Box Turtles and Cherry Tomatoes

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

My Box Turtle likes cherry tomatoes and so I feed her one every once in a while. Evidently she tried to swallow the last one whole because I just found the entire skin of the tomato in feces. Is she suffering from some sort of digestion problem? Should I be cutting up the tomatoes?

Thank you!

ANSWER: Hello Brittany,

How big is your box turtle?
I would definitely chop it up for her, it would be able to be chewed better.  
The skin probably will pass through separately.  If you wanted to peel the tomatoes that would help out so she wouldn't have to digest the skins.  They can be a little tough to chew & pass through.
What else does she eat?

Tracie


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tracie,

Thank you for your response. She isn't very big, only about 5 inches long. As far as what  else she  eats, I know this might be bad, but her former owners and our local vet said that wet cat food  was just fine, but of course she prefers the grapes, cherry tomatoes, raspberries, apples, and romaine lettuce that i try and rotate between, but she eats both the cat food and the fruits/veggies. We were only told to feed her once a week when we got her, and she doesn't typically eat all her food even then. Does that help to answer the question? Thank you again!!

Brittany

Answer
Hello Brittany,

She is very tiny still!  
Are you keeping her warm, around 85 or so in her enclosure & are you using a UVB light also?
The humidity should also be high, too, for her.
The cat food is usually only fed when they are reluctant feeders but shouldn't be used frequently or long term.  Do you use calcium supplementation regularly, too?
It sounds like you feed a good variety right now.  You can use earthworms for insect feedings for her.  They are omnivores so they do like vegetation & insects, both.

Tracie