How to Get a Box Turtle to Eat

Box turtles are wonderfully docile creatures that many people choose to keep as pets. They are, however, wild creatures and without the proper care can become stressed and refuse to eat. Some box turtles will even starve themselves to death if action is not taken to get them to take nourishment. There are, fortunately, several techniques which can be employed to encourage them to eat.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Provide a proper environment in which your box turtle is likely to thrive. This means a natural substrate, accessible water and plenty of room. Even though box turtles are small they are accustomed to having and using a large territory so the bigger enclosure you can provide the better. While box turtles can be kept inside, this is far from their ideal environment and they will need a heating element as well as UV lighting if kept inside. Box turtles will often refuse to eat indoors and many will continue to refuse food if placed in a small outdoor pen.
2. Make sure you are providing the box turtle with the appropriate food. Adult box turtles are omnivores so they should be given both protein and vegetable matter. Crickets, slugs, beetles and worms are generally eaten well by box turtles. These can usually be bought at bait shops or even ordered online. Vegetables like collard greens, squash, green beans and okra are good food for them as well as all kinds of berries. Offer your turtle a variety of these and change them up so he does not become fixated on a particular food.
3. Maintain the proper temperature to encourage your turtle to eat. If the turtle is kept in a too cool environment (65 degrees and below) she will not eat because she is cold blooded and cannot generate her own heat to digest the food. Try feeding the turtle during the day a couple hours after sunrise. If she won't take food then, try again during late afternoon. Turtles particularly respond to eating following a rain shower as in the wild this is generally when worms come up providing them with a meal. Avoid feeding during the hottest part of the day as turtles are generally used to resting in the shade during very warm hours and will likely not respond to feeding at that time.
4. Provide a hiding place for your turtle. Many turtles refuse to eat out in the open and need a safe hidden place in which they can consume food. Build your turtle a mud cave or provide a small piece of hollowed out log in his pen. Place some food directly in the hiding place and check later to see if the turtle has eaten. Try not to move things around in the turtle's pen too much as changes in his environment can be stressful to him and further discourage his interest in feeding.
5. Feed hatching's and very young turtles live food. Baby box turtles will not begin eating until their yolk sac is fully incorporated into their body which often takes a couple of weeks following hatching. Once the baby is ready to eat, she will usually respond to live moving foods such as worms. Offer her worms several times a day until she begins to take them. Once she is eating, feed live food once every two days. Baby turtles won't eat vegetables or fruit very often until they are much older, sometimes not until they are over a year in age.
6. Look for a medical problem if your turtle refuses to eat despite an appropriate environment and a variety of foods. Box turtles that are ill are likely to refuse food. Check your turtles eyes and ears (these are flat slightly indented areas on the sides of the head) for puffiness. If an eye or ear is puffy, it is likely your turtle is suffering from an infection and will require antibiotics from a veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

• Never attempt to force food into your turtle's beak as he may aspirate the material. You can gently tap on his beak with a piece of food to encourage him to open it and bite but he must take it on his own for safety reasons.