My red eared slider turtle isn't eating what do i do?

Question

I got a red eared slider turtle about 4 days ago with some pellets and some dried shrimp (stinks) and i looked on youtube

how other people feed theres and i tried and no action on that so i waited the next day and tried still nothing plz respond

Answer 1

Oh they need fish and leafy greens to survive..

Sliders, Cooters , painted ,map and yellow bellied are require the same care and feeding..

I have had two Sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 8 yr old and a 5 yr old..

I have had them in a 150gal pond for about 6 yrs now..

**Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..even meal worms. For the lil guys you may have to cut up there food.

**Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. Males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length. Males are smaller in  size and shell length.  Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home **The tank  size for small  2” re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What they EAT. ****In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both fish, crickets, worms basically anything that moves and  plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens. The  diet for the lil guys \s should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellets and small feeders guppies or goldfish or minows. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex cubed worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of  leafy greens or finely chopped mixed vegetables romaine and butter lettuce, can be offered once weekly.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again. Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want. They need the calcium for shell growth and a good healthy turtle. Adults diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens , romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration ***Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water real quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent pooping.  You need a  filter for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available.

*** Health Problems.  If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

“Fungal infections” are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

**Shell Rot. *** First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light. Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water. Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond or tank that has real  clean water. 1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes. Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. . MOST important !!! TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

Respiratory Infections *****Sliders, cooter, map, painted, yellow bellied and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Many respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their EARLY  stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold. **Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com, for a turtle vet in your city and state.

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Answer 2

lol boil a pot of water and make soup lol

Answer 3

well get small feeder fish and he will probaly eat it mine loved those

Answer 4

well they eat fruit and little fish that are sold for turtles and they sell turtle food

Answer 5

try food like miinos worms other insects but if its winter or close to it might be going dorment to tell if it is it will sit on land and sleep a lot and eat maybe only once a week or less

Answer 6

it is common for a new turtle to not eat. getting used to a new environment can be very stressful. its when it wont eat for over a week that you should worry.  i would try some live food.  turtles love crickets.  you can also try some mealworms.  some turtles are naturally picky eaters so you may need to try different foods out. some turtles will not eat if their environment isnt warm enough.  make sure the water is the right temp for his species and use his uv lamp about 12 hours a day. turtles can go weeks without eating although its not advised.   if he shows no interest in eating in a few days i would call a vet just to be safe.  also you can buy this emergency powder at petsmart that you mix with water and then you force feed the turtle.  but i would wait for a few days before going that far.

Answer 7

Appetite in turtles is mostly affected by environmental conditions.  How is he being kept?  Water temp, heat, and UVB lighting are all critical.  Here is a copy of my care sheet:RES

Recommended size of tank is 10 gallon of tank per inch of shell.  For example, a 4 inch long turtle should be in a 40 gallon tank.  Water depth should be 1.5 times the length of turtle.  A 4 inch long turtle should have 6 inches of water.  They need a basking platform.  Something that they can easily climb out of the water onto so they can be completely dry.  They need a water heater.  These are made for turtle tanks and will keep the water at 75-78F.  If water is too cold, they can get sick.  A strong water filter is usually needed, as these are very messy animals.  There are many types of filters available…get the most powerful one you can.  Water quality is also very important.  Filters do not remove ammonia waste, so frequent water changes are needed.  Clean water will go a long way in keeping your turtle healthy.  Do not use gravel or sand on the bottom of the tank.  This will make cleaning too difficult.  Also, turtles commonly try to eat gravel which can lead to fatal intestinal impactions.  

They need a heat lamp with a light bulb to provide heat for basking.  Place this above the basking platform.  The temperature on the basking platform needs to reach 85-90F.  They need this temperature to raise their body temps in order to digest food properly.  Use a digital probe thermometer to measure the basking temp.  These are sold as indoor/outdoor thermometers in most garden departments.  Set it to “outdoor” and place the probe on the basking platform. You cannot use stick on or dial thermometers, as these only measure air temps and not basking temps.  They can be off by more than 20F!  Adjust the wattage of the bulb or the distance to the basking platform to adjust temperature.  OR better yet, plug the heat lamp into a dimmer switch to adjust the temperature as needed.  Dimmer switches are made for lamps and are sold at most hardware stores.  You plug the heat lamp into the switch, and then plug the switch into the electric outlet.  Cheap and easy!  If the basking temp is too cold or too hot, the turtle won’t bask properly and will get sick.

They also must have UVB lighting.  These are bulbs specially made for reptiles and look like fluorescent light bulbs.  You’ll need a fixture to put them in as well.  A good place to get these from (and other supplies) is from www.reptilesupply.com.  Very good prices!  A Reptiglo 8.0 or Reptisun 10.0 are both good brands.  UVB lighting needs to be placed above the basking spot as well.  It needs to be within 12 inches of the basking platform.  These bulbs should be changed every 6 months as they lose potency long before the light gives out.  Both heat and UVB should be on for 12 hours a day.  This is best accomplished by plugging them into timers.  This helps create a normal day/night cycle for your turtle.  

Feed a good turtle diet.  Use several types and sizes and vary each day.  Feed all the turtle can eat in 15 minutes.  Babies can be fed daily.  Adults can be fed 3-4 times a week.  

For more info on care, health, and feeding, please see Austin’s Turtle Page.  It is the most complete and accurate web-site on turtles and tortoises I’ve ever seen!

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/ca...