Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay well I just got my two baby red-eared sliders yesterday and they are a little bit bigger than the size of a quarter. Today I put them in a seperate tank to feed them and they are not eating anything! I understand that you have to give them time to settle in to their new environment but you'd think they would be hungry after a 2-day shipping flight. I provided them with repto-min baby pellets, collard greens, kale, mealworms(dead), crickets(dead), shredded carrots, and supplement powder. They didn't eat anything! I'm going to get some live slugs and earthworms and plop them in the water, maybe they'll like some 'moving' food. They look very healthy and they are extremely active! They either bask, sleep, or swim around for a little bit but they just won't eat! After a week if they still haven't eaten then I will contact a vet but do you have any suggestions? I have some pictures to show but I am in the process of getting them onto my computer..*shrug*..Any replies would be very appreciated! Thanks.

Just leave them be, that is the most important thing. And also, although feeding in a seperate container is a good idea and we all suggested it, its best to start them out eating in their own tank. The stress of being picked up and moved to a seperate tank can be enough in and of itself to stop them from eating. Leave them completely alone, try to even avoid staring at them, until theya re eating regularly. Give them two or three days and then attempt to feed them. Once theya re eating regularly you can feed them in a seperate tank
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

Thank you. So I shouldn't attempt to feed them at all for a couple days? Not even in their tank?

You can try if you want but they probably wont eat until they are settled, and it wont kill them to go a day or two without food. If they dont eat make sure to remove the uneaten food with a fish net or a turkey baster so it doesnt muck up your tank
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

A two-day shipping flight would cause stress on these babies
and they probably won't eat for at least a couple of days.

Also, you may want to try feeding them in their enclosure
and let them get comfortable before switching to feeding them
in another area. RES babies are very skittish and need to
feel secure before they will begin eating and basking. Just
keep offering the pellets on a daily basis for a few days and
they should begin to eat. As for the greens and veggies, they
are pretty much meat eaters as babies. As they grow they
seem to develop a taste for greens and such. It took mine
a couple of years to start.

Good luck
Linda

Do you have a hiding spot in the tank, some underwater cave or artificial plants that the turltes can hide in? Babies are very vulnerable, and they know it, so hiding spots can make a big difference in the psychological well-being of a baby, or any turtle for that matter.

You can make a hiding spot cheaply from a Gladware container - leave the lid on, use a hot knife (I use a stove heating element/flame to heat up a knife) to cut out one side of the container, and then use a piece of flat rock or slate to weigh down the container in the water. It can be completely submerged as a cave, but if the container is tall, the water level can be flush with the rock, so it becomes a basking spot and cave.

Artificial silk plants work, too, and you can find them at some Dollar Stores or Wal-Mart. Soak them in water over night, rinse well, and toss in the tank with the turtles. Most turtles don't bother trying to eat them, and the few that do learn pretty quickly that they aren't edible.

Katrina