Here are a couple of suggestions:

First, leave him in the tank to feed. Aquatic turtles need to be in water to eat. My painted is about 5 inches long now and his tank is set up so he has about 8 inches of water at the shallowest part of the tank. He has a log he can climb onto for basking. My basking light is about the same distance as yours, so you're fine with that.

If you're worried about food mess in the tank, purchase a canister filter. Turtles are very messy and a filter that can pump 150-200 Gallons per hour for a 20 gallon tank should keep it quite clean.

Secondly, something that we discussed on the board earlier this spring is that even though my turtle is an inside turtle, he seemed to slow way down during the winter months even though the temperature of my tank remained constant. Then in the spring, he perked right back up. I don't know if this has to do with barometric pressure or some sort of annual ccyle, but I noticed a change. This also affected the way he ate. When turtles slow down, they don't use as much energy, nor do they waste extra energy. This means they don't need as much food, and they won't waste energy trying to catch food that is too fast (fast minnows and live crickets).

Finally, if you notice a growth near his anus or any bleeding from the anus, it could be that he has an impaction and you need to get him to the vet immeadiately.

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