I got a baby Box (or Wood) turtle..... ...... so NOW what do I do with it??!

The differences between the two

This page refers primarily to Box and Wood turtles, from hatching to about 5 years of age - that is until they begin to eat a lot more vegetable matter, but first what are the differences?

Both are very similar, in the fact that both eat the same foods. The Woodies have a bright and lively personality, but the Box are more shy in the beginning, but that will change as it grows a little older over the next couple months. After several months both are just alike, and this information will work for BOTH!

This ALSO proves accurate for such species as Blandings, Spotted, and other similar types - including many of the other Clemmys, Mauremys, etc, but the MAIN focus of this page centers around baby Box and Wood turtles.

An adult Wood turtle



Given reasonable care, you will have a very personable pet! For turtles, the "Woodies" are very friendly, and show a lot of intelligence! The bright orange will start to show during the first year.

FOODS: At the beginning......... That is when they first hatch out, it's quite often that the movement of small prey is what first causes them to feed! The movement of a small (a VERY small!) worm, or mealworm, will cause their "strike" reaction to take over! The food must move SLOWLY though, or they may not be able to catch it. An easy way I have found is to hold a small piece of worm in front of them with a pair of long, narrow tongs. Hold it about an inch away from the turtle, and if it's a food item that will "stay put" a minute without immediately crawling away...... there's nothing wrong with leaving it in front of the turtle. After a week or two after hatching its hunger instinct takes over........ and it will feed! Of course there are tons of other factors, like light, and especially heat! A COLD TURTLE WILL NOT EAT! Also young hatchlings like to spend a lot of time hiding, even spending days at a time buried deep into the mix! This is natural, and I "allow" this for about a month (mainly for newly-hatched Box. Baby Woodies are usually "ready" much sooner!).......... then I change their setup entirely!

The "New" Setup: First and foremost - I keep it SIMPLE! VERY simple indeed - yet comfortable for the turtles! A simple plastic container works well.......... something say about a foot-and-a-half long X a foot wide is good, with a "clamp light" over one end (A 40-watt bulb is good). I set a small object under one end of it, and put enough water in the container so it's never over an inch deep in the deepest end, and angle the light to shine over the water, and on the "dry" end I place an object under which they can hide, as well as keeping the moisture high. Even a few wet paper towels will work, as long as they remain moist, as moisture seems to greatly help their growth! Anyways I'll get back to the MAIN purpose of this page - FOOD!

FOOD AND FEEDING Anyways perhaps in time I'll do a "care sheet" for baby Box and Wood........ but for now, I'll concentrate on food and feeding. Once your babies are feeding well....... and ESPECIALLY once they are to the point to where they will grab at any tidbit that is offered to them with your tongs (using a thin stick - such as a broom straw - works well also), then feeding becomes even less of a problem. PELLETS: "Artificial foods" I like to call them, because these do not occur in the wild. One pellet loved and adored by every turtle I have ever raised has been Repto Min floating food sticks. These are GREAT, and when the turtles are placed into the shallow water and the pellets are dropped in, they are eaten at once! Once the turtles "get some size on them" the pellets can be offered dry, and this is GOOD for them! Since the pellets are hard, they help the beak develop properly as the turtle grows. The pellets are designed to be placed into the water, and they will "soften"........ which is good for "training", but once the turtles get to about 2 inches or so, dry is best for them! Wardely also makes a similar pellet, but my turtles have always preferred Repto Min. Speaking of Wardley, they make "Betta food", which are tiny pellets, and are bite-size for even the tiniest turtles! Also Wardley makes "Goldfish TEN", another round pellet, excellent for small turtles, but has perhaps less vitamins in it than does Repto Min, since it's formulated for goldfish, but still makes a good food for turtles. TUBIFEX WORMS: These are dry, and come in little squares, and are an excellent food, and are an excellent way to give your turtles some vitamins! Even though these are good by themselves, here's something cool! After I soak them in water for a minute or so, I set them aside, and add a tiny drop of "Skin and Coat food supplement" ("8-1") to them. The same can be done with Linatone, as these are both liquids, and mix well with moistened tubifex worms. Also you can take some Quik Chik, offered by McMurray Hatchery - and add a tiny pinch into a glass of water, and mix til until the water is "barely yellow", and soak your tubifex in this, and offer it on your tongs. Your tiny turtles will all come-a-RUNNING! Yummy! The leftover water/Quik Chik mix can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Quik Chik comes in a foil packet, and stores best if removed from the pack once this is opened, and stored in a tight-fitting jar. I know I did not name ALL the available pellet-type foods here, but these are "tried and true" by ME........ and I now they work! NEXT PAGE