The wood turtles are a lot of fun to keep and raise, as they are very tame and friendly.
The wood turtle is one of our long-time favorites. This species is a lot of fun to keep and raise, as it is very docile and friendly.
Wood Turtle Feeding
The young wood turtles are mostly carnivores. As they get older, they consume more and more plant material. Youngsters should be fed a diet made up of whole animals. Food items such as earthworms, snails, and slugs are important. Excellent alternatives are the food market and canned snails.
Pre-killed pink mice, super mealworms, roaches, sow bugs, waxworms, grasshoppers, grubs, crickets, and canned invertebrates are some of the other nutrition-rich foods.
Most meals should include a canned or pelleted box turtle diet or moistened Reptomin Food Sticks.
The majority of the diet for adult Wood Turtles should be described above. The salads should include fruits and vegetables such as apples, yams, apples, squash, mushrooms, carrots, and other produce.
Growing youngsters and gravid females of the Wood Turtles have high calcium requirements. D3 is not necessary for turtles that have access to natural sunlight, so all food should be powdered with Zoo Med ReptiCalcium with D3 or a similar product. Not all turtles sample a cuttlebone, but one may be left in the cage. Reptivite with D3 should be used at least 1-2 times a week.
wood turtle Behavior
Wood Turtles take very well to captivity and quickly learn to beg for food when their owner shows up. The turtles seem to have a degree of curiosity and problem-solving abilities that are not seen in other turtles. Wood Turtles score better on maze and reward-association tests than other people.
At the Bronx Zoo, we housed a group of adults in a large tilted cattle trough. The turtles were going to get as close to the drain as possible when they saw that we were going to drain the tub. They would grab bits of leftover food when the water came by. Once the tub was empty, the turtles would look down into the drain to make sure they didn’t miss anything. They looked at all angles, and the intensity of their scrutiny seemed different from that of most other species.
terrarium size for wood turtles
The minimum size enclosure for a wood turtle should be at least 47” L x 17” W x 20”H, but bigger is always better. Waterland tubs are great for housing wood turtles because they have a shallow aquatic area and ramp that leads to a generous land area for basking and exploring. Half of your turtle’s enclosure should be water, and the other half should be just deep enough for the turtle to breathe.
Wood turtles are best housed in an outdoor pond for at least part of the year if you have a local climate and housing situation. Waterland tubs can be used for this purpose, but make sure to top them with a wide mesh lid to keep out potential predators.
If there is no more than one male per group, and the size of the enclosure is increased, wood turtles can be housed in groups.
