The Box Turtle: A Pra titi er's Approach

Roger J. Klingenberg, D.V.M.

Sheep Draw Veterinary Hospital, 6297 W 10th St., Greeley, CO 80634, USA

INTRODUCTION

Box turtles are among the most neglected of the commonly kept captive reptiles. Perhaps the average owner bought into the common folklore that turtles and tortoise live forever and require little attention as to their living requirements. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, with proper husbandry practices and attention to some basic health issues, they are can be hardy and long lived pets.

Client education

Whenever possible, it is beneficial for box turtles to live outside, even if on a part-time basis. Not only does the turtle benefit from some natural UV exposure, but they seem to benefit psychologically as well. A x turtle maintained in a ten gallon aquarium is simple animal cruelty as these little characters need room to roam. The minimum size requirements for one adult box turtle is a cage 24 x 36 in, and even then they should be allowed to go for frequent walks. If maintained inside a basking lamp is essential for the turtles to thermoregulate themselves.

Routine maintenance of the nails and beak must be stressed, as decreased activity and less strenuous eating habits can lead to overgrowth of nails and beak.

Box turtles are opportunistic omnivores and need to be offered a varied and complete diet. This diet should be heavy on bugs (worms, crickets, beetle bugs, giant mealworms, etc.) and vegetables, and light on fruits and dog and cat foods.

Hibernation is essential to the continued and long-term good health of all but the southern box turtles. Box turtles that are continually brumated from one season to another are going to suffer physiological damage to their hormonal and immune systems.

For a good review of husbandry practices and basic medical care, the reader is encouraged to read T Box Turtle Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli and this authorA.

alth concerns in box turtles

It has en this authors experience that the vast majority of problems seen in box turtles are related to a lack of proper heat and light, vitamin A deficiencies, and a lack of proper hibernation practices.

Heat and light: Turtles maintained indoors have an absolute need for a basking light, even if nothing more than an incandescent light suspended over a portion of the cage. Without the ability to thermoregulate properly turtles are more prone to maldigestion and gastrointestinal disorders as well as immune suppression. Studies have documented that following a feeding that turtles bask 1 significantly more and show an increased precision of thermoregulation . When turtles are infected

1996 PROCEEDINGS ASSOCIAlION OF AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILIAN VETERINARIANS 31 with bacteria they seek warmer sites, thereby creating a behavioral "fever". This behavioral fever has 5 been shown to have survival value and is impossible to achieve without a usable thermal gradient . Ambient daytime temperatures of 22.2-31.1 °C (72-88 ° F) with a nighttime drop to no lower than 15.6 °C (60 °F) are appropriate for most box turtles. Outdoor turtles seem to sustain colder nighttime temperatures with no ill effect.

Box turtles appear to have a crucial need for access to unfiltered UV light which allows for the formation of active vitamin 0 in the turtles skin. Active vitamin 0, because of its role in calcium metabolism is essential to help prevent metabolic bone disease. Obviously, outdoor turtles will have sufficient outdoor access. Indoor turtles should be allowed to take outside walks but not forced to stay in direct sunlight indefinitely. Ideally the turtle should be allowed to wander in out of the sun as desired on it walks. Artificial sunlight bulbs should be improving in the future, but bulbs such as the Zoo Med 310 are useful when suspended no higher than eighteen inches above the turtles.

Vitamin A deficiency. Box turtles are one of the few animals that are frequently seen with vitamin A deficiencies. Box turtles are born with marginal stores of vitamin A, and the most common cause of deficiencies is a diet with inadequate levels. Commercial turtle foods seldom contain enough vitamin A (and other nutrients) to serve as a sole diet because vitamin A, in the form of carotene or preformed A is highly unstable. The always famous all-fruit, all-meat, and all lettuce turtle diets are obviously lacking in adequate levels of vitamin A.

Vitamin A has two primary biological functions within the body; for vision (rhodopsin) and for cell division and differentiation. One of the earliest signs of vitamin A deficiency is that of squamous metaplasia of the Hardian glands of the eyes leading to dry, sticky, irritated eyes which will eventually glue shut. Nasal discharge and bubbling is also commonly seen. While ocular and respiratory signs are the most common, other signs of vitamin A deficiency include anorexia, diarrhea, sterility, birth defects, abortion, and hyperkeratosis. Secondary bacterial conjunctivitis and pneumonia can occur, but need not be present in early deficiency cases. Conversely, not all conjunctivitis and pneumonia cases are due to an underlying vitamin A deficiency. A very clear ocular and nasal discharge is more characteristic of a vitamin A deficiency without bacterial involvement.

