tub for my box turtle can i put a red foot tortoise with it?i dont want it to be lonely.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

The turtle is probably fine on its own, I've heard that turtles tend to be solitary creatures.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

ok.can i put any other turtle in the 10 gallon?i let spike run around my room so the dogs wont hurt him.i saw a picture of a red eared slider and i cant keep my eyes off it!!!is there any way i can get a slider in my 10 gallon?i let all my turtles get exersize by letting them relax in a mud pool outside atleast 30 minutes.i already called the petstore and they have quarter-sized red-eared slider hatchlings for $4.i realy want to buy one or two!!!


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Who is this? Vettech909 or someone else?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Yeah, don't you already have a red-eared slider?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Let her go long enough, she will start contradicting herself.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

You have a red eared slider in one of your 500 gallons, right? You also have a res in your 55 gallon according to your sig. 

no red foot tortoise. Honestly, don't buy anything else. You CAN NOT care for anything that you seem to buy. 

How old is your brother. Can you please tell me who honestly thinks that fish eat toiletpaper. We're not stupid here.

Lonely turtles are happy turtles.

Please stop "rescueing" animals. You can't take care of them. You can't provide proper housing, you have no idea what care an animal needs, regardless of the species.

In your "petshop" that you "own", don't you tell people that they need at least 120 gallon tanks for pacus? Why don't you set a good example for them?


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

its true.i have a red eared slider in my 55g.
i had my pacu in 1 of my 500g but i put 8 jack dempseys in there.the other is empty but plan to put a florida softshell in it.i bought it at turtlesale.com.my brother is 4.


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## Knight~Ryder (Dec 2, 2007)

vettech909 said:


> my brother is 4.


I guess that explains why he put toilet paper in the the tank for them to eat. Cute, but deadly.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

You do realize RES and other aquatic turtles can't live in the water all the time; they need land areas and basking lamps?


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

I would assume that anyone with 2 500 gallon tanks would realize that, but given the circumstances......


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

they have 2 turtle docks and a "stump" were they can bask.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

the red-ear i has now is solitary and is not really colorful.i want 2 hatchlings in my 10 gallon but is that ok?they will be moved into 500g with florida softshell when they reach 3inches or smaller.they are quarter sized.i do no how to take care of the animals i rescue i just want to make sure i dont miss anything.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2008)

Then stop rescuing...please.

Do not put any other turtles with softies. They will scratch the softies shell.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

vettech909 said:


> the red-ear i has now is solitary and is not really colorful.i want 2 hatchlings in my 10 gallon but is that ok?they will be moved into 500g with florida softshell when they reach 3inches or smaller.they are quarter sized.i do no how to take care of the animals i rescue i just want to make sure i dont miss anything.


like i said,i do know how to take care of them!!!
if you studied a certain animal and a year later you found one,wouldn't you want to study it again and ask quetions so you wouldn't miss anything?well i would!!!


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2008)

If you knew how to take care of them, and wanted to give them the best life possible, you would have them in correctly sized tanks.

Please just give up the bull crap. Everyone knows that your lying, and no one will believe until we get pics.

YOUR pictures...not some copied off the internet.


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## vettech909 (Jan 30, 2008)

**************** you!!!bye-bye!!!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Here we go again...


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

o god, not again. well, time for some more laughs and lies


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2008)

Hopefully this time it's for good.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Please! Ban!


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