East African side neck turtle a box turtle whatever u want to call it. he only eats them floating pellets when he is taking his daily water bath. i put all kinds of diffrent food i must have bout about 200 dollars worth of all kinds of food in the last 8 months and he will go 4 5 days and will finally touch it but only a few bites. he has always been a house turtle and the lady i got him from gave me food when i got him he was eating that but only a bite or so until i gave him them pellets now he refuses to eat anything but them . is this ok for him to just keep eating them and nothing else or should i keep trying to force him to eat other stuff.
2006-06-20 19:11:16 · 7 answers · asked by ~Mrs.C 4 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
no he is not constipated believe me i clean up enough after him
2006-06-20 20:09:53 · update #1
now this turtle was born a house turtle i am doing everything that has been done to him since he was a baby. and i tried letting him in them water and land things but he only went in the water for about 2 hrs a day and was always on the rocks. so i just keep him in his house and give him his water 2 hrs a day and feed him then. and he likes to be held and he only likes going to sleep under a wash cloth after his bath.
2006-06-22 11:22:29 · update #2
If he is basically healthy, don't worry a lot- it is probably just getting used to the new settings.
The things we look for in a healthy turtle include:
- Feels heavy for its size
- Struggles and/or pulls in when picked up
- Drinking, defecating, urinating OK (drink and urine is difficult to track in aquatics!)
- Moves about in the cage (unless it is a softshell, etc. that is SUPPOSED to sit quietly)
- If you pull on a leg, it resists with some strength
- No visible signs of illness (discharge in eyes, nose, mouth; swellings; injuries; wheezy breathing; etc.)
What I would do is:
1. Check good care sheets for the species and make sure I am offering the right care (especially temps) and diet. A LOT of the time a turtle stops eating it is because the temps are wrong, the diet is bad, or there is stress involved.
2. Fix any glitches discovered above. Let the turtle and set up 'rest' for a couple days.
3. Offer a small amount of a food it has been eating. Offer small amounts at different times of the day to determine if time of day is a factor.
4. If the foodstuff is decently balanced and it is eating enough, I'd let things alone for a couple weeks to allow the turtle to get over the changes.
5. Once things were going smoothly, THEN I'd start experimenting with other foods.
Now- an East African Sideneck and a Box turtle have VERY different care needs- the first is aquatic, the second is land-dwelling. The rigth care for one will kill the other. So.... you've GOT to figure out what you really ahve!
2006-06-21 06:07:57 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
As far as food goes, commercial pellet foods for turtles are nutritionally balanced for them, so it is perfectly fine if he only eats the pellets. Other things like krill, small shrimp, or frozen fish are really only good as treats, anyway. Plus, the pellets are cleaner in the long run.
Also, east African side neck turtles (which, by the way, are far from being box turtles!)are water turtles. He should have a tank full of water with a land area to bask on, such as a Turtle Dock, and from the sounds of things (daily water bath?) he doesn't. If kept in incorrect housing, his appetite will decline, as well as his health. Make sure he has a UVA-UVB bulb, too, and a good ceramic heat emitter.
I hope this was helpful!
2006-06-21 14:55:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to have 2 turtles, so i will relate to what you're asserting. Did you get your turtle from a puppy keep? I have been given mine from a puppy keep, and one in all them replace into ill when I have been given it (i did no longer comprehend it on the time however). It does not eat something the two, or maybe however I spent a great sort of money buying particularly some issues (like fancy heaters and eye drops), it did die rather rapidly. My advice could be to take the turtle to the vet ASAP and spot what he recommends, truly than do what I did and attempt a team of random issues XD desire this helped!
2016-10-31 05:35:57 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Turtles are funny creatures. Once they are in captivity, they get used to a certain thing. My turtle only eats floating pellets,too. But I try to make sure they have great nutritional value, so the turtle doesn't get sick.
2006-06-20 21:02:46 · answer #4 · answered by alyssabeth2304 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it possible that your turtle is constipated? Anyway try the link below and search for text "not eating".
2006-06-20 19:25:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would shove the food straight up its *** for not eating.lol but its your turtle.is it possible that its having a stroke?lol im jokin.
2006-06-20 19:40:23 · answer #6 · answered by skat3rb0y900 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call your vet or the lady you got it from
2006-06-21 15:31:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