Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found my painted turtle beginning of this summer he was the size of a quarter. Now hes a little smaller than the palm of my hand. Up until 2-3 weeks ago he was eating and acting fine.

I had started to take him out of his tank to feed (hes an indoor only turtle) him because i read that was better to keep the water cleaner and he started to not eat anymore and act sluggish. At first i thought the change in daily routine had traumatized him since i dont handle him alot except when i clean his tank.

Anyways i think the timing of the out of tank feeding is purely coincidental.

I read that it could be his tank temp so I bought a more reliable thermometer, his tank is at approx. 75-76 degrees. I tried turning it up to more like 80 for a day and it didnt seem to change anything so i turned it back down fearing i'd make him too hot.

I dont have a way to measure the basking spot temp, havent found a suitable thermometer, but i lowered the lamp closer to the spot so it would be warmer. But now that its winter in Minnesota the air in my house is a lot colder. I have a submersible water heater in the tank and his basking spot is a regular rock with a heat lightbulb hanging over it, the lid on the tank (a mesh screen) keeps the light about 6" away from him. He does spend a lot of time basking these days, so he's a little active just not very. He doesnt get excited when i come near anymore and seems indifferent to the food. Sometimes he'll eat a little.

He is not sickly, his eyes are clear, no skin or shell changes.

From what i have read today online he seems to be in a form of half hibernation.

Is he okay in this state? What should I do? Do I need to try to "snap him out of it"? I am very worried about him that he's not eating enough. I dont want him to die.

I would appreciate any suggestions or information any of you may have.

If its cold in your home try to cover the top of the tank so the air cant escape At night the only thing on is the water heater and maybe the air is too cold just an idea.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

First, leave him in the tank to feed. Aquatic turtles need to be in water to eat. My painted is about 5 inches long now and his tank is set up so he has about 8 inches of water at the shallowest part of the tank. He has a log he can climb onto for basking. My basking light is about the same distance as yours, so you're fine with that.

If you're worried about food mess in the tank, purchase a canister filter. Turtles are very messy and a filter that can pump 150-200 Gallons per hour for a 20 gallon tank should keep it quite clean.

Secondly, something that we discussed on the board earlier this spring is that even though my turtle is an inside turtle, he seemed to slow way down during the winter months even though the temperature of my tank remained constant. Then in the spring, he perked right back up. I don't know if this has to do with barometric pressure or some sort of annual ccyle, but I noticed a change. This also affected the way he ate. When turtles slow down, they don't use as much energy, nor do they waste extra energy. This means they don't need as much food, and they won't waste energy trying to catch food that is too fast (fast minnows and live crickets).

Finally, if you notice a growth near his anus or any bleeding from the anus, it could be that he has an impaction and you need to get him to the vet immeadiately.

Thank you for your response. I do have a cannister filter the zoo med 500. I just yesterday brought him to my boyfriends house (his house is kept warmer than mine). And was able to more accurately measure the temperature of the basking spot, it was in the low/mid 80's before now i have it at 90 and the water at 76. He's still completely indifferent to eating.

So it sounds like i shouldnt be terribly concerned abou this so my next question is how often should I try to feed him now that hes not interested and approx. when can i expect him to snap out of it?