History: this lady bought this turtle over the internet it was about a 1/2 dollor size... well they never had UVB/heat on it and didnt really offer it a wide range of foods.. just mainly bannana baby food and mashed gtaps. so 4 years later... its to much truble... its 2inches MAYBE 2.5 inches it has "soft shell" and a "vitmin A" defecancy... so in to my simi knowlagble turtle hands.. its shell is really soft and it legs look reallythin and its beak seems softand it dosent like to move... I put it under a uvb and a heat light with a nice water bowl and offered it last night... romain lefus, sweet peas baby food, chewed up cooked chicken, and some bread soaked in chicken juce.... it mowed the chicken then the stuffing and then the baby food peas... leaving the greens... it hasnt visted the water bowl yet... and before i put it in it set up with food i gave it a product called Solar Liquid UVB... supposbly a liguid uvb for people who dont want to buy the lights... any ideas on what eles to do for her??? and do you think i should put her in the water bowl for a few minutes or just leave her be??:?? thanks EDIT: She seems to be doing good... and is actualy walking around and getting into her water bowl herself... I got a mash food that is high in protien and have been feeding her crickets and mealworms... its hard to find other food sources like earthworms... ( Is a bait shop okay????) but i also found a "Ornate Box Turtle" vitimin "Insect cricket balancer" its by Sandfire superfoods... i havent been handling her at all cept to place her in the water bowl or place her by her fresh food... .. ill also pick up some pediolite.... any idea on how much i should put in her water bowl???
Ornate box turtles are mostly carniverous . They require a more animal protein diet than most box turtles. The soft shell is definitely partly a dietary problem and a diet of crickets and earthworms will help greatly. Most ornates do not suffer from lack of vitamin A but from to much if they are fed greens and vegetables. The lack of proper lighting is also most certainly part of the problem. This is what we do when we get one like your describing. High protein natural diet of earthworms , Crickets , and frozen/ thawed pinkie mice daily. Exposure to natural sunlight for at least two hours a day if possible. If not a good powersun bulb will work. The animal must be soaked daily to keep it hydrated and we use pediolite in the water to help give the animal electrolites. Pediolite can be found in the baby food asile in the grocery store. This will be a very long process . Only offer fruits and veggies sparingly during this time. Hope this helps. Good Luck.
