General Care Discussion :: Turtle Stressed

[NicNac]

My boyfriend and I used to have two red-ear sliders, a male and female, both two and a half years old from the same breeder.
Recently we went out for awhile and when we came back, our poor female turtle had died. We had a cave for them to swim through and it had a little peep hole and she put her head through it, got stuck and drowned. We both feel pretty bad about it and we have gotten rid of the cave.

The problem is that the remaining male turtle refuses to eat anything. He's swimming around actively and in good condition, but he just won't eat when he usually has a really good appetite. I think he's under a bit of stress and misses his mate. What can we do to help his stress levels go down and get him to eat a little?

Also can anyone recommend something safe for them to swim through? Our pet shop only sells the castles and caves for goldfish.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Well, they don't *need* anything to swim through, but if you still want something, maybe a really really big PVC pipe, like one used for sewage, with maybe the side cut off so he can escape easily if trapped. I'm sorry for your loss, fortunately I caught that soon to be accident in my own tank before disaster hit. I don't think this is relevant so much for the Urgent Care section, though. Your turtle will probably go through some depression for a while until he copes. He might not eat for a few days. If he is still healthy looking and active, it should be fine for a few days.

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's very hard to lose a pet. We've heard of lots of near misses and some tragedies like yours. My turtle nearly drowned when his head and front feet got stuck in the hole in the bottom of a little plaster alligator. Fortunately I was in the room at the time so, with some difficulty, we were able to get him loose and save him.

There are lots of things that you can put in the tank that are turtle safe. River rocks, plastic plants, pvc pipe (if it's big enough) are possibilities.
I am in agreement that your male should be ok in a few days. If he doesn't perk up, come back and let us know what's going on and we'll try to help.

I am going to move this topic to "General Care" where it will fit better.