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eastern box

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I was wondering if any one here had experience with these i would like to get one but have some questions.#1 Why do all the caresheets give higher temps than what i would think they would encounter in the wild.#2 Is there any commercially available food for them.#3 I read in one caresheet that if they sense winter through photoperiod if indoors it is possible for them to enter hibernation and in turn die from starvation because they are still burning calories because they are indoors and still warm. I am doubting #3's validity though.
 
Good for you for doing some research prior to acquiring a box turtle!

Eastern Box turtles do best when kept outdoors in a climate that mimics the climate of their natural range; temperate, humid, with warm summers. In my opinion they are not suited for a life indoors year round. A well equipped indoor setup would be expensive, too. I have a 4'x8' indoor 'infirmary' set-up, and a 1000 sq. ft. outdoor pen, and the indoor set-up cost me as much as the outdoor pen did to build.

To answer your questions:

#1 They are active during the warmer part of the year, in particular the summer months when temperatures throughout their range are quite high. These higher temperatures are recommended on caresheets because eastern box turtles need them in order to digest food, etc. They also require a temperature gradient, in order to regulate their body temperatures.

#2 Most commercially available foods that I am aware of are incomplete in some way or another. Eastern box turtles eat a tremendous variety of different foods (they are opportunistic omnivores), including carrion, and commercial foods don't even come close to provideing the range of nutrients a box turtle needs.

#3 This assertion is valid. They can suffer and even die if improperly overwintered. They are very sensitive to photoperiod: shorter days are a signal to prepare for hibernation during colder weather. One of their first responses to this signal is to stop eating, in order to empty the digestive tract prior to hibernation. If a box turtle is brought indoors and is not provided with sufficient high temperatures and adequate lighting to mimic a long summer's day, it will lose weight if kept at a temperature above about 50 degrees or so, because it will be just warm enough to continue to burn calories but not warm enough to stimulate its appetite or enable to digest food.
In short, you would have to 'trick' the turtle into thinking that it is still summer by providing those conditions, or it needs to go into hibernation so that its metabolism slows to a point where it is not rapidly losing weight.

Other considerations for keeping one indoors: they require high humidity. The kind of humidity that makes us humans uncomfortable. Its what they thrive in. If they don't have it, they tend to develop repiratory problems and can become very, very sick, and yes, even die. They also do best when they have plenty of room to roam around in, which is pretty much impossible to provide indoors when you take into consideration their other needs.

If you are looking for a small turtle to keep as an indoor pet, I have heard that mud or musk turtles a better choices.

Ruby
 
The reason i want one of these is because they live near the same area i do so in summer months i was going to keep it outside.I guess i will do some more reading and decide on what to do,Thanks for you time.
 
I see that you're in MA...please find out first if it is even legal to keep one as a pet: eastern box turtles are listed as a Species of Special Concern in MA. It is illegal to collect them for commercial or personal use there, so you might want to contact these folks for more information about the issue:

http://www.maturtlerescue.org/


Ruby
 
I would definately get a CB turtle i wouldn't want to collect one from the wild.I will check out that site though.
 
simple outoor enclosure

To start with you can simply purchase a kiddy pool drill some holes in the bottom and fill with native soil/spaghnum peat moss mix where your yard gets morning sun because they need to warm up as quickly as possible in the AM.Plant a hosta in the middle to provide shade and attract slugs.For my yearling a 3rd of the pool is grass clippings, 1/3 fresh bed-a-beast and twice milled cypress mulch mix from his winter 20g long tank, and 1/3 canadian spaghnum peat,In the middle is native soil with a hosta.I will be adding tiger lilies and strawbery plants later.I see him in the morning and feed him worms and slugs mostly.After that he usually buries himself for the day to hide from predators.After all he's only 1 yr old.Keeping them outside helps prevent shell rot because no indoor light can comapre to the sun's UV rays and they get better air circulation.They can be kept in aquariums but it really depends on the turtle.
 
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