My red eared slider turtle wont eat scince yesterday.?

Question

i got a red eared slider these people where selling and my turtle looks healthy it swims moves and everything but it swims tward the glass and itkeeps swiming tward it is it blind and if so how do i feed it also i tryed leaveing food pellets ham and even some leafs but it wont eat enything please answer as fast as possible so it doesnt starv or die i beg you =[ thx so much

Answer 1

I just got a turtle a few weeks ago and had the same problem. It took a couple weeks but now he's eating lots... most turtles are strictly carnivores at a young age and later develop a taste for greens...and what leaves are you giving the turtle?.ham..that doesn't seem like something a turtle would eat in his natural environment. make sure that you are putting the food directly into the water he swims in...try freeze dried krill, feeder fish(found at a pet store), lettuce, small pieces of carrots, and maybe even some fruits. Its normal for the turtle to swim into the glass..make sure u have a big rock for him to swim on and a plant for him to hide under. A plastic plant will work.

Answer 2

A new animal needs time to adjust to the habitat and you.  It's not unsual for a turtle not to eat for up to 7 days, before it feels comfortable in its new home.

Husbandry is very important.  Turtles need correct water and basking temps., UVB light, and clean water.  Have you got the habitat set up correctly?

http://www.redearslider.com/index_habita...

Here are the basics:

ENTICING TO EAT:

http://redearslider.com/entice_eating.ht...

FEEDING:

http://reslider.free.fr/backup/feeding.h...

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

GENERAL CARE:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Info/in...

http://www.redearslider.com/

http://www.turtle-care.com/

http://theturtlesource.com/

http://www.petturtle.com/care.htm  

BEHAVIOR:

http://redearslider.com/unusual_behavior...

Good luck, andI hope this has been helpful.

Answer 3

the swimming towards the glass is completely normal so i wouldnt worry about it, he isnt blind.  make sure that you are putting the food in the water and not on the basking area.  aquatic turtles cant eat on land they must eat in water.  because you just got the turtle it is normal for him/her to not want to eat.  this can last up to a week.  keep offering food and let him settle in. also try feeding him live foods such as crickets and mealworms. live foods should make up part of their weekly diet.  also make sure that the water is warm enough. if the water is to cold they wont eat.  the water temp should be around 80 degrees.  

because you were calling the turtle "it", i bet you would like to know its s*x.

http://members.shaw.ca/turtles/sexing.ht...

hope this helps

Answer 4

All your turtle is trying to do is run away, do you have all the proper things in his tank such as gravel, water plants, a place to hide, shore to sun on and a heat lamp? He is not comfortable in his cage that is why he wants out. Hes not eating because he is stressed.

Answer 5

how big his his tank, 20 gallons or smaller. He maybe freakin out cause his tank is to small , no fish to eat or lettuce..

You two are new to each other and he is scared  a little. Give him a few days,K?  Just know they are cuddly little pets and will run when they see ya. I have 2 that are 36 yrs old and 75% of the time they scatter when I approach their pond.

Some helpful advice,The bigger the environment the bigger the healthier the turtle. Remember 10 gallons for every inch of turtle. I have used kiddy pools and plastic pond liners from most nurseries and worked great.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always. These turtles in captivity do not hibernate their eating may slow down some but they will not hibernate.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

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

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about  3” across.

You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear in a few days! When I got these two 36 yrs ago all we had in back then  were goldfish to feed , so after 36 yrs and still going strong. They can eat goldfish!

This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

They sleep at the bottom of rivers, streams. lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes,  foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass.

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worms, meal worms, snails, crickets, flies, crayfish small frogs, dragon flies and  anything that moves, but only as a treat.

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose.

**Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

Contact the “www.anapsid.org/societies, for a turtle vet /  rescue in your city and state.

I wish you luck.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

Answer 6

My turtle is doing the same as well. I think it may be because they aren't getting enough heat. I keep mine outside and it gets a little cold at night so she wont even eat. Now I put it out in the sun for maybe an hour and she eats now. So if yours is outside, try to get it some light. If not, probably because it's getting that time when turtles wont eat because they will hybernate. Good luck.  

Answer 7

if you just got him, he needs to get used to his new home.

they can go a couple weeks without food, nice thing about reptiles.