Rep-Cal’s Box Turtle Food is formulated with the right balance of meat and plants plus vitamins and minerals to help maintain a healthy box turtle. It’s recommended by veterinarians … and by box turtles themselves! It can be fed dry or moistened and you don’t need to give any other foods to supplement your pet’s nutrition.

Keep reading for more about Rep-Cal’s Box Turtle Food:

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.        Sizes & Ingredients             Ease of Use          Do Boxies Like it
.                                  Pros & Cons                  Check Prices

Sizes and Ingredients

This box turtle food contains a veterinarian-approved mix of plant, fruit and animal materials to entice your boxie to feed and keep him healthy. It’s prepared in a way that makes the food easy for your box turtle to digest. And that makes it easier for him to absorb the important nutrients.

Ingredients include dried fruits like strawberry and papaya and apple fiber. It also contains added vitamins and minerals, like:

• Calcium carbonate: A source of calcium.
• Vitamin C: Helps keep the immune system healthy (just like in humans!).
• Vitamin A: Protects the membranes around the eyes.
• Vitamin D3 sources: D3 is important for absorbing calcium.

The label states a guaranteed analysis of at least 28% crude protein and 12% crude fiber. It contains no more than 12% moisture.

Rep-Cal Box Turtle food is made in the USA. The Rep-Cal website lists only a 12-ounce package, but some online retailers appear to also sell a 9.6-ounce jar.

One note: It does contain artificial color, so if you’d rather not feed that to your pet, this food may not be the right choice for you. Zoo Med sells a Natural Box Turtle Food that you may prefer.

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Ease of Use/How to Feed Rep-Cal’s Box Turtle Food

This food comes as dry pellets. You may feed it dry or moisten it with water or fruit juice. Your box turtle may prefer it one way or the other, so don’t be afraid to experiment. And that’s pretty much all there is to it!

If you’ve been using a different pelleted food, you might want to make the switch slowly. At each feeding, use a little more Rep-Cal and a little less of the other food until you’ve switched completely.

According to Rep-Cal, you don’t need to feed anything else in order for your pet to get all the nutrition she needs. The company recommends feeding about 1/3 cup of food for box turtles under 3 inches long, 1/2 cup for sizes between 3 and 5 inches, and 1 cup for those over 5 inches. This is a per day amount, and it seems like a lot of food. Our boxies don’t eat that much food every other day, much less every day.

Since it is just a starting recommendation, you’re free to adjust it based on your pet’s appetite. A good idea is to try feeding the recommended amount one morning, leaving it for the day and seeing how much is left at the end of the day. Doing this for a few feedings in a row can give you an idea of how much he’ll eat each day. It can also give a picky eater time to get used to the food and maybe try it.

If you’ve moistened the food, it’s especially important that you remove any uneaten food each day.

We still prefer fresh foods over processed, but this food is convenient and takes much of the guesswork out of feeding your pet. It’s also good if you’re having someone else care for your pet for a little while.

Since it’s dry, it’ll store safely for a long time. So even if you’re using it only occasionally, it won’t spoil before you can use it up. It is important to be sure it stays dry or it could mold.

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Do Box Turtles Like This Food?

Almost definitely yes! Of course, there are no guarantees, since boxie’s can have their own favorite foods and quirks just like other pets—and people, too. But most reviewers found their box turtles took to this food really quickly. Even the picky eaters and the ones that would normally take a few tries to warm up to a new food.

Humans seem to like it, too. No, not to eat! But it smells fruity, so for people who are sensitive to smells or just don’t like the smell of some pet foods, this could make feeding time a little more pleasant for everyone.

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Rep-Cal Box Turtle Food Pros & Cons Summary

Rep-Cal Box Turtle Food

I WANT IT!

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Overall box turtles and their owners find a lot to like about this food. Many reviewers said that this was their pets’ favorite food. The one possible big negative is the addition of artificial colors. You’ll have to decide for yourself if that’s really a problem for you and your boxie.

Pros:

• Balanced nutrition for box turtles
• Includes the right levels of calcium for bone and shell health, plus vitamin D3 to help absorb it
• Veterinarian recommended
• Made to be easy to digest
• Even picky box turtles love it!
• Smells good 🙂

Cons:

• Contains artificial colors

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Check Prices and Availability

Here are a few options for finding Rep-Cal Box Turtle Food.

As of this writing:

• It’s available on Amazon from several different suppliers.
• It was on sale at EntirelyPets
• PetCo lets you schedule repeat delivery for your convenience

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