i have a new baby turtel that i brought home 6 days ago. for some reason it won't eat. why is this??

Question

i already tried changing his food, the water is clean and it recieves enough sunlight.

Answer 1

feed it chocolate

Answer 2

This is going to take a while, and I'm going to assume this is a Red-ear slider or near relative...

1. It is illegal to buy a turtle under 4" in the US, and the seller almost certainly knew this. If they had you sign some form, they made you commit perjury. No one will come after you or anything but it says a lot about the character of the store.

2. The reason babies are illegal is because they are hard to care for properly. The Salmonella bit is true, but not unique to turtles.

3. Baby turtles need AT LEAST a 10 gallon tank for proper exercise (which means a 20 gallon tank 1/2 way filled.) Small tanks wreck appetites.

4. The aquarium water needs to be kept between 75-80 degrees in the day. It can cool off about 5-10 degrees at night.

5. You should run a strong filter to keep the water clean- but one that does not put the turtle at risk of getting sucked up.

6. Sunlight in the windows is pretty much useless for a turtle. They NEED ultraviolet B rays, which do not pass through most glass or plastics. Also, the short day lengths this time of year will help trigger a hibernation urge. Offering a good 10 hour day with UV-B rays will help a LOT.

7. The diet most stores sell is not very complete or tasty. Try a combination of a high-quality turtle pellets and live bloodworms and small shrimp. The sites below have more diet ideas to try.

(By the way, ignore the people who mentioned giving the baby veggies or hamburger. Baby pond turtles are 100% carnivores. Older turtles shoul have some greens, but not babies.)

8. Turtles are VERY sensitive to habitats and changes. A big change can put them off their food for over a week easily. The stress is very bad, so make sure you are offering great cares, and reduce the stress and handling as much as you can.

For more, try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com and http://www.redearslider.com

Answer 3

It is probably a bit stressed out as well as being the time of year that they normally hibernate.

Try keeping the correct lighting on the turtle (the right UV and heat) and try different ways of feeding it (wet food, dry food, different types/brands).

If he/she is still not eating in a few days go to a vet that has experience with reptile. You should do this anyway just to make sure he does not have any diseases or parasites.

Answer 4

I've had my red ear slider for 15 yrs. They do go through a hibernation period when the temp starts to get colder. He wont' eat his pellets or snacks but give him some worms or a little bit of lean mince meat. The meat is very fatty so dont' give it to your turtle too often. Also keep the lamp on all day - the turtle will bask for hours and then get hungry.

Answer 5

OK, I have raised 2 turtles so far and they are living very healthy lives. Turtles have to eat in water. So make sure it can be submerged totally but not too much or it can't get air. Also the food pellets that you are feeding it may be too big. Make sure they are for baby turtles if it is under an inch long 2 inches should be able to eat bigger foods. If it is under an inch long than it won't eat live food in very skinny worms. You have to wait for it to get older for that kind. Make sure that it has a heat lamp over it and it is not cold.

Answer 6

I have 2 red-eared slider turtles. When I fist got them they didn't eat much (make sure you get the food for babies it will be smaller) then they started eating a bunch and they've grown a lot. Just make sure you have the water temp around 80 degrees and the cold won't cause him to go into winter mode.

Answer 7

when i got mine they didnt eat for about a week, since they were stressed. reaches enough sunlight??? NO NO NO they need a UVB/UVA light which are sun rays, you cant put them in the sun, the glass filters out the rays. Make sure tank water is about 72-75, make sure you have a heat lamp(regular household light bulb will do) and the UVB light is very important. make sure you dont have any small rocks in your tank they can eat those and possibly die. a great place to find out info is
turtlesale.com they have a great message bored and the people are very friendly.

Answer 8

When You get a new turtle, it is scared. Most of the time it will sit hidden in the water and refuse to eat. But that is no problem. They can go whit out food for several months. I got my RES probably the same time you did. And he went in hibernation and didn't eat for 4 months. So don't worry.

Answer 9

It's a bad time to start a turtle. Very carefully, raise the temperature of his water to about 80 degrees. Go to the pet store and buy some small crickets, kill a few and give them to him. I am assuming that you have a red-eared slider turtle.

Answer 10

Take it to a vet. If my 3-year old son wasn't eating I would be on my way to the doctor, and not posting on yahoo answers.

I have a soft spot in my heart for turtles because they can't talk or make noise to let you know what's going on ;)

Answer 11

A turtle is in the reptile family and they all tend to slow way down in the winter. Doesn't matter what the temperature is where you keep your turtle, he knows it is winter time and half of him is in hibernation. He'll eat when he gets hungry, just don't stop offering him something. Flake fish food that floats on the water will be easy for him to digest if you want to try just one flake at a time per day. when he eats it, offer him his regular diet - or perhaps a tiny bit of hamburger. Mine loves hamburger.