Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I won a baby,about 2" long, red-eared slider at the fair. I know that it probably won't live but i want to give it the best chance possible. It won't eat and its been like 2 weeks...what should I do? Btw...i am feeding it baby turtle food broken in half and its in a 5g tank w/ sand on the bottom, bricks as an island out of the water, a heat lamp shining on the bricks, and about 6" of water...help!

Have you try feeding it worms, Thats how I got my baby turtles to eat.

Well it sounds like you are doing good by giving it a place to bask, and with the heat lamp. You need to do a lot of research though. I can't really say why it's not eating, but I can say the tank is way way to small. You should start out with at least a ten gallon. But if you are really wanting to keep this turtle and take the best care of it, then you will be in for a long ride, and spending lots of cash. So, I would go ahead and start out with like a 75 gallon tank, so that you will not have to upgrade for a little while. Try giving some feeder fish or some greens. Maybe he will eat that. They eat all kinds of stuff. Just make sure the water temp is right and everything else. You need to read a care sheet. Here is a website for a care sheet. Copy and paste. Hopefully this will help you some. Good Luck. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-slider.htm

You can get rid of the sand it is really not necessary and will only be a messy chore. You should get some sort of filtration going too. What is your water temperature? This may be a key to why he is not eating. If you water temp is too cold he may not want to eat.

A five gallon tank is okay for a short time but within months you will need to step up to something larger. right now though I would concentrate on getting him to eat first and worry over larger accomodations later. Make sure his water is 75 degrees or even a few degrees warmer. This should stimulate him to eat. Take the sand out and get a small Whisper or penguin filter for that tank. It will not be much use to you when you set him up in a better environment but they are fairly expensive and will be okay to use in the short term.

N/P

Greetings,

Water tempeture seemed to help my RES the most. After buying an underwater heater and setting it about 78-80, he became more active.

I fed him an egg the other day and he attacked it. Just a small piece, with crushed shell. I cooked it slightly, just enought to give it some form. Beware, that if you feed him in the main tank, and egg will make the water very messy. Plan on cleaning your tank the next day.

-Ravon

How do feed an egg to a hatchling?? Are you talking about a regular size chicken egg? Wouldn't it be way too big for the hatchling? Do the baby turtles actually recognize it as food? I am interested in trying the egg...my few new hatchlings hasn't been eating for days.

Thanks,
Vege

When mine were babies, I ended up feeding them floating goldfish food until they were big enough to eat the Reptomin turtle sticks. Even the baby turtle sticks were too big--they'd try, not be able to bite a piece off the stick, get discouraged, and give up. They grew just fine, and the water didn't get cloudy or smelly.

Keeping the temp up is key. They won't eat when they're cold. I'd read that for juveniles both the water temp and basking temp should be 82-86 F, so that's what I did. I use an aquarium heater for the water and both a basking lamp and ceramic heat emitter (for night) for out of water. Our house is cold enough that during the winter I kept both on during the day. Zoo Med makes a nice aquarium hood in various sizes called a Slider that has outlets for basking lamps, heat emitters, and a UVA/UVB light, which is essential for shell development and health.

I agree about the expense. We've spent easily over $1000 on these turtles. There's also a big time commitment. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't--or at least not five!