I've had my RES for almost a year and since about a couple weeks ago, he hasn't been eating. I thought it might be because his tank was too small, so I moved him to a 10 gallon one, but he's still not eating! He still swims around quite energetically though, so I don't even know if he's sick or not. I'm bringing him to the vet soon, but in the meantime, what are some things I can do to get him to eat?? I've tried to hand-feed him, but it's not working. The water temperature is usually around 75F; is that too cold? And the filter I use is the Fluval 1plus -- it's the smallest one I could think of, but the current it makes is too strong for my turtle, so I leave it on for 10 minutes at a time. What should I do about this? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
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SICK TURTLE? PLEASE HELP!
Replies (3)
Where have you been keeping the turtle up to now. The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. Measuring the turtle shell from the front to the back. At year I would assume it would be around 4 or 5 inches. Which requires at least 40 or 50 gallon tank. RES like to the water to be around 78 degrees and the basking area should be around 90. You mentioned that you just put in the 10 gallon. Sometimes they can get a little stressed out when moved so get it some time and see if it eats. Are there anything like lopsided swimming, blowing bubbles or soft shell? I hope I helped you take care. Shannon
No, he seems to be swimming normally, and his shell doesn't seem to have any soft spots, but I do notice the occasional bubble coming out of his nose. I increased the water temperature to 80F, hopefully that'll help things. I think I read in another post of yours that you have a basking bulb clipped to the tank. What online stores sell this clip? Thanks for all your help in answering my post as well as others (I found the list of good/bad foods most helpful).
You can get just a shop light at WalMart for like $5.00. The ones I have seen are metal. If you wanted to get a really nice you could go to a reptile store or somewhere that sells reptile stuff and find a light fixture that clips that has ceramic covering where you put the bulb. It helps with the heat of the light fixture itself and reduces the possiblity of fires. I am glad I was able to help you. Take care. Shannon
