turtle lighting and diet

Question
Hi! I just got my first Asian box turtle about a month ago. I did a lot of research before buying him and made sure I was prepared for his needs. He has a large plastic container with a cool end and a hot end. The cool end has a house for him to hide under and a large cat litter box for him to soak in and I keep that end at about 75 degress. The warm side is always at about 90. I have two kinds of light bulbs over his cage, an UVA bulb and a basking bulb on the hot side. It seems like I'm doing everything right, yet he never comes out of his house or is active. The only thing I've gotten him to eat is mealworms and regular worms. I'm lost as to what to do for him.

Answer
Hi Libbie,

It sounds like you've done a lot of research, that's great!  

You might want to take him to a vet to have him checked out.  He may have been sick when you got him, so it may not be anything you are doing wrong.

Turtles have slow metabolisms, so it takes time to see changes.  It may take him awhile to get healthy if he is sick.  He may also just be stressed.  He's eating, so that's a good sign!

So have a vet look him over (preferably an exotic vet, or a vet that treats birds because they are related to reptiles) to make sure it's not something that would require medical attention.

Good luck!
Amanda