Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey i posted a message yesterday but i forgot to put some things in, my baby RES doesnt eat, and he has a soft shell which means that i can squeeze him and he is actually squeezeable, i try to warm up the water and he still wont eat, and he always tries to escape.. is that normal? he also tries to bury himself under rocks. I have not seen any poop either but then again he hasn't eaten, should i be concerned and take him to a vet?
any help would be appreciated
Pinki

i personally would gt him checked out about the not eatinng deal, but just make sure the temp of the water is in the 80s and the air temp is above that... then he should behave normal. the only way his shell will harden is with the proper basking lights (not light lights) there are numerous posts on this board that will tell u the proper bulbs to be purchased and yes they're sometimes expensive but if u want to care for your turtle then moneys going to be spent.. but basking bulbs are MANDATORY dunno if this helps at all but its my 2 cents gnite all and good luck with your RES

Most baby RES have soft shells that harden as they get older. Don't squeeze him, you could end up hurting his insides. New babies may not eat right away, and they may be shy about eating in front of you at first. You can try feeding some different things, usually bloodworms or shrimp treats work pretty wel at tempting a turtles appetite. I don't know what you mean about you putting him in water and him trying to escape, his whole tank should be water, with just a basking area to get out on. Proper UVB lighting will help with his shell.
-----

What type of set-up do you have for your turtle? What type of light are you using? Does he have a heat light at one end of the tank? What are you offering as food?

Katrina

Ok, currently my RES lives in a 10 gallon fish tank water filled up 2/3 of the way, and a basking spot with a heater, and a thermometer , gravel and a filter, but he is sharing the tank with 2 goldfish who are a bit scared of him, that's all he has he does not have a basking light yet, but its on its way, at night i take him out and make him sleep in a box with a bridge and a small water tank because i'm scared he'll drown. He seems more active since i put him in the big tank that is warmed up to 75 degrees F but he still wont eat. Oh about the escape thing he tries to get put of the tank and goes onto dry land and dark places (under the bed)
well thats all
Pinki

Huh? What's this about trying to get under the bed? Where is this box that you put him in located in your room?
You do not have to put the baby in the box. RES are great swimmers, even as babies (I know because I too was scared that mine would drown, but it's been 6 months and no drowning). RES are aquatic turtles, which means that they need water, and the box is not helping him. Your baby will sleep on the basking spot, or, if he's anything like mine, on the filter or even at the bottom of the tank. He won't drown, and the reason he probably likes 'the big tank' so much compared to the box is because it has so much more water in it. As for trying to escape the box - he doesn't like it, and that's probably why he wants to get out. Let him sleep in the big tank, with as little handling or interference as possible for the next few days, and this may help him feel more secure and calm down enough to accept food. Having a consistent 'home' can go a long way towards making your turtle better-adjusted, as it were. Good luck!
-----
0.0.1 Crumpet
In this world, this new world of ours, there will be rocking.
~Dave Eggers

First of all, stop handling him so much.
To a turtle, being held is stressful, and stress = lowered desire to eat AND a lowered immune system. Going back and forth from one place to another is stressful, too.

Second, see if you can get him something to hide in AND allow him more resting opportunities in the tank. Artificial silk plants from plant nurseries, dollar stores, or Wal-Mart can help with this. They're inexpensive and washable, and the turtles love to hide in them. You can also make a combination basking spot/cave by cutting out about a quarter to a third of the side of a small Gladware plastic container (from any grocery store). Leave the lid on, and put a small flat rock on top. The water can come up to the edge of the rock, and now the turtle can climb up to bask, or hide in the under water "cave".

Third, you mentioned a basking light and a heat light. Does your basking light not produce heat? What type of light is it? You need both a light that produces heat (which can be just a regular household lightbulb), and one that produces UVB.

Finally, you can add cuttle bone to the tank. It's the same thing used for birds. Just remove the hard back first, and break off a piece and let it float in the water. This will help him get extra calcium. But, unless he has a UVB light, or his food has vitamin D in it, the cuttle bone won't help much. If you live in a warmer part of the country, you could put him in a container outside UNDER SUPERVISION AT ALL TIMES for a few minutes each day, if the outside temperature is at least 70F. Something like a dish pan or small Rubbermaid or larger Gladware container works OK for this. He still needs to be in water with a place to bask, though.

