Box Turtle Feeding

Question
Hi Mark,

I gave my new box turtle 2 Tbsp of Zoo Meds canned box turtle food this morning. She ate half and never touched the rest all day. She also turned away from eating a Zoo Med canned snail and some trout chow. However, she seems to love green leafy veggies.

I'm wondering if I should give a second feeding of something different at night, or are boxies all day snackers?

I know the various types of foods and veggies I can feed her, but Tortoise.org doesn't list how much food to offer or how often. Any advice would be appreciated.   

Thanks again,
Amber

Answer
Boxies don't eat much period, and they mostly eat insects in the wild with only a little vegetable matter.

With most turtles, it is best to offer different amounts of food on different days- heavy days, normal days, light days, and even a fasting day once a week or so (usually after a heavy day)

How much is light, medium, and heavy? Offer a few tablespoons a day. Whatever they eat most days in about 30 minutes is a 'normal' amount. Take out any uneaten food after about an hour to prevent smells and messes. They do not need a nighttime meal. Daytime snacks are perfectly OK, as long as they are removed before they go bad.

The biggest problem most captive boxies have is being overweight. If you boxie cannot completely close its shell comfortably, it is overweight. After all, they don't get much exercise in their indoor cages most of the time.

Zoo Med is good stuff, but treat it like the 'base' of the meal and not the meal itself. Try crickets, worms, backyard bugs, etc. as well.

For snacks, try bits of fruit or veggies, and even dinner leftovers (nothing fatty, sweet, etc.- they generally like things like mashed potatos, PB and bread, etc.)

By using the various links in the Tortoise.org site, you can find places like this (http://www.boxturtlesite.org/diet.html) with more on boxie diet.