Urgent Care :: Not Eating

[Shellross82]

Does anyone know how to hand feed a baby RES. I have had Kyle for a little over a week. He is not eating at all. Can I give him gatorade or pedialyte to get him something in his system? Is it ok to use a syringe to feed him? I don't want him to die. Is there anything anyone can think of that I can give or do for him to help him to eat.

[megcornell]

Force feeding will only increase his stress level and increase the chance of him getting ill.
What is the water temperature? For a hatchling it should be around 78, so if it isn't, you need to bump the temp up. Cool water will suppress an appetite.
Usually new turtles take some time to acclimate to their new settings, that might be what's happening with your turtle. See if you can't bribe him to eat with a tasty treat like brine shrimp. Just be careful not to get him hooked on them, turtles can get spoiled easily, and then it's not fun to have to wean them off of less healthy foods in favor of pellets and veggies.

[marisa]

What are you trying to feed him? If it's pellets, try something live to get him going---try some pieces of earthworm. They're usually attracted to food that moves.

[SpotsMama]

If you've tried the suggestions above and are still not getting results, here are some more suggestions on getting him started:

http://www.redearslider.com/entice_eating.html

Avoid stress, which means don't pick him up unless you have to. He won't eat if he's too nervous. He's probably still adjusting to his new home. It may help to cover the sides of the tank with cardboard to give him more privacy.

Sometimes turtles are eating when nobody is around because they don't like being looked at when they are eating. If you are feeding him pellets, count the pellets you put in the water and then leave the room, and see if any are missing when you come back.

Once he gets used to you and his new home, and the temperatures are right, he'll calm down and will happily eat in front of you.

[jsp2933]

We have 2 baby sliders here and they wouldnt eat for a while. We tried to feed them all kinds of things and they just wouldnt eat. So we just keep trying and left some pellets and lettuce in their basking area and I woke up one morning and it was all gone. Now every time that I put some new pellets or anything in there they go straight for it. Just took some time to get used to it.