General Care Discussion :: I seriously need help with my RES.

[queenjane]

My turtle that i had gotten about half a year ago is still alive. It pretty small and i don't even know if it a baby or not.

Problem #1: My turtle has stopped eating like after October, and it still alive. It kept indoors and moves around sometimes. It stopped eating my pellets and treat(dead,dried shrimps). But today when i fed it nuts, it ate it, so what should i give for my turtle to eat?

Problem #2: I was wondering if my environment for it is good enough, i don't have a filter or any of those fancy equipments. All i have is a tank with about 1 inch rocks on the bottom. My turtle is about 2inch long and i don't know if i should fill the tank more so it can at least swim. The water level at the moment doesn't even match the level of his shell. But i'm scare whether it might drown if i put too much water.

Problem #3: The diameter of my tank is about 1 foot long and the height is like 1-2 feet long, do i need a bigger tank with a bigger surface area? Without a filter, it takes a long time for me to scrub the rocks and tanks for it, what should i do?

If anyone can answer these questions or even just provide a solution, please do. Thank you, I don't want my turtle to die....

Whoaaaa, this sounds all too familiar. I have made most, if not all of these mistakes myself. My turtle used to be in a tank made for crickets and geckos with NO SWIMMING ROOM whatsoever. It's a wonder she didn't die.

When I got my RES, I didn't know that they were mostly aquatic. RES need LOTS AND LOTS of water for swimming room! They won't drown unless they get trapped behind some kind of tank furniture, so don't worry about that unless you have items with holes in them or things too close to the side of the tank. Again, ADD WATER IMMEDIATELY. At two inches, your turtle should be in twenty gallons of water! You can buy a cheap used aquarium on www.craigslist.com for even as low as $40. (I finally got one of my own.) Or you can even try to find one for free on www.freecycle.com. I advise fixing the problem right now, or your turtle is probably not going to make it.

Not eating since October is a huge problem, and I don't really know what to tell you about that. Mine only ate shrimp until this December, but now she's eating pellets and I'm working on getting her used to other types of food. PetCo or PetSmart sells this kind of food that is soft (about the consistency of tofu), and there is a recipe for turtle jello shots on this forum somewhere. Try soaking stuff in tuna juice. Try salmon. Be sure to offer veggies such as red leaf lettuce and the water plant anachris (you can get it at PetCo/PetSmart) whether your turtle appears to want it or not. Try minnows/guppies, worms, and apple snails. Also, add some powdered calcium supplement and a powdered reptile multivitamin to your turtle's food now.

It is essential that you get "fancy equipment," or your turtle's pretty much done for. You need a UVB bulb, a UVA bulb, and a ceramic heat emitter. You can find all of them at PetCo/PetSmart along with clamp lamps (basically shop lamps with non-reflective domes). Do not use a lamp that has a silver reflector, because they'll put out too much UVB and heat and will hurt your turtle. You can get by without a filter if you can't afford it, but I highly reccomend saving up for one. You also need a heater that will keep the water between 79 and 83 degrees. I suggest raising the temperatures to at least 82 degrees immediately, given that your turtle is sick. Turtles WILL NOT EAT if the water is too cold, so this is probably your main problem.

Please be sure to read the info on the website. It's not your fault that you didn't know all this stuff, but now that you do, you have a responsibility to your turtle to fix it. If you feel like you can't handle the responsibility, then there is no shame in giving your turtle up for adoption.

If you want more help, I've posted a thread about my new setup and you can look at it for examples or PM me for more information and links to cheap hardware. I feel a lot of sympathy for you because I've done the exact same things, but I'd like to impress upon you the urgency of correcting these problems because if you don't, your turtle will probably die.

Here's the thread: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20501

[marisa]

Pellets can get old and lose nutrients. Some can get little bugs if they're really old. I would think they'd be OK if you bought them half a year ago when you got your turtle. A lot depends on how they're stored (temp, light, humidity), though.

If in doubt, it doesn't cost that much to replace them.

[mikee]

My way-- I use the large container of Reptomin sticks that comes in a 10.59oz container. When I stock up I put the new containers in the freezer until I open them. Let them warm up to room temp. first. I seems to be a good balanced diet for them. Most are short on calcium and I put a calcium block in from time to time. My pigs, opps, turtles seem to love it. m.

[Rubicon]

His metabolism is likely stunted because your water is too cold.

That is why your turtle isn't eating much. Shoot if I left that little water sit in a room it would be VERY cold.