General Care Discussion :: A problem with new turtles

[Phantombaldspot]

Last night, I received two RES from a friend. For the night, I kept from in a bigger fish tank type container that was sort of small for them. However, today I went out and purchased a nice 30 gal. tank with the whole nine yards. The problem is that I can't get them to eat or bask. I know that basking may take a while since they are still young, but I would think that if they were hungry they would eat. I've tried pellets and live crickets, but it's no good.

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

[SpotsMama]

Welcome to the forum!

Your turtles will be very nervous for awhile until they adjust to their new home. Don't expect them to eat for several days - even up to around 10 days. They also won't bask in front of you right away. Some turtles won't bask in front of their keepers for a couple of years though some do it much quicker. Each turtle has its own individual personality - some are more bold, some more shy.

Give your new turtles plenty of peace and quiet while they adjust. Don't pick them up unless you have to. If they are in a busy room, put cardboard around the tank to give them privacy.

If you've put pellets in the tank that they won't eat yet, net them out after an hour or so to keep them from fouling the water.

Eventually they'll feel brave (hungry) enough to eat but they still may not eat in front of you. Just keep an eye on them and keep us posted on how it goes.

There are many many things to learn about keeping a healthy turtle. Have you read everything on this site? If not, now's a good time to start. Read it all. Then, you'll probably have specific questions. Come back and we'll be happy to help.

[Phantombaldspot]

Thanks, that really puts me at ease. Being a new owner, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for my turts.

Thanks again!

[mikee]

Phant-spot -- Spot-Ma is correct. They will take a week or more to eat when put in a new environment. Try and keep the tank comfortable and at correct temps. Water at about 77 to 78 degrees and the basking temp at 90 to 91 degrees with uva for heat and uvb with a 5.0 intensity. Keep the water clean with a 5x water exchange. The proper temps will keep them active and make them hungry. m.

[Phantombaldspot]

Update:
Good news! When I came home today, I threw some pallets into the tank and they ate! I'm pretty happy. Now to prepare their feeding tank...