How can i feed my red eared slider?

Question

Hi, my slider isn't really eating... the slider's shell is also starting to soften up too. i try to get it to eat but it won't strike at the food. do you know anyways to feed the slider? PLEASE HELP!!!!

Answer 1

Sweetie, your turtle is VERY sick.
Soft shells mean that he's not getting enough sunlight. He needs to have a UV Lamp. It's a special light that turtles need to be healthy. It needs to be on for 14 HOURS a day.
IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, HE WILL DIE!!!
He also needs special vitamins. Get them at the petstore.
His water needs to be super clean. You need a filter and to clean it at least once a week.
Please take the little guy to a vet. Have them teach you about proper turtle care.

Answer 2

The most common reasons sliders don't eat are wrong food and the water is too cold.

Try heating the water to 75-80F, and try a good quality turtle pellet- Reptomin and Mazuri's turtle foods are common options.

You should also review the basic care needs of these turtles at sites like http://www.redearslider.com or http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 3

First you have to be sure you are meeting all of your turtles needs.
1- he must have a large space, if you have him in a small container it is not enough and he will never eat.
2- now you need to make sure he has land to surface and light to dry himself under(this i crucial for his shell, turtles need the sun or there shells turn soft)
3- once those requirements are met you can try feeding him live meal worms or wax worms( in your case start with wax worms because they are the most nutritious) hold the worm between your fingers and place it in the water, but dont let go. try to make sure the turtle sees the worm. Now you can just drop it into the water. Try this wtih 3 or four worms...place them spred out throughout the tank.
4 now leave the turtle alone..try not to stare at him or bother him for at least 16 hours.. also if your house is loud and you have him in a busy spot move him somewhere private. number one reason besides sickness that a turtle wont eat is because they are frightened. turtles are very nervous and take a long time to get used to their captors.
5 next day check to see how many worms are in the bottom of the tank. If any are gone well you know what that means. If there are some in there be sure to take them out but do not startle the turtle.
6 Now to fix the soft shell you are going to have to do it yourself because even if you put light for him he may be too afraid to go in it, so set up a light source for him you can get lights at your pet store. has to be uva uvb. put him in a large box with the light shining from a distance about 3-4 times a day for about half an hour. You will notice his shell start to harden after several days of this.
If the turlte has not eaten any of the worms you can try putting a few feeder guppies (GUPPIES) in his tank that is almost gauranteed to spark his instincts and appetite.also try giving him some romaine lettuce..turtles love it!
7 Give your turtle as much tlc as possible but I stress not to stress him out because that will make him worse. Try everything I said and your turtle should be fine. If he does not start to eat and he seems to be getting worse with all your efforts, than you need to take him to the vet. ASAP

Answer 4

does your slider have uvb lighting, a florecent bulb, not a screw in? and if he does is it an older bulb?
turntles need both uvb lighting and heat lighting to stay healthy, and uvb bulbs need to be changed every 6 to 8 months. with out uvb rays turtles cant digest their food right and they get all kinds of funny skin, muscle, bone, and shell conditions.
alot of heat bulbs try and confuse you by saying they are full spectrum bulbs and produce uva rays, you want one that is spacifically uvb and is 5 % or higher. unfortunatly these uvb lights will not produce heat hence the need for both types of bulbs.
try making sure he has appropreate lighting, make sure he is warm enough, about 85 degrees, and try tempting him with special foods, like anacheris (a water plant) crickets or earth worms.

good luck

Answer 5

What are you feeding him? How often? What times of the day are you feeding him? Is there any reason to belive he may be stressed out? Is his water clean?

There's alot of reasons why he might not be eating, you need to give me some more info.

Answer 6

At a point of time put food in one place.Tap the glass.Reapeat for 3 days.They will get used to it and eat.

Answer 7

ok get some night crawlers ones that are alive and take one and let it hit the turtles nose once he opens his mouth put it in somewhat so if he bites down he will get a taste of it