If you say that there is nothing in your brother's pond besides mosquito larvae and that a very young softshell lived there for three months, you likely have your answer as to what the turtle has been eating.



Have you tried mosquito larvae? That's probably not a great idea. Try fresh bloodworms (petshop freezer section) since they're practically the same thing. Also try earthworms from an uncontaminated source. Avoid stuff like ghost shrimp, which cost too much to supply in practical quantity (unless you live near the coast).



You did just move the animal. It could still be rebounding from its move. Three days of fasting won't do it harm. Ten days won't so long as its weight upon moving was good. A voracious apetite should return soon so long as nothing else is amiss.



When you put sand in only a small part of a softshells enclosure, you restrict almost all of the animal's use to that small part of the enclosure. Healthy softshells young and old will spend most of their time (i.e., time not spent foraging and eating) buried so long as they have the option. You include many details, but none of them have to do with aquarium parameters. Is the tank's pH similar to that in the pond? What is the water temperature in the tank? What was it in the pond? How long do you watch the three turtles interacting each day? Could you be missing something between them?



One final note is, the sooner your softshell has a tank to itself, the better.

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