Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my RES for a little over a week now and he has has not yet eaten. I understand that some baby turtles won't eat for a while because of the yolk sack but he seem too distracted to eat. When the food's the in the separate tank he won't even check it out and the food end up disintegrating. Does anyone have tips on what I should do reguarding this?

if your filter is good enough you can feed in the tank, they poop in there so it will get dirty anyways, and they should be eating most of the food. mocing them can stress them out which will prevent them from eating. try just feeding him in his tank. and what food are you trying to feed him?

Yes, like he said...feed him in the tank. And during this time of year...it is getting kindda chilly, so you might want to get a heat lamp and make sure he has a good basking spot...nice and toasty! I find that turtles loves Reptomin Turtle Food, so you might want to try that out!

i do not like reptomin, at least not as a sole food. i like to get about 4 different types of food and switch which one i feed from meal to meal. it keeps them guessing, and ensures that they will get a truly complete diet.

Right now I'm just trying to get him to eat pellets, but with no luck.

are you sure hes not eating?
i thought my turtle wasnt eating, so a few days ago i dropped a few pellets in and sat there and watched to see him eat.
i was putting the pellets in and not really watching because he would go to hide while i was there. so i backed away after putting them in, and he was eating.

specifics on his set-up? Hide areas, basking area, temps
etc. Also, do you have him on a day/night cycle. Turtles
need darkness at night but many people think they should
leave the lights on for heat. All of my reptiles lights
come on about 7am and off at 7pm. I use timers so I don't
have to worry about it.

This may shed some light as to why the baby isn't eating.
Here is a picture of one of my rescues, not a turtle but
I love this picture anyway

There are a few hiding areas, but in particular he loves to hide behind the filter. The tank stays at about 82F at all times and each day he gets 10-12 hours of light. I'm pretty sure he's not eating because I always seem to find the pellets on the substrate and falling apart. Today I saw him trying to eat the pebbles (I bought them so that they were too big for him to eat so don't worry). I think part of the problem is that it's a new tank and he's too scared.

Good news! For the first time since I got my baby turtle he ate! Thank you for everyone's help, it's much appreciated. If I have troubles with feeding after this, I'll be back... but I hope I won't have to

keep offering different foods. I have a new southern painted
hatchling and it took him about a week to start eating well.
So far he is eating Reptomin, blood worms, frozen thawed
shrimp, soaked cat food. I also float a few small pieces
of turnip or escarole which he rarely touches. They are
mostly carnivorous at this early age. I haven't had a baby
in 6 years so it has been a treat for me. Mine are all older
guys. 6-10 years old.

Make sure his habitat is perfect and he will begin eating
hopefully soon.

Good luck