Onate Box Turtle diet

[Kirkie]

Well I've had Pru the Ornate Box Turtle for nearly a month now and I've been trying out a heck of a lot of foodstuffs. So to make all you weed hunters jealous here's a list of what she's eaten so far:

The Meat:
Locusts
Brown Crickets
Waxworm (Occasionally, very fattening)
Earthworms
Slugs
Snails
Spiders
Woodlice
Beetles
Unidentified Cicada looking thing
Grasshoppers
Large Green caterpillar (she found herself, a proud dad moment)
Moths
Ants (I think thats what she's eating)
Boiled Chicken
Hard Boiled Egg (with Shell)

and the veg:

Dandelions
Campanula
Sow Thistle
Bindweed
Mallow
Lambs Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Broad Bean (occasionally)
Garden Peas (occasionally)
Green Bean
Carrot
Butternut Squash
Sweet Potato
Red Pepper
Blueberry
Blackberry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Red Current
Honeydew Melon
Cantalupe Melon
Nectarine
Banana
Apple
Pear
Grapes
Mango (rehydrated from dried)
Apricot

All these are fed in small amounts mixed together. The weeds are given whole. All supplimented with calcium at each feed and once a week with nutrobal. She does also have cuttlefish available.

At the moment I give two feeds of meat and one of veg (weeds, fruit and veg) per week until I get an idea of her average weight (she seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth). Colour seems quite important to her (reds, yellows, purples) and if it moves she'll eat it (even if I wiggle veg at her or if I start scraping the ground she'll eat anything in the vicinity).

If I combine the meat and veg she picks out crawlie things.
In addition she's eats whatever she likes in the garden (birds and cats for all I know).

[anna m]

Sounds well tasty. Do you catch the snails, earthworms etc yourself?

[Kirkie]

Hi Anna,

She's a pretty good hunter and moves very fast, I've watched her find a lot of the above herself out in the garden. She's not as dependant on clear, sunny weather as the tortoises and she'll often be up and about at dusk so there are plently of slugs and snails (and moths) about for her. I've put some rotting logs in her enclosure to attract some more creepy crawlies. The shop bought live food I've fed her indoors as I don't want to bring down a plague of locusts on the neighbourhood.

[anna m]

Hi Kirkie. I used to keep crickets for my hedgehog but they drove me mad with their noise that I gave them their freedom

[Kirkie]

I know what you mean, when I used to keep lizards I had a mass breakout of field crickets that took months to track down.

I'm hoping to keep the shop bought stuff to a minimum, I've spoken to Sandy a couple of times since getting Pru, her three toed Boxies live and hibernate outdoors year round and if I can ensure Pru can find enough protein for herself I'd like to go down the route of only providing the veggie aspect of the diet.

I can always buy earthworms in bulk and release them and slugs and snails are not in short supply in my garden!

[Geomyda]

Colour important, I certainly think so:

Your diet list shows just how Catholic these charming Box Turtles are in their eating habits. However, I would be very surprised by "Ant eating", as in over thirty years of Box Turtle keeping, I have never withessed this!

[Kirkie]

Catholic? Does that mean fish on Fridays?

She is definitely snapping at something in the long grass, I assumed they were ants, could be some other small insect. Another weekend of observation required



The reds definitely have it!

[Geomyda]

Fish on Friday, of course!!
You know, there should be a separate section on SW dedicated to the Box Turtles of North America, and Asia. Their husbandry and captive requirements are so often misunderstood, it is good to get some quality threads going on their care.
After the 1984 ban on Med Tortoises many Box Turtles, particularly from the USA were imported as substitute pet's for the typical "garden Tortoise". Thankfully, this trade has now ceased, but many animals cling on to life in captivity, with often inappropriate husbandry.
How often, when you do see them come up for rehoming are their signs of poor shell and beak growth, poor skin condition and other signs of wrong maintenence in their former homes.
For those that have them, and those that seek them out a good section on quality care and attention would I think be very welcome?

[Kirkie]

Got to agree there, they are a law unto themselves! I really enjoy sharing the differences between tort's and my new boxie. There is a fantastic sub section of the US site tortoiseforum.org dedicated to Box Turtles I often sit there pining at the pictures of the Ornates

Might bring a few of those UK breeders out of the woodwork too!

[Kirkie]

I've put the request in to the suggestions section. The inclusion of Wood Turtles would be good in a sub forum as they are creeping into the hobby in increasing numbers.