Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My little eastern will be about one in February, and he has been fairly healthy for quite some time. In the last month, however, he has, as far as I can tell, not eaten a thing! No food, whether squirming or sweet, seems to get his attention.

The strange thing is, he has been fairly active. His eyes, skin, and shell look good. When stimulated, he will crawl around for quite some time and he looks fine. There is no significant weight loss or anything like that. The shell is hard.

What gives? Is this a winter thing (I live in Syracuse)? Should I be concerned, or does this happen from time to time? Should I change his enclosure because he may be uncomfortable or unhappy? Thanks for all your help.

Do you have it under artificial light? How about temperature range? Has anything changed (other than its eating habits)?
Stephanie

I have a UVB light that I put on most days--the temperature might be a factor. I do have a basking light, but even when I put that on and maintained higher temperatures, there seemed to be little change in appetite

>>I have a UVB light that I put on most days--the temperature might be a factor. I do have a basking light, but even when I put that on and maintained higher temperatures, there seemed to be little change in appetite

The turtle will not feel like eating until it's CORE body temp is high enough, so just putting on the lights for awhile won't do the trick. You should get in the habit of turning the lights on everyday and keeping them on for at least 14 hours in the winter. You are tying to trick the turtle into thinking it's still summer Get a good thermometer and check the temp at TURTLE LEVEL. If should read 80 degrees in the warm spot. If the UVB light is more then 6 months old, get a new one. The turtle needs light, warmth, humidity, live foods to keep it's interest in food this time of year.

It can easily remain healthy for a few monhts without eating, but one little germ in this weaken state could hurt him, so best to get him back to eating as soon as possible. Good luck and let us know if the changes help or not.
-----
Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host