7 Reasons Why Your Box Turtle Is Not Eating (+ What to Do)

One of the most common problems people have with their box turtles is that they stop eating. I’ve also had this problem with some of my first box turtle and I know how unpleasant it can be. The good news is that it can usually be solved very easily. But before we can do anything we first have to find out what’s the cause.

The most common reasons why a box turtle won’t eat are: stress, bad temperature, improper diet, pregnancy, and health problems.

Now let’s go over each case that I mentioned, and a few more and see what’s the source of the problem and what you can do to solve it, and get your box turtle back to normal.

Stress

This is the most common reason why box turtles stop eating

Box turtles get stressed very easily. They can get stressed by excessive noises, by other pets, by improper handling, and many other things.

If a box turtle gets stressed out, it will stop eating until they calm down, and most likely exhibit other strange behavior as well, like excessive digging, trying to climb out of the enclosure, hiding all the time, etc. or your box turtle might stop from doing anything at all.

All box turtles react differently to stress, so there is no sure way to tell what your turtle will do if it’s stressed, but not eating is one of the most common responses.

Solving this problem is quite simple, just get rid of the stress source.

Finding the source is usually quite easy. Let me give you a few examples of what could stress your turtle. A loud stereo system that is placed right next to the tank can cause a lot of stress for a turtle. A cat or a dog that is always trying to get in the tank can also cause a lot of stress. Taking your box turtle and handling it in an aggressive way can also be a stress source. The best way to figure out if something is stressing the turtle is to try to put yourself in the turtle’s place. If you think that something would stress you, then it definitely stresses the turtle.

After you eliminate the stress sources your box turtle should start to eat again soon.

Bad Basking Temperature

Turtles are cold-blooded, which means that they can’t heat their body on their own, so they are dependent on the environmental temperature.

The basking temperature differs from species to species, but overall it’s around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).

If box turtles can’t bask properly their survival instinct will activate and they will prepare to hibernate or aestivate, depending on the temperature.

When temperatures get low, turtles will stop eating, reduce their movement and basically prepare to sleep for a few months. But this only happens when temperatures get close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), so if they are exposed to a constant temperature of around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) they will be in this in-between state where they won’t be too active, they won’t eat but they won’t hibernate.

To solve this problem simply adjust the temperature of the basking area, if you want to know how to do that you can check out this guide where I will also tell you how far the heat bulb should be positioned, and how powerful the bulb should be: Guide for Lighting and Heating.

Bad Overall Temperature

There is one more temperature-related problem that we need to cover. And this is the exact opposite of the last one.

The opposite of hibernation is aestivation, which is basically the same thing but it happens when it’s too hot, not when it’s too cold.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all box turtles hibernate or aestivate in the wild, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t do so if the conditions are right.

If the problem is caused by the basking area simply reduce the temperature by following the guide I linked above. But if the high temperature is not caused by the basking area you have a couple of options.

The first option is to do nothing, if it’s just a heat wave that is causing this high temperature you can wait a few days or a week for it to pass and your box turtle will start eating again after that. One week without food won’t harm your turtlein any way, especially since it’s in the process of starting aestivation.

If you live in an area with very high overall temperatures you could even let your turtle aestivate for the summer. This is a completely normal thing to do for them.

The next option that you have is to move your box turtle to a colder room. Just make sure that if the room has an AC unit, the turtle isn’t too close to the air that the unit blows, as it will decrease the temperature of your turtle too much.

Improper Diet

One fairly common reason why box turtles stop eating is an improper diet.

This is quite an extensive subject so I will only cover the basics. Which should be enough to know if your turtle has a proper diet or not.

The diet of a box turtle should contain three things: fruits, vegetables and pellets.

Fruits

Most fruits are good to eat, but there are some that aren’t good for turtles due to the high amount of phosphorus or citric acid that they contain. Citric acid irritates the stomach of a turtle, and phosphorus blocks the absorption of calcium shock is essential for a healthy bone structure and shell.

So here is a list fruit that you should avoid:

Raisin
Prune
Date
Avocado
Guava
Banana
Coconut
Kivi
Persimmon
Cantaloupe
Apricot
Pomegranate
Honeydew
Nectarine
Mulberry
Peach
Orange
Lemon
Lime
Grapefruit

So if you don’t find a fruit on this list, it’s good to eat.

If you want a more in-depth explanation about fruits and turtles you can always check out my article: Can Turtles Eat Fruits? (How Much, How Often + List)

Vegetables

Just like fruits, vegetables are great for a box turtle, but there are some that contain a lot of phosphorus. Besides those other vegetables that you should avoid are like: iceberg salad, cucumbers, eggplants, and mushrooms. While those vegetables won’t harm your box turtle in any way, they also have little to no nutritional value for your turtle.

Here is a list of some vegetables that contain a high amount of phosphorus, which you should avoid:

Corn
Tomatoes
Asparagus
Beets
Peppers
Pumpkin
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Green Beans
Squash
Romaine Lettuce
Turnips

So if you don’t find a vegetable on this list, it’s good to eat.

Pellets

Pellets are a great addition to the diet of any turtle. As they contain a lot of nutrients in a small quantity of food. So you can give your box turtle all the nutrients that it needs without overfeeding it.

But as you can imagine there can be some significant differences based on the brand of the food, so if you want to know which those differences are and which one is the best I would recommend you to check out this article where I and the rest of the members of Turtleowner.com, choose the best turtle food on the market, based on our years of experience and a lot of research: Buyer’s Guide: Best Turtle Food.

Scared

If you just got your box turtle then it’s very normal for them to not eat during their first days in their new home.

A lot of new owners get very scared when they don’t see their turtle eating in the first few days, but this is actually something quite common.

Moving to a new home can be very stressful for a box turtle. They will go from a small cramped enclosure, that they share with multiple turltes, to a new spacious enclosure where they can live alone. And if they were sent through the mail, they will be even more scared.

If this is the case for your box turtle, you just have to let your turtlecalm down a little. After about a week your box turtle will get used to the new environment and will start eating. There is nothing you can do in this case, just make sure that you offer them food every day, in case they decide that it’s safe, and want to eat.

Pregnant

A pregnant box turtle will act very strange, she will stop eating, she will stop basking, she will try to dig everywhere, etc.

If your box turtle is pregnant there is nothing that you can do to make it eat. Just provide food for her, and if she wants to eat she will eat.

The first thing you have to do if you want to know if your box turtle is really pregnant is to find out if it’s a male or a female, so you should read this article that is going to tell you if that’s the case: How to Tell If a Tortoise Is Male or Female (with Pictures).

*Despite being called a turtle, box turtles are more closely related to tortoises, this is why I’m linking to articles about tortoises and not turtles.

And if your turtle is a female, and you want to know if she is pregnant, then you should read this article where you will find all the info you need: How to Tell if Your Tortoise Is Pregnant (with Pictures).

One important thing about turtles is that they will get pregnant even if there is no male around. The difference is that the eggs won’t be fertilized so no baby will come out of them. So even if you only have a female box turtle she can still lay eggs.

Illness

The last reason why your box turtle is not eating is that it could be ill.

There are a lot of illnesses out there that can affect a turtle. And one of the most common responses of any sick animal is to stop eating.

So my suggestion is that none of the other reasons above seem to be the problem, is to go to the vet.

While I had to deal with my fair share of sick turtles, I would advise everybody to go to the vet when health problems are involved.

The last thing I want to add is to make sure that you choose a vet that specializes in turtles or exotic animals in general. So make sure to call before going in with your box turtle.