my baby red eared turtle isnt eating and im scared help he hasnt ate since christmass eve?

Question

i gave him blood worms ever since that night he hasnt eaten i live in ny so the water can get cold however i do change his water everyday. everynight he goes on the rock and the next day is in the water i put food he dont even acknowledge it and goes right back to sleep his shell is soft and i have a neautrilzer in his tank and im very scared any advice will surely help. as u all know baby turtles are illegal so please help anyone who knows or has had this problem

Answer 1

You should use a heat lamp to help with the digestion process, this will stimulate the Turtles appetitive. Alsonmake sure that the water in the Terrium is clean, use distilled water and not tap tap water can cause no end of problems for reptiles.
I would give him another 2-3 days with the above care, sometimes the change in location can upset a reptile to the point that it may take them a few days to adjust, then if it is still not eating take it to a vet that can handle reptiles.

Answer 2

I was actually in this same situation....for one thing you need to have a heat lamp for him and a floating rock for him to bask in. They cannot live 100% in the water. They use the heat lamp to bask on the rock and the light need to be on 7-9 hours a day. Turtles are cold blooded and need to have that lamp.

As for food bloodworms are ok, but they have turtle bites which are better, also an occasional tiny feeder fish wouldn't hurt either.

Answer 3

Check the basics:

- Space of about 10 gallons of water per inch length of turtle.

- Warmth of about 75-80F water and 90F basking site. This is usually THE big eating problem.

- Lighting that includes UV-B rays.

Skip the neutralizer- unless your water is terrible it does not help. Save your money.

Bloodworms are good, but you can supplement the diet (after you get it eating again) with about 25-50% good quality pellets and the rest other good 'fish food'. See http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for other food ideas and care ideas.

Answer 4

I had that problem last year with my turtle and I took him to my friends and he showed me how to force feed him. What you is hold him on the neck on each side and it wikk make his mouth open and then u shove the worm into his throatand make him swallow it.

Answer 5

I think you should contact a vet, and find out what to do, also try to change the kind of food, or the place that you buy the food