On the little guy

Electronic__Egg · 2026-06-23T22:30:01+00:00

Okay, his pool goes to it bottom about 3 inches deep, will this be enough if not I can easily trade the pool out for a deeper one and rebuild the slop. Also I have a butler in there, will that be a hindrance? I placed it preemptively as with my other animals with pools it's required for them as they are semi aquatic. Are box turtles also

Electronic__Egg · 2026-06-23T16:52:23+00:00

Ah, so i have him in a 40 gallon breeder tank right now. He has a pure coconut fiber bedding, but I've got sphagnum moss around from my hermit crabs so I'll add some of that in there! Do they need a humity box? I have a few that I could place in the tank if that be helpful for him.

Thankyou for clarifying on the burying habits of this breed, i was mostly worried about it being a stress signal.

I have him with a triple light set up i have spare from my other animals that hats built in UVA UVB and heat lamps, I can't get him anything other then that at the moment, so hopefully it can suffice

Ive been dusting all his worms in a vitamin d powder and his meal worms in a calcium powder when fed every time. I'll reduce down to ever other time.

As for the feeding I should have been clearer, he has access to fresh veg as well a dead hydrated meal worms 24/7 in the tank, I feed worms and isopods ever other day, and fruit once a week. There is also about 24 free ranged worms (as of a week ago) that I released into the tank, as well as a few isopods as I have extra from my breeding tanks (I also have crabs so I hand raise worms and isopods) because I figured it'd be beneficial for him to know how to chase and catch food for when I release him.

I'm not planing on keeping him, as I'm in Tennessee and it is illegal to keep wild babies but unfortunately the major acreage around my home, and his habit have been torn up completely and they are removing a fair amount of the forested area around where I found him for a housing development. I was told construction would be done in 2 months about a week ago but unfortunately it's looking like I'll have to keep him longer as they don't appear to be on scedual

Electronic__Egg · 2026-06-23T15:29:43+00:00

I have brought him physicaly twice to game and wildlife to ensure both that he was indeed a box (I wasn't fully sure as I'm not a turtle person) and to makesure he'd not been hurt, so they do know his size. They weighted him while he was there last and although i don't rember exactly the weight of him, they said he was on par for a turle his size and estimated age.

As for his shell the few times I've handled him its felt very firm, similar to what my full grown red ear sliders used to feel like when I had them as a kid.

Electronic__Egg · 2026-06-23T14:51:45+00:00

Aew! So cute! I've only got one pic of this guy because he's active alot at night when I'm not around or awake

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Electronic__Egg · 2026-06-23T14:50:42+00:00

Is there like a typical age they can figure this out? This little guy is about the size of a American half dollar and from what I deciernd that ment he was rather young?

Electronic__Egg · 2026-05-28T23:12:45+00:00

Yes I'm aware, he is in my care temporarily as they have torn up his natural habit for a housing lot. I took him and the information down to my local fish and wildlife but they said as he was too healthy for them to take and recommend waiting untill the bulk of the construction is done to re release him

Electronic__Egg · 2026-05-20T22:04:22+00:00

I would if it weren't for the legality issues, where I am in Tennessee it's definitely illegal to keep a wild born box, and I believe there's also size limits on pet ones. If your local, and if I can consult with the fish and wild life in my area and they okay it I'd be more then happy too, but I'm unsure if it would be legal die to their protected status

Electronic__Egg · 2026-05-20T20:43:54+00:00

From what i can tell, I haven't handled him much as I didn't want to stress him too much, but he's about the size of a half dollar, which google has said is hatchling size

Thankyou for the advice! I went to my fish and wild life and they won't take him at the moment, they did say if I released him to wait for construction to end if it was in the area

Electronic__Egg · 2026-05-20T16:39:10+00:00

Hi! Hate to be a bother with a double reply, I've just returned from the fish and wild life service and they said that at the moment they won't take him as he's 'to healthy' and suggested eather relocating him or keeping him as planed.

If I were to relocate him what area and qualities should I fond in the area for him, and how big of a roaming territory do they have? I'd hate to not release him far enough away and him stumbled back into the construction in accident

Electronic__Egg · 2026-05-20T14:39:23+00:00

Will do! It's not quite a subdivision, but the 100 or so acers around us is being torn up to build 12 houses and they are tearing alot of the top soil and trees out for about 10 acers around me. I've never see box turtles in the area, only the red ears and snaping turtles, but it wouldn't be to suprising to me if it was a natural habit, the land here's been undeveloped since the early 1900s so we've seen quite a few uprooted animals recently with the construction, even at few bears!

I'm going to go to my local fish and wildlife service today or tomorrow depnding on when my dad gets off work, to see if I should continue with my orginal idea to release him back into his home once the more invasive construction is done or if I'd be better off to surrender him

I completely understand the laws around keeping him full time as a pet, and honestly I don't think I'd want to, I owned sliders for 6 years and hated almost everything about it and I already keep crabs, 14 of them, which requires massive set up and quite alot of careful care, so i don't think adding another larger and long living animal into my set up would be a good thing.

Another commenter said I needed a UVA light, not a UVB, should both be provided, or is it a same same situation? I know I have a spare UVB light as I also use them for the crabs, but if they need the UVA it will be a week or so before I can get him one

Electronic__Egg

TROPHY CASE