General Care Discussion :: Why won't he eat!

[PcBuilder14]

I have tried to feed him but he won't eat at all. He hasn't eaten since last Saturday, which is over a week ago. I've tried using Rept-aid but I can't get it into his mouth no matter how hard I try
Here's a pic of their tank. Right now I the only thing I don't have right now is a water heater, but I don't need one yet because the temp. stays at 76 degrees.

[PcBuilder14]

Oh ya and since then the water is almost at the top and there is a homemade screen i made from chickenwire and it's covering the basking half of the tank. And I've also gotten a clamp lamp and Uvb bulb. Before I had the Uvb, I took them out for a few hours a day.

[octpusgirl8]

How long have you had him? How big is he? What have you been trying to feed him?

[PcBuilder14]

about a month. He ate a little over a week ago. He is 1 and a quarter inches long. romaine, repti-aid, Wardley turtle sticks, reptomin sticks, reptomin krill, and reptomin shrimp.

[Nettle]

Try soaking some reptomin in tuna juice letting it harden and then feeding it to him. Is he lethargic (more than usual) and does he ever breathe with his mouth open out of water? I can't think of anything else besides RI except maybe parasites, but I'm just poking in the dark.

[PcBuilder14]

I haven't seen any problems except that all he does is sit on the part of the dock that's underwater. And he sometimes only opens one eye but I have'nt seen it do thatin a while. He kind of seems pale to.

[industrial_girl_2000]

What's the water temp? I don't see a water heater in the tank which is why I asked.

For a turtle that small, the temp should be around 80 degrees F. If the water isn't warm enough, they won't eat no matter how yummy the food is.

[PcBuilder14]

Well my other turtle, Slash, bites anything that has a chance of being food, including my fingers!

[industrial_girl_2000]

I would get a water heater anyway. I just re-read your initial post, and it says the water "stays at 76". Does this include at night when the light is off? Because the water WILL cool down when the light is off.

Take the $20, go buy yourself a water heater and make sure your turtles are being kept in 80 degree water. The good thing about the water heater is that it will maintain the temp, even at night when the lights are off.

I once made the mistake of going without a water heater for my turtles (19 yrs ago) and they both got turtle pneumonia and died. I still miss them. Don't take the chance. $20 isn't very much money compared to the vet bills for turtle pneumonia. I spent $300 trying to save my turtles once they got sick, when all I would have needed was to spend $20 on a cheap glass submersible water heater!!!! If only I would have known! Don't take the chance.

[PcBuilder14]

Alright, next time I go to town I'll get one, which will probably be sometie at the start of next week.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Well, if your little turtle hasn't eaten in a week, I'd go today. If he still isn't eating 4 days from now, that's 4 more days that he is suffering!

Not trying to be mean, but I have had my Sheba for 18 yrs, and when she has a problem, I drop everything to be able to help her as much as I can! Sometimes a day or two can be critical depending on the problem. Don't wait. Report back & let us know how you make out!

[steve]

PcBuilder14, you need to keep the turtles separate for now. Keep the healthy one in a different setup until the other one is eating and has adjusted. And use the water heater to bump up the water temp to 82F.

www.redearslider.com/entice_eating.html

[Dein211]

be careful with glass water heaters since your turtle might be able to break it and then you'd have turtle soup. you can find some realy nice plastic ones that are fairly cheap also make sure its adjustable. the non adjustable ones dont heat up very well. they say they heat up to 76 degrees but they don't.

[PcBuilder14]

This is the one I'm going to get when I do get one. Because everyone I know that has turtle use this because it's durable, and has a plastic covering.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754055

[industrial_girl_2000]

This is the one I'm going to get when I do get one. Because everyone I know that has turtle use this because it's durable, and has a plastic covering.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754055

Oh that's a GREAT heater! I have the same model for my tank too. You will love it.