Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a painted turtle that is about 8 months old. He was eating fine up until about a month ago (8-10 meal worms per day and a variety of other turtle treats). Now, he won't eat a thing. I went to the pet store and asked them and they said that when turtles get cold, they won't eat. So, I got him a heat lamp and he still won't eat. Any suggestions??????

Please explain your set-up..heating lighting, etc. Most of
the time the problem lies in the set-up.

Also, you are overfeeding him. I would switch to every
other day and find something other than mealworms for his
staple diet. I highly recommened the pelleted food such
as Reptomin floating sticks supplemented with a variety of
other stuff. I have had very good luck with this regiment.
My turtles are age 10,8, and 6.

Oh yeah, and I just got a new baby southern painted.
He is the size of a quarter...it's been a while since
I have had one this small

Linda

Thank you so much for replying. I got the turtle when he was the size of a quarter- a quarter would literally cover him. He was so tiny! Now he is now about two inches in diameter. I have him in a 30 gallon tank with about 2.5 inches of water. I have filled one half with little pebbles and a big rock for basking. I have a heat lamp shining on the rock (I'm not sure of the wattage- The lamp itself has "150 watt max" written on it???? I don't know if that helps.) I really appreciate your help. I didn't know I was overfeeding him. I have tried giving him the reptomin floating food sticks, but he won't eat them. He'll just eat blood worms and meal worms. Am I spoiling him? Hope your little painted is doing well!!!

I would get rid of the pebbles. Pieces of these can become
swallowed be the turtle causing impaction. Your set-up
sounds OK except for a few things: The pebbles being one.
Also, very very important..you need to check the temp of
the basking area. Never, ever guess! You can buy thermometers
pretty cheap. Put it on the basking spot directly under the
basking light. Check it in about 1/2 hour. It should read
85-90 degrees. You can decrease or increase the wattage
of a regular household bulb. I would start with a 45-50 watt
and check the temp. If not warm enough try a 60 watt. Too
hot, try a 40 watt. Also, very very important is the UVB
light source. You need 2 lighting units, one for heat and
one for UVB. I recommend the Reptisun 5.0. I have used
it for years. It is a fluorescent bulb. Buying these online
are the cheapest way to go. You can use a shop light fixture
with it that can be purchased at Lowes or Home depot. For
my new baby it was $8.

Keep offering the Reptomin and start backing off the mealworms.
Also, look at the care sheets on this forum for additional help.

Hope this helps
Linda

Do you have a submersible heater in the water? I keep my turtle tanks heated at all times because it's too cold in winter, in summer the air conditioner is on, room temperature is always too cool for them.
Maybe he's not warm enough.
I agree get rid of pebbles he can swallow & if he doesn't eat soon see a vet because he could be impacted or he may need to be tested for parasites.
They will stop eating with certain types of parasites.
Let us know what happens!
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PHRatz

Hey!
Thanks for all of your help. I actually just went to the pet store a couple of nights ago and got him a heater for the water and a couple of thermometers for both the water and the basking site. Both the basking site and the water are about 80 degrees. Is this the right temperature? He's still not eating!!! I also got a "night glo" lamp for the night hours- it gives him the darkness he requires for sleep, but keeps the temperature up. Should I bring him to the vet???

>>Hey!
>>Thanks for all of your help. I actually just went to the pet store a couple of nights ago and got him a heater for the water and a couple of thermometers for both the water and the basking site. Both the basking site and the water are about 80 degrees. Is this the right temperature? He's still not eating!!! I also got a "night glo" lamp for the night hours- it gives him the darkness he requires for sleep, but keeps the temperature up. Should I bring him to the vet???

