Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Tiny Tim, my eastern painted, hasn't been eating well as of late. I recently moved and thought that maybe the car ride stressed him out a little, but its been about a week and he went from maybe 15 reptomin sticks a day down to 2-3 sticks.

The other thing is that the water seems to have a oil like film on top that and I don't know what is causing it or if it may be contributing to him not eating well.

I cleaned out the filter when we moved using hot water and a sponge. I'm going to clean it out again tonight and pick him up some crickets and bloodworms tomorrow to see if he will eat them.

Any other suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks,
Jordan

You didnt mention what type of lighting you have you need a uv light and a basking heat light. Turtle and reptiles in general need this if you dont have it make sure you get it soon before mbd sets in also check youre water since you moved maybe the water is bad and you might need a filtration sytem for your water this could not only affect you but also the turtle as fasr as the oily film I dont know maybe lubricant is leaking from the filter this is just a guess contact the manufacturer or it could be coming from the water good luck!

I have a canister filter that is rated at 100 gph which is more than sufficient for the 20 gallon tank I have him in. He has a reptile light providing uva and uvb along with a heat lamp... the tank setup isn't the problem. I've had this turtle for more than a year now and he was doing fine before the move. The only thing I thought of since my last post is that my new place has a water softner and I don't know how that affects the water.

Thats good to know. Maybe as you mentioned earlier he is stressed a little, but also remember to check youre water only other advice I can give is take a water sample to get checked and if no change you might want to take youre turtle to the vet. Sorry I couldnt help you further. Good Luck

Even though you have a good filter maybe you should check the PH level(as a water softner would alter that) and also find out what's in the water softner brand that's being used, I don't know what your turtle was used to before but I would suspect it's a water problem...good luck, I hope your turtle perks up after it settles in.

The car ride may have indeed stressed him a bit, but as for the decrease in appetite; It may be just a loss in appetite/activity due to the cooler weather and the transition of summer into fall. Turtles in the wild, and even those who are in captivity, slow down and may even go into a state of torpor or "suspended animation" (that is, sleep) during the cooler months of the year. In your turtle's case he may just be slowing down in activity/appetite because of his instinctive and natural "biological clock" at work. This shouldn't alarm you but if you are worried that this isn't the case, take him to the vet and have him examined. He may have internal parasites or an intestinal blockage. Have him checked out if you're truly concerned for his health.

As for the oily film on the surface of the water, what do you wash the tank with? If you wash it with soap and water, it may just be residue that has been left behind by the soap. This may be contributing to the reason why he is not eating well. This also can be dangerous if the soap has chemicals that are harmful to herps. And just because it's safe for humans to use doesn't mean it's safe for reptiles and amphibians. I would switch to using an approved tank cleaner such as Zoo Med's Wipe Out Cleaners. They are fantastic cleaners that do a great job of eradicating bacteria and making odors disappear for a clean and healthy environment. I have used them and they work like a charm. They're absolutely fantastic. I hope this helps and keep us updated on the health and well-being of your turtle. Talk to you later.

_Dennis