General Care Discussion :: hibernated the winter, started eating and now has stopped

[harrisgtz]

My turtle is about 15 years old. He was 5 when purchased and did not hibernate for many years. 3 years ago he stopped eating during the winter and started again in the spring. This year he stopped eating for about two and a half months and started again in late April. He stopped eating again about 3 weeks ago and has not eaten since.

[SpotsMama]

Does he live outside or inside? When you say he hibernated, do you mean he dug down into the mud and went to sleep for the winter, or did he just stop eating?

What has the ambient air temp been, approximately, over the past three weeks?

Generally speaking, a turtle living indoors or in a temperate outdoor setup will stop eating when he doesn't feel good.

[harrisgtz]

He lives inside in a 30 gallon aquarium filled with about 6 inches of water. It has a place for him to climb out of the water. It has a water heater and filter.

By hibernating I mean he just stopped eating and spent most of the time on the raft sleeping. He would go in every now and then and wet his shell. The inside temperature has been about 68 degrees. I don't understand why he started eating for a couple of weeks and then stopped again. I wonder if I was over feeding him.

I would give him a teaspoon of dry sticks and balls and one or two dehydrated crickets in the morning and I also gave him small pieces of carrots, lettuce and apples on occasion.

[SpotsMama]

It sounds like his habitat needs an upgrade. You haven't said how big he is but if he's 15 he's probably quite a bit too large for a 30 gallon tank. the problem is that he will feel confined in the space and it will be very difficult to keep the water clean enough, as there won't be enough water to dilute the waste.

The rule of thumb is 10 gallons of tank for each inch of turtle. If he's 7 inches long, he should be in a 70 gallon tank or larger.

If he's living inside and his water is heated, then he isn't hibernating. Hibernation (or brumination is the term used for reptiles) is when they almost completely shut down - burying themselves in mud at the bottom of the pond and going to sleep for a winter.

Though he's not hibernating, if the water is too cold it could cause him to lose his appetite. What's the water temperature? Check it with a thermometer. Even if your heater thermostat is set to a certain temp, heaters have been known to malfunction, and it's possible his water is too cold.

His diet also needs some work. The rule of thumb for pellets (sticks and balls) is enough that would fit in his head (just head, not including neck) if his head were hollow every other day. Double check the amount to be sure he's not getting too much. The veggies sound ok except he probably needs more lettuce. Red or green leaf lettuce is very good for him and he can have it every day. You should probably cut back on the crickets. Turtles love them and they are a good source of protein but they are too rich and put a strain on internal organs if the turtle gets too much. A couple of crickets every week or two would be enough rather than every day. By the way, are the crickets the kind that have been gut loaded with calcium? Those are best.

[jozzep]

IMO besides having a small enclosure and not enough water, your keeping the water temp too cold.The turtle has been entering a state of "semi-hibernation" since he doesn't eat for months in the winter for the past 3 years.
Please read the "general care sheet" and educate yourself on turtle keeping if you really care for him.