r/aww • u/abhitchc • 5d ago

I fed this female box tortoise some raspberries at the beginning of the summer. Now, she follows me all over the garden, and visits me almost daily looking for handouts.

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u/chrysanthemumasterac 5d ago

https://preview.redd.it/9c3g2rv1ds8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c043a548c2f86ff5baddfebacab9a2cbd29c5305

I have one that visits too, she won’t eat fruit but will eat Friskies wet cat food. Missing a leg but it doesn’t seem bothered by it at all, been visiting for 3 years. Such a sweet little friend.

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u/heliumneon 5d ago

The ones with red eyes are the males, so this is a "he."

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u/jessieallen 5d ago

Is it for every turtle or just this variety?

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u/heliumneon 5d ago

For this particular species, Eastern Box Turtle, but also a few others, like Woodland Box Turtle and Ornate Box Turtle.

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u/raerawrr 4d ago

My turtles eyes are red and she has laid an egg? She is a box tortoise

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u/Luffy99 5d ago

Wait, it doesn't eat fruit? ...But it eats wet cat food?

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u/Krysaine 5d ago

Box turtles are omnivores. Kinda like teenagers but slower. They have preferences and often those missing legs or are old and arthritic will go for "slower" prey like cat food. I have a ~30 year old male Desert Box Turtle (one of the 4 North American species) who won't eat bugs anymore but loves the hell out of some senior formula wet cat food and berries. Tomatoes move when he tries to bite them, so he will just get frustrated and give up if no one can hold the tomato steady. But oh man, watch that beak if you are holding a raspberry!

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u/CrunchyButtMuncher 5d ago

Sounds like Charlie Kelly turned into a turtle

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u/Designer-Serve-5140 5d ago

Turtles love cat food! If you don't wanna deal with ther varied diet(cuz they eat and need a massive variety of plants and bugs/small animals cat food is a great option for their protein! I used to feed mine a homemade mash of boiled eggs, eggs shells, bugs and catfood and then mix it up into little meatballs for her salad! 

Wet catfood is especially good for them! Dog food has excess protein and fat, too much for them to handle without getting sick, but catfood has like the perfect nutrient content for them. Just need to supplement with some green stuff and calcium and they'll do great!

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u/saltiscience 5d ago

I had a visiting turtle growing up that would also eat our cats food. They would eat out of the same bowl together 😭