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Hi, All. I'm a brand new RES mama, and I'm just getting a bit concerned about my little guy. Bernard is a yearling, judging by his shell length. I got him on Saturday, from a probably-dubious guy at a flea market. He hasn't eaten for almost five days. He spent the first few days sleeping, but now I've got his temperatures and lighting sorted out and I think he's starting to relax after the stress of his transition. Today he did lots of exploring and took a couple of dips in his pool. So that's progress.

The issue is, I don't know when to start worrying about his food situation. He's been offered turtle pellets everyday, shrimp treats, lettuce pieces, carrot bits. He seems afraid of them, more than intrigued. He isn't spending much time in his water area at all, and I know that's where they need to be to eat. I don't know what sort of living conditions he had before or what he would have been fed at the turtle-puppy mill from whence I'm sure he came.

Will he instinctively figure out that these things offered to him are food? Will he eat when he gets hungry enough? Is he not eating because of stress and/or because he's sleeping most of the time and not using any energy? Any advice/words of comfort? I'm a long-time turtle admirer and Bernard is my first go at having my own. Plus, he's super cute and I don't want anything to happen to him!

Thanks,

Sara

mmm, you might still be able to save him (words of comfort) try these things
1.worms from your backyard, unless you think theyre poisoned from something (pestisides)
2.unspoiled tuna fish
3.leaving him alone for an hour
4.if you think there is no hope (you tried EVERYTHING and it didnt work) try force-feeding, it is can be dangerous for your turtle but I successfully force-fed my hopless turtle and got him going by choking him, and when he gaged put it in his mouth and held it lightly so he wouldnt spit it out, I choked him not by squeezing but by pushing his head down (I rcommend any of this),make sure food is extremly soft when trying this.

I would suggest buying blackworms or a different type of small worm. His food refusal is probly partly stress.

Like turtle man said i think tuna would do the trick,it take a bit of time for an turtle to adapt and understand you are the one who will take care of him.

Leave him some space,dont pressure ,let him be and eventually he will be your friend.
If its a yearling he can survive an little while(3-4 weeks+) without eating so dont panic.

Thanks SO much, guys. That's great advice and makes me feel much better

Se-thom - If your turtel new it may take up to a week or 10 days for him/her to eat. Any time you change their environment they take a while to get accustomed to it. Don't let the food you are giving him waste and settle to the bottom. When he get hungry enough he will eat. You may want to try and feed him by hand. Stick to the rules of the turtle road and you will do fine. Tank size, temps, lighting and proper sized filter are all important.