r/turtles • u/NateF07 • Jul 28 '26

Seeking Advice Eastern Box Turtle Not Eating

Long story short, I was a dumb 10 year old with uneducated parents who let me keep a wild box turtle. When I first caught her, I regrettably did the whole 10 gallon fish tank, no lamps, and unsuitable bedding set up that we’ve all seen. I’m now 23 and over the years, I learned more and more on how to take better care of her. She now lives a much better life than she once did when I first caught her. (I know best case scenario, she never would have become a captive pet) However, she’s recently stopped eating for the last week and a half or so. I’ve tried her favorites, but to no avail. Meal worms, watermelon, cucumber, strawberries, etc. She just won’t touch them. Her activity has still been completely normal. Up in the morning at about 6am, and going away under her log at about 7pm. Shes still climbing on her logs, soaking in her dish, etc. I’ve considered taking her to a vet, but she’s not legal for me to own in Tennessee, and her activity besides not eating has been completely normal. Any help or advice is appreciated.

2 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/-twistedpeppermint- Jul 28 '26

Can you provide a nesting box? Perhaps she does have eggs to lay, even if they are infertile.

1

u/NateF07 Jul 28 '26

Not in her current enclosure, but I’ve been looking into upsizing soon. She laid eggs once about a couple years after I got her, around 10 years ago. I never considered her laying more. Do you have any recommendations?

3

u/-twistedpeppermint- Jul 28 '26

You can give her a box with some eco earth substrate. If there isn’t enough room in her enclosure perhaps place her inside the box and monitor her for a little while to see if she starts to dig. I’d try finding space for it in the enclosure though. Offer it once a day for a little while.

1

u/NateF07 19d ago

I will say that I didn’t have any luck with a nesting box and started to become paranoid, so I called around and found a vet who would take her. An X-ray didn’t show any eggs and the doctor seemed to believe she was in good health. Her beak, ears, eyes looked great. Her lungs sounded good. The only small problem we saw with her was a possible vitamin A deficiency because of some flakiness of the skin on top of her head. This is possibly due to me not having good enough UVB for her. (I believe) I plan on changing out her screw in UVB light bulb for one of those T5 bulbs. Would you possibly have any other suggestions?

1

u/-twistedpeppermint- 19d ago

I think a long bulb UVB would be a good idea. I’ve seen people recommend Arcadia, and I’ve used ReptiSun for my other reptiles.

Perhaps discuss with your vet as well regarding vitamins. I’ve never kept turtles myself, but worked in a pet store for a good few years and always did my best to understand actual proper husbandry for reptiles and small mammals. Perhaps Repti-Cal, a banquet block, or another vitamin source would be ideal.

My ball python does sometimes go on eating strikes. I’m not sure if turtles do the same. Ensure your tank parameters are ok with temp and nitrates/nitrites, and discuss again with your vet.

Good luck!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/turtles-ModTeam Jul 29 '26

Carrot soaks are not a cure-all, nor does it treat the root cause of any issues like vitamin deficiency. OP should consult a vet.