A common infectious entity seen in box turtles is aural abscesses, which are more common in turtles suffering from vitamin A deficiencies. Aural abscesses are treated by lancing the tympanic membrane and evacuating the caseated pus. A systemic antibiotic is recommended in addition to daily flushes with a dilute betadine solution for a few days to prevent reformation of the abscess.

H atlon: For all but the most southern box turtles, hibernation is not just a matter of convenience during the long winters, but a necessity for normal physiological processes. Jim Jarchow perhaps paraphrased it best by listing the three main reasons why turtles need to hibernate:

-hibernation helps turtles achieve their life expectancy; -it helps maintain normal hormonal activity (especially the thyroid hormone); 2 -and it is vital to stimulating and synchronizing their reproductive cycles •

The population as a whole obviously is dependent on such hibernation for propagation to occur, but what about individual turtles in captivity? Is hibernation essential for the individual as well?

It is this authors opinion that hibernation is absolutely essential for the long-term well being of box turtles. By September of each year, most box turtles become sluggish and tend to decrease or stop their food consumption. Burrowing activity is increased. As light and heat can be artificially altered,

1996 PROCEEDINGS ASSOCIATION OF REPTILIAN AND AMPHIBIAN VETERINARIANS 38 and yet the turtles appear to instinctively know that it is time to hibernate, one must conclude that this is a hormonally stimulated event as well. Turtles denied the opportunity to hibernate and held in their normal cage will simply brumate. It isn't cool enough to hibernate, and it isn't warm enough to stay fully metabolically active as well. Brumating turtles will lose anywhere from 10-250/0 of their body weight during the winter, while hibernating turtles often lose only 1-50/0. Vital nutrients, especially vitamin A, are lost during this time as well. cells important to the immune system function, especially lymphocytes, are reduced during the winter months6 causing the turtle to become both nutrition- and immune-compromised. Some turtles fare well over one winter and make up for any weight and nutrient imbalances in the spring. However, the effects of not hibernating over more than one winter will eventually catch up with a turtle, its health will decline, and its life expectancy will plummet. For detailed instructions on how to hibernate box turtles, see the hibernation section of 4 The Box Turtle Manual •

rasites: The vast majority of wild-caught or imported box turtles are affected by one or more endoparasites, and routine fecal examinations are mandatory. Nematode parasites are treated with fenbendazole (Panacur, Hoesch-Roussel ) at a dosage of 25 mg/kg p.o. q 7 day for at least three 3 treatments • cestodes are treated with praziquantel (Droncit, Mobay) at a dose of 5...8 mg/kg p.o. or 3 i.m. and then repeated in 2 wk . Protozoal agents are treated with metronidazole (Flagyl, Searle) at a dosage of 25..40 mg/kg p.O. q 24 for up to 5 day3. Ivermectin is strictly contraindicated in all 3 chelonians .

A common ectoparasite found in box turtles is that of the bot fly larvae. Biting flies deposit their eggs in wounds they create, leading to the invasion of this wound by the hatching larvae or bots. This leads to the development of a subcutaneous lump with a small opening, often lined by black crusty material. The turtle forms a cystic structure in response to the larvae. The bot larvae are removed by gently enlarging the natural opening, and mechanically removing the bots with forceps. Once removed, the resulting cavity should be flushed and packed with an antibiotic ointment. Turtles afflicted with multip bot sites may require a systemic antibiotic as well. Any turtle with an open wound should be carefully manito during fly season, and the cage screened in if necessarye Pre­ existing wounds can be affected by common flies which lay their eggs at the margin of the open wounds and hatch into swarms of maggots.

LITERAlURE ITED

1. Gatten, R.E. 1989. Aspeds of the Environmental Physiology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Proceedings of AAZV, Greensboro, N.C. 2. Jarchow, J. 1989. Hibernating your Turtle Safely. Reprinted from the The Carapace, Dec. 1989/ Jan. 1990 via Notes from NOAH, 20 (11): 8-11. 3. Klingenberg, R.J. 1993. Understanding Reptile Parasites. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Santee, CA. 4. Klingenberg, R.J., de Vosjoli, P. 1995. The Box Turtle Manual. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Santee, CA. 5. Mader, D.R. 1985. The Interrelationship Between Ambient Temperature and Reptile Health Management. Proceedings of the Second Annual Symp on Captive Propagation and Hus ndry of iles and Amphibians, Northern CA Harp Soc. Special Publication No.3, pp. 39-48. 6. ht, R.K, and Cooper, E.l. 1981. Temperature Effects on Ectotherm Immune Responses. Journal of Dev. Comp. Immunol. (5 suppl.); 1:117-122.

1996 PROCEEDINGS ASSOCIATION Of AMPHIB~NAND REPTILIAN VETERINARIANS 39