Fridge Food

Question
Hi Mark,

Thanks for your response about offering cold food and misting for humidity. You asked what food I was soaking in water to soften it and its both trout chow pellets and T-Rex pelleted turtle food. I offered them dry and my turtle wouldn't take them. But she gladly eats them when they are soft. I understand your point of not offering cold food, so I won't give her anything straight from the fridge.

I feed her at 5:00 a.m. when I leave for work. She's out and about at this time and seems anxious to eat. Afterward, she heads straight for her heat emitter. Is it a bad idea to feed her so early? Seems in the afternoon she's usually hiding.

Sorry to ask so many questions, but I joined a yahoo group for box turtle owners (Northamericanboxturtle@yahoogroups.com) and I rarely get responses to my inquiries. I really appreciate all your help.

Thanks again,
Amber           



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Followup To
Question -
Hi Mark,

Two questions:

1. I soak commercial food pellets in water to soften them, keep them in the fridge over night, then feed them to my box turtle in the early a.m. I read that food should not be offered cold from the fridge, as this can cause intestinal problems. Is this correct?

2. I mist my three-toed boxie's habitat a few times a day and its kept pretty dewey. Do three toed boxies come from moist areas? Should I worry about fungus problems with dampness?  

Thank you,
Amber
Answer -
1. What kind of commercial food pellets are you using that need to be softened? I cannot think of much that boxies would want to eat that come that way. Monkey chow pellets are one possibility as a supplimental food item, but they soften up nicely just putting them in a small dish and adding a little water.

Either serve the food fresher and warmer, or let it warm to room temp before feeding the turtles. Remember- turtles are ectothermic (cold blooded). Eating cold food will chill them as well as cause lots of digestive problems. Warm turtles digest better, which is why they often eat around noon and bask in the warm afternoon sunshine.


2. Boxies DO NOT like damp, heavily humid areas and DO have problems with mildew, fungi, etc.

Misting the tank for humidity is a good idea up to a point- they like some humidity but not actual dampness- AND the temps have to be kept high as well. If your home is so dry that it needs that frequent and heavy of a misting you'd be better off using another system.

One system that works well is a simple potted plant, rigged in such a way that the turtle cannot tip the container over. The moisture in the soil and from the leaves does a good job of keeping the tank humid enough without getting damp.

Another possibility is to use a patch of real or artifical moss on a wall, then position a milk jug or similar container over the moss and punch a tiny hole in the jug so it SLOWLY drips onto the moss. The drip rate should be slow enough that it never puddles up.

Think of it more as trying to keep the air from being too dry than feeling like it has to be very humid.

Answer
Foods:
- Trout chow is OK, but not a good long-term substitute for a more nourishing diet. I would use monkey chow/trout chow/etc. as a base then build on it.
- T-Rex is good stuff, but I'd probably treat it the same as above.
- I like Zoo Med Canned Box Turtle Food as my one personal base.

Feeding at 5:00 am is not a big deal, and the movement directly to the heating element tells me that it is trying to warm up for good digestion.

I would simply adjust the 'tank day' so to the turtle it is about 10-11 in the morning or maybe a bit later, so it can get some nice basking going afterwards.

No problem asking me stuff, and I know how the Yahoo Groups can work sometimes (some are great, others are just too inactive or small. I have not done much in them lately) My only reminder is that most of this stuff is already posted out there in some of the good care sites.