I have a box turtle can anyone help?

[Nightmare]

I have a Gulf Coast Box Turtle that is about 5 years old. (actually he belongs to my daughter) Any way, we've had him since he was just hatched and he has gotten really large, so we built him and enclosure. We built a little pond for him and fenced in an area about 10 feet long by 3 1/2 feed wide. He seems to really be enjoying it. We feed him regular turtle pellets from the pet store, but what I was wondering was, other than earth worms, what else do they eat in the wild. I notice him chewing on tree branches and a piece of coral that was already in his encloser. Is there anything else I can give him as a treat that will make him happy and healthy.

He is soooo much fun, he knows his name and really interacts with us. I just want to beable to do little extra treats for him.

O yeah I know he loves apples.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

And one other question, How do you tell if they are male or female? We have always just called this one He cuz we just don't know.

It's name is "Dude"

Nightmare

[Titania]

Box turtles are fairly omniverous (I know I just butchered the word.. but you know what I mean)..

Anyway.. With my boxies I look at what is available in thier natural enviornment...
flowers, insects, worms, maggots, cockroaches, young mice and birds, eggs(can be soft boiled to prevent a big mess), carrion(ie dead flesh.. substituted by steak, turkey, etc.. no pork or chicken they tend to have a high disease risk), fish, berries, fruits, clover(the purple kind), veggies etc.

It is important to make sure any flowers or other such things have not been sprayed or been heavily fertilized..

also sometimes if you give your turtle wild caught insects they can get mites from them.


Here are some sites that may help
http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/reptiles/turtles/TUR2617.shtml
http://www.geocities.com/turtledragon2/Turtledragon2.html
www.boxturtle.org
www.kingsnake.com
www.iguanapalooza.com/corr


Feel free to email me if you would like more info.. about food and such.

[AnimalLuvr84]

I have a box turtle and she loves slugs that i find under rocks.

[bright sun]

Dude might be munching on the coral because he'd like some calcium. Try putting a cuttlebone (the ones they sell for birds) in his enclosure. mine bite out chunks as needed, it also helps to keep the beak worn. If he does not care for the cuttlebone, sprinkle on a calcium supplement. Best wishes, Anna

[yoyojoeme]

Hi I am new to petshub.com but I know alot about pets espiecally ferrets and turtles....but anyway get him feeder fish. Also try a vierty of different dusted insects.:bouncy:

[HippieChick]

I used to feed my turtle ground beef and basically rummage through the fridge to see what kind of fruits and veggies i could chop up for him/her. He/she used to love the ground beef. It was his/her favourite.
As you can tell I myself never knew if my turtle was a guy or gal.

[Elysium]

m boxie LOVES strawberries... She also eats lean cat or dog food, the moist can stuff... boiled egg shells, tuna, slugs, watermelon, romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, apples. well pretty much anything u give her~! they love fruits & veggies i've noticed... hope that helps a little... =)