What do box turtles eat?
Diet is one of the most crucial factors in maintaining a healthy box turtle. Getting a turtle to eat or to eat the proper nutritious foods is often the hardest thing a turtle owner must learn to do. For some reason, many turtles, especially wild caught turtles, will not readily eat or are fixated on certain foods. It may have something to do with the stress of captivity, changes in the environment, or removal from their home ranges. Temperature and lighting play a role in triggering appetite and turtles no doubt have their own food preferences. A turtle not given the proper circumstances to feed will go on a hunger strike. Unlike warm-blooded animals, they aren’t forced by their metabolism to eat. They can just slow down their activity level, retreat in their shells and wait for better conditions. Unfortunately, if the turtles are kept in a tank or penned in an outdoor area, those better conditions never come unless the owner makes an effort to supply them. If they aren’t supplied the
