Turtle enrichment

[urbpan]

Our turtles live indoors in fairly small (2' x 3') cages. One cage has two box turtles, one has one painted and one spotted turtle. My method of enriching them is to put all four into a large cage (4' x 8') that has a variety of food objects and pools of different depths. The turtles can choose to be in the sun, in the shade, can interact with different species of turtles, can go in the different pools, and can choose from different food objects. Our eastern box turtle likes corn on the cob. Who knew?

Comments

[miz-geek.livejournal.com]

Turtles are sooo funny when they play. Or enrich. Or relax. Or whatever you call it.

[badnoodles.livejournal.com]

Now you just need to expose them to some radioactive ooze.

The world needs ninja turtles.

[ms-cantrell.livejournal.com]

turtles really do seem to play sometimes. i was discussing this with someone the other day- is it only mammals and birds that play(and do birds play? they seem to)? or do all animals have some sort of frolic?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I would guess that reptiles play either much less than mammals and birds, or not at all.

As I understand it, play is part of having a malleable brain, which reptiles and most birds don't really have. But maybe it goes beyond that, as a stress-relieving mechanism.

[ms-cantrell.livejournal.com]

by malleable brain- does that mean an adaptable brain? situational learning? cool.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

That wasn't a very scientific term, sorry about that. I meant the kind of brain that can have new behavior patterns put on it (can learn). Crows, parrots, mammals (especially primates).

[zipotle.livejournal.com]

I LOOOOOOOVE Box Turtles. LOVE THEM!!

But what about tomatoes?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I offer them cherry tomatoes from the garden sometimes (my Sanctuary has an organic farm and demonstration garden on site) but they haven't been that interested. They've been spoiled with meat over the years, so I'm struggling to vary their diet. The corn thing was a total surprise. The box turtles are pretty damn picky.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

I still love that last picture to bits. Arrrrrrrr!! DIE CORN DIE!

[guaharibo.livejournal.com]

I was passed a link to this post by a fellow animal lover. I can't get my box turtles to eat their veggies, but I haven't tried corn. Any other veggies your box turtle especially likes?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We have a hard time with it too. Apparently you're supposed to mix food they don't eat into the food they do eat, so that they eat it accidentally, and get used to it over time. I've been chopping veggies up very fine and mixing them into wet dog food.

In the spring I had little lettuce plants in pots in their cage, and they would graze leaves off of it at their leisure. Lettuce isn't the greatest food for them but it's something.

I take care of a wood turtle too, and he loved the lettuce plant, and would eat whole dandelion plants I put in with him too.

I hope this is helpful!

[guaharibo.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. I think the main problem is that I've had mine since shortly after they hatched. They were born in captivity and the person who owned the parents had never delt with hatchlings herself. Her advice was to feed them broccoli because that's what she fed the adults. That didn't work for them so I've been sort of seeking out info and trying things on my own. They ate tomatoes for a while, but now they won't. They've never taken to broccoli, lettuce, sprouts, melon or much else. I currently feed them a box turtle cereal and meal worms with an occasional calcium dusting. But I will definitely try corn the next time I get my hands on a fresh cob.