Urgent Care :: Whats wrong with this yellowbellied slider turtle ?

[jlp44]

its a yellowbellied slider turtle and it is kind of acting like its hibernating but it is inside and has a heat lamp it also has a lack of appetite and wont eat..... so what should i do?


How big is your turtle? under 4 inches
How long have you had it? since august
What is the water temperature? room temp
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? varies... around an inch ?
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? no just change the water every other day
What is the basking temperature? not sure
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? a flat rock
Is there a UVB light? yes (same as basking light??)

What have you been trying to feed it? turtle food pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? 2 days ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? fish bowl
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? looks like he is trying to hybernate, wont eat

[emma]

I see a lot of problems with the set-up. First of all, turtles cannot live in a fishbowl. They have to have 10 gallons of water per inch of shell they have. So right now your turtle should at least have a 40 gallon or bigger tank.
Another bad thing is how much water you have in the bowl. Turtles need lots of water to swim in and be happy. That might be causing diseases. Also without the filteration, that doesn't help your turtle much either. When you change the water every other day, you are getting rid of all the good bacteria in the bowl, so the cycle has to start all back over again. What kind of water are you using in the tank?
Are you only feeding your turtle pellets? And how many per day? Turtles should be given a variety of food like veggies, fruits, fish, cuttlebone. Have you read through the main sections on this?
On the basking platform, is it a place where the turtle can get totally dry? And with the one bulb you have, I don't think that is giving of UVB/UVA and heat. If the package of the bulb doesnt say UVB on it, then it doesnt have UVB in it. The one you have is probably only a heat bulb.

[jlp44]

it said all 3 for the bulb, uvb/uva/and heat.. she said she doesnt change the water every day or every other day (im doin this 4 a friend) She said the guy she got it from and the book she has said that you dont need a a lot of water just enought for it to go under and a shallow part and a dry part and she has all of that... but she said she has started to increase the water temp. and he is moving around a lot more but still wont eat

[megcornell]

The turtle is being kept in incorrect conditions.
Here are a few links on proper turtle care, read them or pass them to your friend and have her improve the turtle's set up- otherwise the turtle will die. Pet store clerks are notorious for giving out bad advise on pet care.

http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care

Read through the habitat and diet requirements, as that's what the slider is lacking in the most.
Turtles need much more space than what your friend is providing. It's also imperative that they have a stable temperature as they're cold blooded and their metabolism changes based on external temperatures.