General Care Discussion :: Lazy Little Turtle

[mybrosteve]

Hey all, for the past month or so i have noticed that Little Turtle is very lazy, she doesnt get up to bask (i re-did their dock so its very easy to get up on, Big Turtle can do it no problem) barely swims (lays on the bottom of the tank in the corner mostly) and has stopped eating the turtle pellets within the past week. she will swim for a while if i pick her up and put her back in the water and she has eaten shrimp treats and Spot's algae wafers. I looked her over and she doesn't look abnormal in any way. They have heat and uvb on their dock and the water temp is set around 78 (just got a new larger heater beacuse i thought her inactivity could be due to cold water). Big Turtle is active, basking and eating like normal. Anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Thanks

[DocShay]

Whats the basking temp? It should be about 10 degrees higher than the water temp.

[SpotsMama]

Usually when a turtle acts lethargic and loses his appetite, it's because of one of two things. Either he's too cold or he's not feeling good.

Have you checked the water temp and basking temp with a thermometer? Sometimes heaters are inaccurate so you can't always depend on where you set the thermostat. Like DocShay said, the basking temp should be about 10 degrees water than the water - but many turtles like it warmer than that. My turtle isn't interested in basking unless the basing temp is in the low 90's. You might try raising the basking temp some if it's currently below 90 degrees.

Are both turtles in the same tank? If they are, then another reason your little turtle isn't acting right could be that he's being bullied by the big one.

[industrial_girl_2000]

If the water temp checks out ok (measure it like Spotsmama said) then it may just be the change in seasons. Some turtles are more sensitive to it than others, even if they are in captivity. You could also try cranking up the temp to around 80 & see if that improves things.

Also, does little turtle eat tuna (have you tried offering it)? You said she is eating shrimp & algae wafers so it doesn't sound like she stopped eating entirely. Are there any feeder guppies in the tank with them? If so, little turtle might have eaten a few of those without you knowing.

[mybrosteve]

Thanks for the help, lets see here...

Water Temp-78

Basking temp- I have had a large heat lamp that provides a range of temps on their dock from around 90-110 depending on where they choose to sit. She had stopped basking since i had that light on so i tried a lower wattage bulb and that hasn't worked either.

The turtles are in the same tank and have been ever since Ive had them (a little over a year) they would always eat together and i always made sure little turtle got enough to eat

Im going to try raising the water temp and get another basking light for a more even temp and see if she'll eat tuna or feeder fish.