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Fridge Food and Misting

22 16:48:28

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.