turtle problems!!?

Question

ok so i got 2 yellow bellie turtles yesterday. iv fed them crickets and mealworms, and a bit of dry food. i was recommended to feed them outside the tank to stop mould in the tank. but when i take them out they wont eat, and will only eat their live food when it is dead and in the water. is there anything im doing wrong? the tank is already in need of a clean so please help!! ta. x

Answer 1

Yellow bellied turtles are aquatic, crickets and meal worms are not the natural food for them, they may accept them but would prefer live fish and crayfish(without claws) It is however a good idea to give them crickets and worms from time to time, just not as the main food source. Also many reptiles won't start eating till a week or so after being moved to a new home, so if you just got them they probably won't eat for a few days.

Answer 2

You have received some bad advice.

1. Turtles SHOULD NOT eat mealworms except as a very rare snack. They are both fatty and the hard to digest.

2. Turtles MUST MUST MUST eat in the water. You prevent water problems by feeding good amounts and having a good tank set up.

3. You should have been told, or should have found out in your research, that turtles are messy and need good filtration.

I'd bet that there are other things you were told wrong. Let me give you some examples:

This is a close relation to the Red-ear slider, and the cares are about the same. Red-ears and Yellow-bellies need:\
- SPACE, at least 10 gallons of swimming space per inch of turtle length. 2 small turtles need at least a 20 gallon swimming space, so a 30-40 gallon tub or tank is needed.
- HEAT, a thermostatically controlled submersible heater (with a guard) to keep the water from 75-80F
- LAND, some sort of ramps, docks, logs, etc. to let the turtles get out of the water and dry off. The air around the basking sites should be warmed to about 90F.
- FILTRATION, at 2-3 times stronger than the same size fish tank.
- LIGHTING using some form of UVB light is critical to long-term health.

If this sounds expensive, it can be. It usually takes about $100+ to set up a good habitat. People rarely want to do this for cheap turtles, however, so the turtles suffer.

Try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for more info.

Answer 3

Turtles don't eat a lot -- be patient They will eat crickets and meal worms but prefer earthworms. They also like strawberries and tomato slices. Read up on them, there is a ton of info on the web.

Answer 4

some turtles are lazy when it comes to live food and will wait till it dies before going after it my turtle got like that before hibernation because he didn't want to "work out" to get them. It's really no problem. also give them vegetables for proper bone growth. check web for food info.

Answer 5

i dont feed mine insects just turtle pellets ONLY feed them what they can entirely consume this way the water wont get filty but i do recomend a filter, i have a fishfilter and they work GREAT! my tanks water is clear.

Answer 6

different turtles have different habits so your turtles probably do like eating food in the water.you should probably feed them in a seperate jar.When they are done eating ,put them back in their tank,its as simple as that!