Turtles: Malayan box turtle

This page last edited on

01 August, 2008

Turtles

Malayan Box Turtle

Fun Facts

Malayan box turtles are omnivores. In the wild they eat mostly aquatic plants and some animal protein such as worms. In captivity, they should be fed commercial turtle pellets, greens and veggies. They should be fed insects or earth worms for protein. They inhabit rice paddies and other fresh bodies of water in southeast Asia. They spend the majority of their time in the water and are the world's most aquatic box turtle. They can be seen on land and I notice that my Malayan box turtle walks around the yard quite a bit and also basks right next to the sliders. They have a hinged shell which allows them to tuck their head and limbs inside their shell.

For my information on housing, feeding and care for the Malayan box turtle please visit the links on the left. Maili, pictured to the left is the only Malayan box turtle that I have. I adopted her from the Wildlife Care Center in Fort Lauderdale. Maili lives in the 1200 gallon pond with the red ear sliders and the yellow belly slider. She loves to eat worms as well as the pellets and greens/veggies I give them. Be sure to visit the worm page from the link on the left to see video and pictures of how I set up the worm box as well as the turtles eating the worms in the pond.

I love to watch Maili walk around the yard. She seems to enjoy her land walks as much as Mojo, one of the red ear sliders, does. Sometimes I don't see her in the pond for a few days because she hid somewhere in the yard. Maili is pretty friendly and will come swimming over to me when she sees me at the edge of the pond in the mornings. Of course she swims over for food!

Notice how beautiful her head is. I love the yellow stripe all the way around. She is the prettiest pond turtle that I have. Malayan box turtles come from southeast Asia where they live in shallow rivers and rice paddies. They are the world's most aquatic box turtle. From the day I got her she really loved being in the pond, unlike the big wood turtle. I adopted them on the same day. Maili prefers to stay under the bridge and rest on the branches but she also comes into the deep end sometimes and also spends time on the shallow end with her head sticking out of the water checking out her surroundings. Its fun to watch her eat, especially worms! I have some great video of her eating in the pond so please check that out in the player below.

Maili often basks in the sun on the edge of the pond with the sliders. She gets along well with the sliders and they get along with her. She is very easy to care for with the proper set up and diet. All I really do is have the pleasure of seeing her eat and bask. If you were to house a Malayan box turtle indoors - which I don't recommend - it would be a lot more work. You would need a large tank, basking area and UV ray lights. It is better to house them in an outdoor pond but only in a warm climate. They are tropical turtles that will die in cold weather. I have not had any problems with her being outside in the cooler south Florida weather.

Thank you for visiting the Malayan box turtle page! I hope that you enjoy the video and pictures on this page.

Click on Playlist to view the two movies of Maili the Malayan box turtle.

Turtles Page | Turtle Housing | Turtle Feeding | Turtle Care | Central American Woods

Florida Boxes | Malayan Box | Red Ear Sliders | Yellow Belly Sliders | Worms

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DISCLAIMER: This website was set up to SHARE my OWN experience with my reptiles, guinea pigs, ponds/fish, gardens and local wildlife and to post pictures and video of them. It was NOT SET UP to offer my opinion or expertise on ANY QUESTION that I am asked and what I post on this website should not be taken as "EXPERT ADVISE" or how to take care of reptiles, guinea pigs, ponds/fish, gardens or local wildlife. I AM NOT A REPTILE RESCUE GROUP, GUINEA PIG RESCUE GROUP, VETERINARIAN, REPTILE EXPERT, GUINEA PIG EXPERT, PONDS/FISH EXPERT, GARDEN EXPERT OR WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR! I have limited experience with reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish and gardens, therefore, I am NOT QUALIFIED to give out advise or answer questions and you, as a visitor to this website, should not take anything on this website as expert advise or accurate information. I present this website for fun and fun only - NOT as a reference website to instruct anyone on how to properly take care of reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish or gardens. I share how I DO THINGS for my reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish and gardens and this is not intended for others to take as expert advise or to mimic. Furthermore, my political views are my own and not intended to offend, annoy, hurt or demean any person, entity or organization. I express my views as an American who has the right to free speech under the Constitution of the United States of America. Please feel free to set up your own website and express your views, post your pictures and video and share with the rest of us in cyberspace what your little corner of the world is like. Thank you very much for your kind understanding in appreciating the value and contents of this website.

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