Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my long nosed soft shell turtle since it was the size of a quarter. It almost the size of my fist now and I would like to get him/her to eat feeder fish. I have bought some but the turtle is not eating them. I have only gone 2-3 days with out feeding him/her, and I dont like starving the poor thing. One day if I need to return the turtle to the wild, I would like for it to be able to survive. What do I do???

Penny

First, please do not ever return your turtle to the wild. It is not only hard on the turtle, it is a good way to introduce diseases to wild populations. It is also illegal in many places. If there comes a time when you can no longer take care of your turtle, please find someone else who will adopt him.

Second, just be patient. It takes animals a while to adjust to new food sources. He will get the idea eventually.

Also keep in mind that reptiles have evolved to go long periods of time without food, so it would take a lot for you to starve your turtle. If your soft shell has no interest in feeder fish, feed it other foods instead.

Matt

Hi! I have had my own since he was the size of a quarter as well (found him on a busy road, and with most of his siblings having been run over, we decided to take him home and have had him ever since). He is now about 8 inches in diameter (not counting his long neck and head) and he doesn't eat feeder fish either. He does however eat the occasional fly, misquito or termite that may fall into his tank. (We recently got him a larger tank with a lid, so I will most likely have to catch these and drop them in myself.) His diet mostly consists of a turtle food I buy at a pet store. I give him Wardly reptile food, and he enjoys it very much. As his gets bigger, I will try and feed him more "wild" food. This is why I found this site. I was doing research on him. If I find anything that may help I will certainly post it here!