Urgent Care :: RES help in Afghanistan - Update! Help!

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Post Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 5:45 am   RES help in Afghanistan - Update! Help!

UPDATE!
So my local coworkers were able to get me some freeze dried shrimp and he did eat a couple and seemed to really like them. i think that was what he was eating at the pet store. I finally had the chance to read through the entire website and realized that I have the wrong kind of gravel(small and somewhat jagged) and now I am terrified he has impaction! He hasn't pooped since the first day I got him and now that he actually ate the shrimp yesterday and still nothing, I am nervous. am I being paranoid?? Is the only way to tell through a visit to the vet?? I don't think I can manage that here, although I know there is a vet somewhere on the embassy compound that sees the bomb detection dogs so maybe I can track him/her down but it's a long shot. The eating and digestive behavior page mentioned increased fiber to help jumpstart digestion, what has fiber and is safe for him??
Also, I am just going to take the gravel out right now but then he will have nothing to bask on until my turtle stand arrives, in a week or so. is that okay or do you have any ideas for an improvised stand? ANY SUGGESTIONS??

Hi, I work in the US Embassy in Kabul Afghanistan and my local coworkers brought me an RES one of their kids had acquired but they did not want to care for it. I have no idea of gender or age. It's shell from nose to tail is about 3" long and 2" across. I don't have a filter, thermometer,or water heater(I just ordered all of these things from amazon but it takes about three weeks to arrive); just the tank, some gravel I arranged in a slope and a desk lamp I put a 50w halogen spotlight bulb that heats the gravel and in the mornings I move him to the gravel side and swap in some warm water. I understand optimal care requires a lot that I don't have but considering I am not allowed off of the Embassy compound for security reasons and can only rely on my local coworkers to bring me the limited supplies they can find in local pet shops, please bare with me, any reasonable advice you have will be great; also I know some of this info is in the basic care sections but because of my limited resources I am seeking specific answers.

I have had him for about 3 days now and he has not eaten nor pooped. He is fairly active, swimming around, mostly trying to swim through the glass wall, although he doesn't bask much. I am not sure if it is the new environment or temperature but I suspect part of it is that he was eating my coworkers pet guppies and other fish(which is why he got rid of him) and is used to live food. I have asked for some guppies but I know I won't get them for a while. I have pellets that say they have fish meal, shrimp meal, corn, fish oil, and vitamins but the RES will NOT eat them at all. I tried dried blood worms, cabbage, cantelope, apple, and arugula and no go. How can i help him eat? I ordered dried shrimp as well which will be a couple weeks, I can get plain cooked shrimp from the cafeteria(like cocktail shrimp) and I read that maybe a little of that would help but I'm not sure?
Any ideas...
Last edited by Sangposht on Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Sangposht
 
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Post Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:37 am   Re: RES help in Afghanistan

The absolute best thing you can do is check the turtle care section of the website :) Also, don't be overly concerned if they don't eat for a bit - mine didn't for almost a week.
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Post Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:39 am   Re: RES help in Afghanistan

I'd give him the occasional live minnow and wean him to other foods. RES will always prefer live prey, so it's a good way to check their appetite. He might not be interested in veggies yet, but you can always try it. Also consider something like small amounts of cooked white chicken meat or canned tuna. You might want to try that in a separate container as that can foul up the water quickly.
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