General Care Discussion :: Turtle not eating

[stevo93]

I recently got a baby RES and it hasn't eaten since the day i've gotten him which is about 5 or 6 days. I've tried feeding him everything- Reptomin, Nutrafin, lettuce, baby shrimp, grapes. Is he sick or blind? What should i do

[cam722]

First, it's not unusal for a new turtle to take a bit of time to adjust. Are you puttin ghis food in the water with him? Turtles need to eat in water. Is there a lot of activity in the room where his setup is? Some turtles are very shy when you first get them and need some privacy until they adjust.

What kind of setup do you have?

[stevo93]

Well the turtle is about 1.5 inchs long and it is in a 1 gallon tank with gravel, an aquatic plant, and a shell for basking. There is some activity where i feed the turtle and i do put the food in the water.

[stevo93]

How long do you think it will be before he starts eating again? Will he not survive if he goes longer without food.

[cam722]

For starters, your setup is inadequate for a healthy turtle. The rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water for 1" of length. It is also recommended that you do NOT use gravel in with turtles as they are prone to eating it and it can cause health issues leading to death. You did not mention if you have the UVA/UVB light sources or what the water temperature is. If the water temperature is too low a turtle will not eat. My suggestion is that you read the basics regarding what you need for a proper turtle setup ... Basic Info

[stevo93]

I did not know that. Thank you for the information i will get a new tank ASAP. I have another turtle about the same size can i put the two together in a 20 gallon tank? The water temperature for my turtle is around 75 degrees. My other turtle is eating fine and is strong. I am still worried about the little one (sasquatch) what should i do?

[stevo93]

???????

[steve]

See if he will eat a small amount of tuna, get the water 80 degrees fahrenheit and give him some privacy. If the other turtle is with him, you need to separate them for now.

Instead of bumping your post, do some searching on this topic, there are dozens of similar examples throughout the forum.

[sarah]

I didn't even know they made 1 gallon tanks....

When we brought my Bobbi home she wouldn't eat at first either. We found out soon enough that she would ONLY eat IN her tank. & ReptoMin food is all she wanted.

I would consider putting the turtles in the larger tank together...
tho...if your little turt is sick I don't know how good of an idea that would be

My turtles love being together, it's made both of them more active and they bask together and everything. Just make sure the turts get along.

Also, how much water is in the tank?
There has to be enough so that your turtle can eat UNDER water.
Good luck.

[marisa]

Try some live food when you get him settled in his new tank--cut up an earthworm or try some small crickets.

[missibsu]

I would consider putting the turtles in the larger tank together...
tho...if your little turt is sick I don't know how good of an idea that would be

My turtles love being together, it's made both of them more active and they bask together and everything. Just make sure the turts get along.

I agree with Steve. Since we don't know why the smaller turtle isn't doing as well, it is better to keep them seperated. If it has a disease you could unknowingly give it to the other turtle by putting them together.

Later your turtles may not even get along together. Sarah, your turtles may get along now, but that doesn't mean that they will in the future. If there is a size difference in your turtles they shouldn't be put together for that reason. The larger turt can hurt the smaller one. Just some things to keep in mind.

[stevo93]

How much longer will my smaller turtle (sasquatch) last if he continues like this? What should I do?

[stevo93]

My turtles are separated b/c I thought Geronimo (the bigger one) was hogging the food and not giving sasquatch a chance to eat. That is not the case. I think every time of food has been tried. From Reptomin and Nutrafin to Apples and lettuce and shrimp and krill. Still won't eat a thing. But my bigger turtle(geronimo) will eat everything and anything. I do not know what to do. Your response will be appreciated.

[Martha]

My turtles weren't eating the pellets that their breeder gave me. I switched them to tiny sticks made especially for baby RES. They will eat these whole right from my hand! I would suggest trying something different.

[missibsu]

First off, this is a forum, not a chat room, and people aren't constantly online to help you. Bumping your post won't do any good, it just aggitates people. I understand that you are concerned, and the rest of us will do what we can to help, but we are not vets.

Secondly, trying different pellets is one option, a trip to the vet might be a good thing. Some turtles are purchased with preexisting conditions and we never know until it's too late. Tragic, but very real. Have you gotten your new set up running yet? That could be another likely factor.