Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 yr old female RES and yesterday and today she changed her eating habits. Normally, I put a few ReptoMin sticks in every morning and she devours them like she hasn't ever seen food. Yesterday, she seemed almost not interested, but ate a few sticks. She did the same this morning (and didn't touch her veggies). She also was wiping her foot over her mouth - like something was stuck on her mouth (but nothing his). Other than that, she looks good and is active. I'm concerned. I'm going away at the end of the week, and will be leaving her with a caretaker for three days. Am I over-reacting?

well how much are you feeding the turtle per day? because at 3 yrs old, he/she should only be getting enough protein (aka pellets, worms, etc.) that would fit into it's head and this should only be like 2 or 3 times per week! when they are over a year old, you can stop feeding them the protein everyday. and you should however, offer them greens/veggies/fruits everyday.

if you tell us more about your setup (temp of water, temp of basking spot, etc.) we may be able to figure out why the turtle has stopped eating. sometimes if the water is too warm or too cold the turtle may stop eating...

it's also best if you dont just feed them pellets for protein... they like a variety of foods! especially earthworms, crickets, small feeder fish, etc.
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~ Evie

Pets:
RIP 0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger & Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.2 Snail {Gary & Larry}

I just bought her a new tank set up, so I took everything apart and cleaned it really good (the filter, etc.) I'm going to put her in her new habitat (50 ga. vivarium). She'll have a larger basking area (her favorite hobby) and more room to swim. I'll check the temperatures, but prior to this, nothing had changed (she doesn't know about the new tank yet). I will back off on the sticks. She pooped big twice in the last 24 hours.

Check her mouth to see if there is any redness or grayish discoloration. Sometimes they behave like this if they have an infection in their mouth. Or perhaps now that she is in a new tank she may have been exploring the new things in it and bitten something that may have made her mouth sore.

If you find nothing wrong that you can physically see I would just sit tight and observe her as long as she is eating. If it changes to any degree (like eating even less or possibly acting as though the mouth is troubling her even more) I would get her to a vet for a exam.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. She's doing well today. I just put a few sticks in and she ate them without incident. I guess I'm just a panicky mom. She's exploring her new tank and is still unsure about the new large basking area. Though I did catch her up there this morning. I'm going to buy a thermometer for the new tank tonight - with a larger swimming area, I'm concerned about the water temperature.

I suspect she may just have bitten at something in the new tank and temporarily made her mouth sore.

As water temp is good at 72-75 basking 85-90. Glad she is okay and NEVER worry about being too doting. It is better than ignoring what might be a potential problem.

Thanks. I worry about my animals constantly. I suppose it's a good thing I don't have kids! The thermometer I'm used to sticks to the side of the tank. Should I be looking for something else, or is this okay?
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Mom to:

2 dachshunds, 8 pussycats, 1 lovebird, 1 RES and whatever else wanders into the yard in need of care...

Should be fine as long as the turtle isn't messing with it.

I actually bought two: one that sticks to the outside of the tank and shows the water temp (72 deg), and a metal one that hangs in the basking area, but she can't get to it (85 deg). She's eating fine now. Still unsure about the new basking area, but tends to go up there when I'm not looking.
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Mom to:

2 dachshunds, 8 pussycats, 1 lovebird, 1 RES and whatever else wanders into the yard in need of care...

She is probably up there basking alot more often than you think. They do tend to be shy about that.