Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i caught a hatchling painted on a fishing trip, i have it in a rubbermaid container maybe 12" long and 8" wide with about 3 inches of water. a basking lamp, i can get a bulb that provides uv and heat right? so ne way, the lil guy wont eat. ive given him a piece of worm, two beetles, an earwig, and a box elder bug...the insects were as of today. why wont he eat? if he doesnt eat in the next few days, im gonna let him go, i live on a river, so that isnt a problem right? any help would be appreciated...thanks.

PITBULL

I would go to the petstore and get some dried shrimp. The kind I get is right in with the reptile stuff and it's called 'Turtle Treat'. Also regular turtle food should work but the dried shrimp might be good to get him started. I have three hatchlings right now and they love it! I hope this works for you!!

It would really be best to release him where you found him. The two main reasons that he's probably not eating are stress and the water not being warm enough but I would lean more towards stress.