File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey /an/, I've got some concerns regarding my box turtle, and any information would be appreciated. He looks pretty similar to the one in the pic.

Well, recently I've found him in only one corner of his tank, and he barely moves from the spot whenever I check on him. I set him in other places of the tank, but he always goes back to that corner by the next time I check on him, which he's removed the bark from. Now usually I see him crawling about, sitting in his water, or sitting under his lamp, and this corner is on the exact opposite end of the tank from it.

Furthermore, I've been seeing very tiny winged insects in his water, which usually is soiled but hasn't been touched, as it's clear, and sometimes on the tank walls. I don't know what these bugs are, and I don't think they bear any particular color. I've rinsed water over my turtle, and although it's hard to tell from the bits of bark washing into the water, I think a few of the same bugs, although few, are present from the rinse.

Does this mean he's infested with them and it's made him not want to move? Or is it merely that if these bugs are in his tank that they've landed on him and there's some other issue that can be identified?
>> Anonymous
If you're feeding him fruit, they might just be fruit flies, which are tiny and annoying as fuck. Our box turtles weren't eating their fruit fast enough, and the whole enclosure would get infested with them. He might be sluggish because of the weather - I don't know where you live, but here in the southeastern US, the temperature dropped about 20-30 degrees in the last week. If you're really worried, look around for a vet that says they treat "exotics."