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Ok...so I've been trying for a week or so to get my turtles to eat in aseparate container because eating in the main tank dirties the water faster, even tho I have a good filter.

In the container, Flea just stays in his shell, Tommy panics, Sky panics, and Soldier tries to escape.

I felt so guilty,...umm... I actually threw in a few pellets into the tank ...My bad....

I'll keep trying...I"ll also try not to give in

do you use the same water from the tank?
or just fresh water from the sink


the difference in water temp can be dramatic for the turtle, and also lead to RI.

but the difference has to be pretty significant.

I use the water straight from the tank

hmmm.
there goes that theory haha.

they dont eat at all in the separate feeding tank?
not even some curiosity?


i remember that my raphael was soo piggy that i could h old him by his shell and face him right up to his pellets and hell eat them like a hungry hippo.

Well Soldier did take two pellets but then resumed on trying to escape.

well haha raphael tries to escape too! but once the food is gone of course.

ive tried to wait out until my turtles poop in the feeding container, but ive lost patience after a couple hours O_O

What kind of container are you using?

I'm using a large bucket with enough warm water to cover the shell or more

This means a deep pail with a little water in the bottom?

Try a light colored dishpan (they're cheap; the light color will let the food contrast more and be easier for the turtles to see). Have you tried feeding them individually in the feeding container (it will take longer).

If you have no success after a reasonable amount of time, you may have to continue to feed in the tank. As hatchlings, my painteds absolutely refused to eat in a separate container after they had been fed in the tank for a while. I gave up and only after a few years tried it again. Two will now eat in a dishpan if placed in one to eat, but one painted still refuses to do so.

I'll try that idea, thanks

My babies LOVE it when I get out their white feeding bowl. They all swim out and get all excited! Haha. Maybe the bucket is too much for them with all the shadow and stuff. Turtles don't like shadows cause they think something is flying overhead to eat them!! I dishpan or bowl would be a lot better and like marisa said.. they will be able to see their food much better! GOOD LUCK!

The first few times they are in their separate feeding dish, they may stress out a bit until they get used to it, but if you mix in a little something "yummy" with the pellet food (a small piece of tuna or shrimp as a treat after they eat the pellets), they will eventually associate that "being outside of the regular tank means getting yummy food."

Another thing you can try: pick up a turtle, hold a piece of tuna up to his nose. See if he shows any interest in it. Then when he bites the tuna, put him down in his feeding dish. This may work, this may not. Either way, you want them to get used to eating anywhere EXCEPT their living tank. This is easier to do when the turtles are older/bigger, but I have tamed turtles as small as 2 inches long doing this "feed outside the tank thing." You just have to get a little creative sometimes.

Make sure you are not giving them any food in their regular tank at all. ONLY feed in the feeding tank. Turtles are hard-headed, but even they can learn how the food thing works if given enough time to adjust. It could take several months, but they will figure it out eventually. The way to a turtle's heart is thru the stomach. Trust me on this one....!

I use a dishpan for Sheba. She can barely turn around in it, but since it is only for feeding, she doesn't try to get out until she is finished with all the food.

my turtals do the same thing i have tried to put them in seperate tankes to eat but the girl just site and panackes and the boy stopped eating and i read yesterday that if you have small pebbles in the tank they may be eting them and you wouldnt een know that they were so today i got bigger rocks that they cant eat and hoppefully they will start to eat again like they did when i first started putting them in a different cage to eat