Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The baby turtles I got about a week ago still aren't really eating. I put them in a plastic container, little bigger than a shoe box, semi-transparent blue. I have a small piece of live plant in there, 5 ghost shrimp and put in about 14 guppies. Everyday I clean the water and I have put in turtle sticks, dried shrimp, krill, a cricket, and a mealworm. There are now 12 guppies, still 5 ghost shrimp, and the only thing I'm pretty sure the turtles must have eaten was the mealworm. The other food was probably eaten by the shrimp and fish. Anything else I can do? They both seem pretty alert and active so I don't think there sick. Is there anyway I can help them adjust?

Are they at least fishing? The water changes might be stressful. In the begining I tended to use food sticks as a way to animate the prey items. I noticed that this would get the fish too swim into the turtle's mouth since baby alligator snappers don't really actively go after food until they are much more comfortable in their surroundings. I never really tried to feed the turtle with them. Eventually mine showed interest after about a month. Now he mostly eats a turtle stick diet with live food introduced once a week (lasts about 3 or 4 days). If he is eating worms then keep going with those. Try crickets, but make sure they are gut loaded, otherwise they will be worthless.I have never tried crickets with the alligator snappers but my other turtles love them.
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1.0 Woma
1.0 Australian Water Python
1.0 Australian Olive Python
1.0 Albino Green Burmese
1.0 Lereh Green Tree Python
1.1 Loxocemus bicolor (New World "Pythons" )
1.1 Hog Island Boas
0.0.1 Chinese Thread Turtle
1.0 Alligator Snapper
0.0.1 FL Red belly
0.0.2 Leopard Tortoises
0.0.4 "Flame" Crested Geckos
1.0 Yellow Ackie

I agree.
The first few small guys I got a few years ago, they did the same thing and I was all worried.
They're pretty succeptible to stress. Being in a new container is a big one . And even my bigger ones will never eat right away after I change the water. Sometimes not for another day.
They just want to be left alone to settle in and the whole cleaning and changing them thing might be shaking them up.
Like he said...a sure sign they're doing fine is if they're mouth is open and they're fishing.
Now that I've kept these guys for a few years, as soon as I see a mouth propped open ...I don't really worry. As long as they're not eating, I doubt the water is getting too dirty, so let it go a few days.
I know this is weird, but my little ones seem to have a tougher time catching guppies. I 've had some of the guppies even re-producing in the hatchling tanks.
Try some Rosies from the pet store.
Anyway..good luck and write if any other questions.

Thanks for the help. I think at least one of them is eating because this morning I put in a mealworm and now it's gone. And there were some fish scales in there so I think one of them got a fish. The only reason I was doing water changes everyday was because the turtle sticks would just dissolve and I didn't know if that would make the water bad enough to get them sick. I haven't seen any "fishing" but I only open the conatiner ther in 2-3 a day. I can't really see through it to watch them.