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.

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