Good deal on the heater for the water. 80 is about where I keep mine all the time. An adult could handle 78 or so I'm sure but for the basking spot you could bump that up to 85-88 & it may help.
If more heat doesn't make him eat soon, I would take him to a vet. Not eating is a symptom of so many different things. The only time I had one stop eating I took him to the vet & he had parasites.
If he hadn't seen the vet I'm sure I would've lost him but after 2 doses of the meds, which were either 1 or 2 weeks apart (can't remember) he started eating on his own again & has been fine ever since. That was 8 years ago.. that's why I can't remember how long it was in between doses of the meds lol.
Good luck I hope he eats for you very soon!
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PHRatz

Your water and basking area should not be the same. There
is no chance for thermoregulation if they are both 80 degrees.
Also, I tend to disagree with keeping the water this warm
UNLESS the turtle is sick. Painted turtles prefer cooler
temps. Where they are from the water is never consistantly
80 degrees. Unless the turtle is sick I would lower the
water tempo to about 76 degrees and raise the basking area
to 85-90 degrees. I have two painted turtles 9 & 10 years
old and they have always preferred cooler water temps.

Please keep us updated
Linda

>>I have two painted turtles 9 & 10 years old and they have always preferred cooler water temps.

I read this yesterday which set me on a long period of rumination lol.
What species of painted do you have? Where do they come from? I got to thinking that different species may have different temperature preferences. Mine is a western, he's 11 years old & he's always liked his water set at around 80. If I lower it, he'll become sluggish so I'll raise it back up & he's himself again. I keep his basking area a higher than that because I agree it should be higher in temp than the water.
Different regions & different species may make a difference in what temp the water should be.
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PHRatz

I agree with water temperature near 80 degrees. I also have a western painted, he's about 10 months old now and if I set the heater much below 80, he gets sluggish and buries himself in the pebbles right next to the heater... if I turn it up to about 80, he becomes his active self again, the little guy is so cute when he climbs his log and the cannon balls into the tank.

Jordan

Jordan
My WP love to play in bubbles. When he was little like yours I had a power filter that worked pretty good for him because he was small & so was his tank. When he grew he moved into a larger tank & got a canister filter so his bubbles were gone. He'd go to the end where the bubbles were supposed to be & he'd look so disappointed & then he'd stare at me.
I felt so guilty I went out & bought an air pump with an air stone & made bubbles for him. lol
Now he has a Magnum 350 canister & it makes his bubbles so he's playing in those a lot when he's not basking.

Western painted also come from far West TX & we are in that area, although my guy was CB he still loves this warmer water. In the summer what little bit of water is here sometimes is warmer than 80 although but of course it wouldn't always be a particular constant temp.
I got to thinking maybe he likes his water that temp because the ambient temp of the house stays on the cool side. I don't like it too hot, it's hot enough outside, I don't want that inside. So in the winter I keep the heat a little low & in summer the air conditioner on most of the time. The A/C is on right now, I usually run it in day time at least up until Christmas. Most years by the time Christmas has passed it's not going to be needed again until March.
My mud turtle.. he like his temps about the same as the painted.
Who knows why the diff but I don't want him being sluggish & like yours Jordan, mine will hang out around the heater too if he's not warm enough. I don't want him to do that, I'm afraid if he touches it a lot he'll get burned. :-x
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PHRatz

Painted turtles do not in nature live in tropical waters.
They are abundant in Wisconsin and the northern states where
they stay active longer in the fall and come out of hibernation
very early in the spring. I base my thoughts on the reading
I have done.

I would guess that all turtles have their preferable temps
just like people would have. Over the years my turtles have
always preferred cooler temps. In fact, during pond water
changes if I get the water up close to 80 degrees my oldest
one will get out of the water until it cools off. I think the
key is giving them the ability to chose their temps. It is
my belief that the wider the range (within their range) the
better off they are. I guess I just feel that no where is
the water a constant 80 degrees. Mine are outdoors during the
summer months and I bring them in when the nights drop into
the low 50's. This of course drops their water temp quite a
bit and they are a little sluggish but that is what would
happen in the wild. This is how I keep my adult healthy turtles.
I do have a hatchling southern painted now that I got about 3
weeks ago. I keep his enclosure warmer of course but I have
never used a heater in either case.

In addition to my 3 painted turtles I also have 2 RES

Linda

I'm a little late here, but I'll put in my $.02 worth. My painted and snapper were both WC, (rescues) locally, here in Michigan. Both prefered lower temps. The snapper liked it in the mid 60's and painted liked high 60's low 70's. If I kept the temp as high as 80, neither would be in the pond!
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