General Care Discussion :: I am new to turtles and my RES will not eat anymore! Help!

[JoeFromJersey]

I am new to being a turtle owner and I am worried. I got my turtle from a co-worker who didn't want it anymore. It was tiny (about 1.5"). He/she has grown 1" since I got him. He used to eat like crazy, but now he will not eat. I was first feeding him baby turtle food and shrimp. He was eating 3 or 4 times a day and was devouring the food. About 5 days ago, I went to feed him and he didn't eat anything. I went back to feed him at the usual time that he would eat his next meal, and the food was still there. I cleaned the tank out and put a new batch of food in, but nothing!! I went yesterday to pick up a plant for his tank and some krill and some red and green turtle food (brighter colors), and he is still not eating!! Help, please.

[missibsu]

What is his set up like? You need to make sure that he is in a steady environment...temps, lights, basking areas, and plenty of water (10 gallons of water per inch).

It also sounds like he was being overfed. He should be fed once a day the amount that would fit in his head if it were hollow.

Have you changed his set up recently? Moved him to a new spot? Any changes in his environment could cause him to stop eating for a couple of days.

You can try soaking his food in tuna juice to attract him. Live foods such as earth worms and feeder fish might also attract him.

[JoeFromJersey]

He is set up in a 20 gallon tank with a basking lamp. Half of the tank has little rocks with a basking area (like a bridge that is completely out of the water). The water is about 4" deep in the entire tank. The rocks on the one side come up about 3" and the bridge (basking area) comes completely out of the water (5"). The other side of the tank has the filter and the heater because it is the water side of his tank. Is this a proper setup for him?
I also probably was overfeeding him then, but he always seemed to be hungry. Could that be what I did? Did I overfeed him and make him sick?
The air conditioning also makes my room quite cold at night. I didn't even think about it, but the water has a heater that keeps it warm but his basking lamp is off at night. Could I have hurt him by keeping him in the room with the air conditioning?
Also, I have fed him different kinds of food (turtle sticks, shrimp, krill) - should I continue to do this to keep a variety for him?
As you can see, I am trying to make my little guy happy, but I keep making mistakes. Thank you for your help. I am also going to try to soak his food in tuna juice. I think he is too small for feeder fish just yet, but I need to get him to eat something before he gets sick.

[missibsu]

A couple of things come to mind. One, I would remove him from the room with the ac...it does have the potential to cause problems.

The small rocks that you mentioned...fish tank gravel? If it's small enough to get it in his mouth, he will eat it. This can cause impaction and possibly surgery to have it removed. Remove the gravel and watch for pieces to be passed, then remove those too so they aren't eaten. If this is the problem, then appetite should increase after the rocks have passed.

The diet that you have been offering is high in protein. Turtle pellets daily, the amount that would fit in the head if it were hollow, and then veggies. There are a list of what to feed in the nutrition section stickys.

[marisa]

What's the temp of the water and air with the AC on? If the temps are too cool, he'll lose his appetite.

[JoeFromJersey]

I am in the process of moving into a new larger apartment. I am going to have a room for him without A/C and with alot of sunlight during the day. I kept the A/C off last night in my current apartment and he still stayed by the heater. (I guess he is used to being there.) The water temp was about 72 degrees. When I checked the water temp with the A/C on it was about 65 degrees. This might have been my problem. I am going to keep the A/C off until we can get him into his new room in the new apartment. He ate a little bit yesterday, but I still had to scoop the remnants out. I am not giving him as much food. I can't believe how much I was overfeeding him. The guy at work who gave him to me told me to feed him 3 or 4 times a day and as much as he would eat in 2 minutes. I will check the list of what I should feed him now. Thanks again for all your help.

[JoeFromJersey]

Also, I have put a top over the tank to keep the tank warmer in the mean time. The top was open and the air was probalby way too cold for him. I am going to go pick up a thermometer to check the air temp in his tank. This little guy has probably been freezing.

[missibsu]

The sunlight that you mentioned having in your new apt...Make sure that it isn't sunlight coming in through the window or the tank. That kind of sunlight can cause your water temps to do the opposite as the ac. Especially with a small tank, the water could become very warm, very fast.

During the winter that same window can let in drafts as well. Something to think about in terms of placement.

[JoeFromJersey]

Thanks. I will definitely keep that in mind. I am trying to set the little guy up and keep him healthy and happy.

[grey goose]

Hey now, Joe from Jersey, I'm from Jersey too! Jersey City, to be excact. Glad to hear you are concerned enough to seek help from this forum. You have a few problems Bro,:
1. Your tank temps are too low. Get it up to at least 76 deg. F.
2. Air temps (w/AC on) are WAY TOO LOW! 65 deg. F will definatly cause it to slow down (metabolisim) and stop eating. It could also cause thier little lungs to get chilled and cause RI (respoatory infection) the big killer of of young turtles. If you have to keep 'em in a room w/AC, cover the tank, at least where its not basking with plexiglass, or whatever is handy.
3. KEEP THE TANK OUT OF THE SUN!!!! The water temps could rise rapidly, enough to kill your new pal! Plus it could cause too much green alge to form which, by itself, is not a bad thing (turts will actually eat it) get a UV light instead......
4. STOP FEEDING HIM/HER SO MUCH!!! 3 to 4 times a day will, over the long term, definatly cause health problems. Give him/her romaine lettice every day, pellets every other day.
5. Be prepared to go large. Your little 2.5 incher is going to go to 8-9 inches (male) 10-12 inches (female). You got a 20 gal. tank. Get ready to go to at least a 75 gal (male) or a 90 GAL. (female) You didn't say anything about a filter. Get ready to go large in that department too.
6. Do your homework. Research., research, research. Learn as much as you can. Good Luck!

[JoeFromJersey]

Hey, Grey Goose, I am from Jersey City too. Thanks for the info. I have changed the setup for my little guy/girl. I realize that I am definitely going to need to get a bigger tank and go big on a bunch of things because he is going to grow. I currently have him/her set up in a room with no A/C and I have set him up away from the window. I only feed him once a day and like Missi suggested (just enough to fill his head if it were empty). I have a filter for him. And good news... he has started eating.

Now I have a new question for anyone who can help out.... He appears to be "hiccupping" for lack of a better explanation. He bobs his head as if he had the hiccups both in the water and out of the water. Is he sick? I just noticed this at the beginning of this week. I am starting to worry.

[KellyP]

Hey, Grey Goose, I am from Jersey City too. Thanks for the info. I have changed the setup for my little guy/girl. I realize that I am definitely going to need to get a bigger tank and go big on a bunch of things because he is going to grow. I currently have him/her set up in a room with no A/C and I have set him up away from the window. I only feed him once a day and like Missi suggested (just enough to fill his head if it were empty). I have a filter for him. And good news... he has started eating.

Now I have a new question for anyone who can help out.... He appears to be "hiccupping" for lack of a better explanation. He bobs his head as if he had the hiccups both in the water and out of the water. Is he sick? I just noticed this at the beginning of this week. I am starting to worry.

The hiccuping sounds like a respiratory infection. Probably due to the fact that he has been so cold recently. You'll need to bring him to a veterinarian.

[grey goose]

The first 3 days I had my 3 new guys, they refused to eat. 4th day, BOOM! They were eating everything they could get thier beaks on. Thats when I noticed one of them, Gomez, began having these "Hicups". It went on for a couple of days, then stopped. Maybe its because hes eating again? Eating is always a good sign he's coming around. However, if he's got puffy eyes, runny nose or he's breathing with his mouth open, get him to a vet.