Katrina

Ok more about my RES, he tries to escape from the tank and either goes into his box ( it has a backing spot and water) or he decides to go under my bed and sleep there. The tank has artificail plants and a water heater. However he cant have a cave because he is currently sharing the tank with two big goldfish (each about 3 in in lenght) until he gets his own tank. He does NOT have a basking light or a heat light, the water is heated with a water heater, and he has 2 thermometers to make sure the temp is high enough one is close to the heater and one is furthest away from the heater, he likes going near the heater. I can't leave him out because i have a dog, cat, fish, and 4 birds. He still won't eat though even with less handling.
Thanks again any more info to make Squirt's life better would be helpful.
Pinki

I'm not sure I understand your setup. How is your aquatic turtle hiding under your bed? RES live in water, every day all day long, like fish. They climb onto a basking spot for the purpose of warming up and drying out occasionally then they jump right back in the water-where they live. Just leave your turtle in its tank and put a screen or lid on it so it can't get out. At this point I would recommend feeding it in the tank as well because it will feel safe there. I hope that helps...good luck!

All of my turtles sleep underwater. Thats normal. The only way your turtle will drown is if you put a large rock on top of him to hold him underwater for a couple of days. The reason your turtle tries to get out of the 10 gallon is because a 10 gallon is way too small. Turtles in the wild will leave drying pools to find a larger pond.
-----

Hey my RES still won't eat and its been a week, im afraid he'll die if he doesnt eat anything. He doesnt open his mouth at all even when teased so i can't force feed, i put food in the tank and i check on it and it's not there, so im not sure if the fish or the turtle is eatin.

It is possible that your turtle is eating when you are not looking. If it is behaving otherwise normal (swimming & basking) I would not worry about it yet. Turtles can go a long time without food. They are more likely to eat when they feel safe and comfortable in their habitat. I would give it some more time. Just keep making the food available...but make sure the fish isn't stealing it from the little guy.

If you are keeping your turtle with 3" goldfish, then it is likely that the goldfish are eating the food. You need the turtle in another tank - an inexpensive 44 quart or similarly sized Rubbermaid or Sterilite plastic container would work for now. You can put a 10 gallon aquarium screen on one end to hold a heat light if that is all you can afford for the time being. But, he must have a place free from the fish and a place where he can crawl out of the water to warm up. So, get a plastic container, a screen, heat lamp, and some artificial plants to use as haul-out basking spots or something to use as a basking spot. Can you put him in one room and keep the cats out of that room?

What foods are you offering? Frozen blood worms (available in most pet stores/aquarium stores) usually work well as first foods, as do small pieces of earthworms, or mealworms (pinch the heads off first before feeding to a young turtle). You can also try to offer greens like red or green leaf lettuce.

Katrina

I have a RES that was silver dollar size when i got it. I started in a 10 gallon tank filled about 1/2 way. I didn't use a light for awhile. I put the tank in front of a window when it was sunny. My RES slider is now 3-1/4" now and doing fine. If you have to get a book or do research on the internet. I spent several hours on the computer doing research. I read books too.
I have:
1-RES
1- asian(malayan) box turtle
4- ornate(western)box turtles
3- 3-toed boxies which one of the is a hatchling from 10-'03.
I did alot of research on all of them.

Good Luck!!!

Try to get this book. Most pet stores have it, or you can order it from www.amazon.com

The General Care and Maintenance of Red-Eared Sliders, by Phillipe de Vosjoli, P. (1992) printed by Advanced Vivarium Systems, Santee, CA.

Katrina

Hi, your turtle can live with the goldfish if you are worried about that. I have guppies, goldfish (too big for him to eat right now cause they are fatty) and a pelco with my Oregano. So you can provide a cave for him if you want. Gladware is great idea. Oregano did not eat infront of me for about a month of having him, but everytime I went in the food was gone. If you are worried that your fish are eating his food feed them both at the same time. My fish seem to race after the flakes and Oregano after his food. Then if the fish are not fast enough eating theirs Oregano eats their food too.

I think I understand the whole thing about him climbing out. What you need to do is make his walls higher so he cant get out. Your turt should never be on the floor. There is too much that can harm him (dust bunnies, foriegn objects...ect).

Hope this helped. Good luck and God Bless
Deejay

Hey everyone my turtle finally ate. He has his own tank it's ten gallons (just bought it) and he has a cave, gravel, heater, thermometer, a basking spot(no basking light yet though, im getting it this weekend) the water is filled up about 1/8 so he can swim and go on his cave, or his basking rock, he ate a piece os reptile floating sticks, but he saw me and went to hide. He is much happier in a tank away from the fish and cat, he has a screen to protect him
Thanks again to everyone that helped me and Squirt!
I'll have pictures of him in his new home soon!!!
Pinki

Hi, your baby will be much happier with more water. They are natural divers and like to dive. Fill it up