General Care Discussion :: Turtle hasn't eaten in 3 weeks

[fidyyuan]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and I guess that this is the best place to ask for red eared slider help. I got a red eared slider for Christmas and since I first got him on Dec. 25th, he has never eaten. Ever. He also has never basked. All he does is sit in a corner of the aquarium. The water is 80 degrees and the lamps are setup to warm the basking spot pretty well.

I move him into a bucket everytime I want to feed him (so there's less of a mess in the tank) but he never eats. I've tried giving him kale or turtle pellets but he just sits in the corner

Any ideas on what's wrong? Will he die because I've never seen him eat or bask...

[steve]

How big is he? What kind of food are you feeding trying to feed him? Where was he bought from?

[fidyyuan]

He's 3 inches right now. I'm trying to feed him kale and turtle pellets. I bought him from a pet store.

[Caphits]

You could try feeding him some small pieces of tuna from a can. It is a great way to entice eating, but it should not be used as a staple in their diet.

[steve]

Tuna is worth a shot if you have it on hand. Try to make back to a pet store and pick up some live feeder fish like rose red minnows. Hold the fish by the tail and let it wiggle in front of your turtle if you have to.

http://redearslider.com/entice_eating.html