Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my turtle for about a month and a half. It doesn't seem like she's eating very much. She is about 5" long. She's in a 40 gallon enclosure (not glass) with land and water space available, as well as hide logs on land. I have a UV light and a heat lamp, and per care sheets online I'm keeping the temps around 75-80°F, although it gets cooler (about 70°) at night with the lights off. I've been feeding different kinds of greens - romaine, red leaf lettuce, collard, kale, etc, along with some fruits - oranges, strawberries, raspberries. She does her eating in the water, what little she does. I just read somewhere that depending on the temperature turtles will eat more or less. Do you think this could be causing her to eat less?

Also, she's spending the majority of her time in the water, at least what I see during the day. She may be coming out at night, but I rarely see her out during the day. Is this another temperature issue?

Thanks for all your help!
Alison

Have you tried anything besides green such as a earthworm, waxworm,etc? They are not as much herbivores as they are carnivorous. She may not like the substrate she is on too since they are largelly terrestrial. Keeping their humidity in the 70% range and temps at about 84-85 during the day.
-----
Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm

Thanks!

What kind of substrate should I use? I'm using Reptibark, which is what she was in before I got her.

I haven't tried any protein, because when I got her they told me they didn't feed her any - just fruits and veggies. Maybe I'll give some a try.

Alison

Cypress Mulch is a good one and it holds moisture well to help with humidity. Provide hiding places too for it.
-----
Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm

They can vary from very aquatic to primarily terrestrial, and I have no idea what determines that. I had two that died because they would not eat. They did seem to prefer food that moved. If you can find slugs or snails, they might be a hit, and crickets (again, live preferred.) (Make sure slugs and snails are kept on clean greens for a few days if there is any chance they could have been eating snail bait.)

Yeah cypress mulch mixed with a good fert-free perlite-fee top soil is the wat to go. Get a hygrometer to check on the humidity . If you live in a dry climate you may find you want to mist with a spray bottle frequently. eventually, you are going to need more space for the guy/gal as well. earth worms, red worms and wax worms are likley to be very popular. Try egg whites (hard boiled) and large crickets as well.

Do you know which species/subspcies you have? "central american ornate" often refers to Rhinoclemmys pulcherimma manni. But somewtimes there are others given this name.
see pics here:
rhinoclemmys turtles at WCT

Yes, that is the subspecies (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima manni) she is. I'll get the mulch and soil and mix that up and see how she likes that. Will the worms live in that mixture? Or will I need to buy them as she eats them? Or should they go in the water? I'm sorry I have so many questions, the care sheets I found in my research obviously weren't very complete. Thanks for taking the time to help. )

Alison

Reptibark is too often dusty, which can become an eye and nostril issue for turtles. Cypress mulch, or topsoil is better. As with most turtles, "Reptomin" will be taken if offered dry in a shallow
dish. It's a near complete diet on it's own, and takes much of the guess-work and worry out of feeding. I have raised this species from hatchling to subadult on "Reptomin" with little else added.

When you put in the soil pack it down a little but not very firmly. Many times manni likes to cover its shell with soil as a hide.if you leave the worms in the soil he will dig for them. but i think its better to offer the worms to him by hand. If you keep him for a long time, it may be worth it to buy a big rubbermaid tub or ten gallon tank and put some soil in it and raise the worms yourself. This way you can add lots of calcium to the soil and feed the worms well so that they will be more nutritious than they may arrive from your worm supplier.