Turtle problems

[Juggernaut22988]

My turtle (slider)
WONT EAT ANYTHING

It hasnt eaten for two months!! (only ate a bit of fruit)

I bought some feeder fish to feed it and so far, it has only eaten a dead one (just one in 3 days)

Usually it will eat 12 in a day (when I first got it)

HELP!!!

 

[wuvmybetta]

How old is it?
Does it have a soft shell (underneath)? Hows his water? Temp?

Try some boiled egg, or tuna/chicken,maybe some beef (although mine never eats the beef offered). Do you give it gutted crickets and mealworms,what did he eat before he stopped? Mine will eat shredded carrots on occasion,I'll try to come up with a few more ideas,here's link that you might find helpful


http/hometown.aol.com/MMcart3475/chefood.html

 

[Juggernaut22988]

I have no idea how old it is but it is very big!

It is about 20cm when in the shell (can you guess?)

the temp is room temp (27C)

The water is good (I change it almost everyday)

The shell underneath seems hard but I dont really know what a softshell is....


It used to eat just a bit of banana but then stopped
Right now, it is making an effort to eat the fish but the fish are too fast! It has bitten some of the tails off of the fish

I am worried because the turtle is sleeping quite a lot (signs of death?)
It is very grumpy

Plz help

 

[wuvmybetta]

Does he have a good basking light?

And when you say you change his water...it's a cycled tank right? You don't change it out completely do you?

So all he's ever eaten for you is bananas (and the dead fish)?

 

[Juggernaut22988]

Yep only the dead fish and bananas

The tank is not cycled
I do partial water changes though and I add the chemicals

If I should cycle the tank, what filter should I get?

I dont have a lot of money so I cant get expensive filters

I guess he has good light because he is right by the window and the light is always on at night (until bedtime of course)




Question on the side, what should the water level be?
I have added just enough to let the feeders swim around a bit
When I had a lot of water, my turtle had problems biting them

He does bite the fish but is giving up I guess.....

 

[wuvmybetta]

Do you have a test kit? If so I would test his water, if you have a tank that's up and running & cycled I'd use some water from there in his tank. Turtles are just as sensitive to ammonia and nitrite as fish are.

You can use an ordinary desk lamp for a basking light. A regular light bulb will do fine,make sure his basking temp is at least 80-82F.

My turtle tank is filled about 2/3, with a large rock and driftwood to climb up on when she wants to dry off and "sunbathe" under her lamp. If you have access to a PetSmart they make an excellent turtle internal filter for about 15.00, I ust two of them in our turtles tank. Proquatics is the name of the company but 'm sure you can find a small submersible filter for pretty cheap

 

[Wilsta]

This is a very resourceful site on pet turtles

I have learnt a great deal on keeping turtles just from this very site alone, from sexing, to feeding to almost anything... check it out

http/www.adelaideaquariums.com.au/faqs/turtle.html

 

[Juggernaut22988]

Thanx!

I got a light but I couldnt find filters at under $30

They cheapest one the store had was $55
I will see what happens and report back soon!

 

[pmoyniha]

I've kept two red eared sliders for 10 years now. I'm sure that a lot of the sites and posts on here say this, but it is worth repeating. Turtles need to be warm for their body to be healthy. They will also live for a long time sick, sometimes without you knowing it. If he is sick he probably won't want to eat. Mine had some problems once and I called up a couple vets in town and they helped me out. Try making some calls and see what you can find out.

The filter is key because if it is an aquatic turtle, I don't think swiming in his own mess will be enjoyable. I would invest in the bigger filter too because if you plan to keep it for very long you will have to have a rather large tank which will require a large filter, just something to keep in mind.

Good Luck.

 

[Juggernaut22988]

I dont think it is an aquatic turtle because it usually stays on the rock...

I will try and get a filter soon and maybe take it ot the pet store for a check-up
Thanks
I will update soon!

 

[wuvmybetta]

If it's a red eared slider, it's an aquatic turtle

 

[Juggernaut22988]

It looks like a slider but the part where it is supposed to be red in white...

Things look grim
He just keeps on sleeping and staying on his rock

I will take him to the pet store tomorrow...

How should I transport him there (it is a 15 minute drive)??

Thanx once again!

 

[wuvmybetta]

I'd put him in a big bowl,maybe lidded so he doesn't freak out. Water turtles are fine without water for a little while, we even had our map turtle out in the backyard to play in the grass earlier today


I hope things turn out ok for the little guy ,how long have you had him?

 

[Juggernaut22988]

I found him on my drive way this summer

He has chunk of the shell pushed in (crushed!)
I took him in and cleaned up the shell and just let the turtle wonder around in the big plastic container for a few months...

Then he stopped eating and is now sleeping a lot!
Do you think the broken shell has something to do with it?

 

[wuvmybetta]

well....that could be a major part of his problems, I know that crushed shells are repairable, but it's hard to do. It has to be kept extremely clean and bandaged to prevent dirt and bacteria getting in it long enough for the bottom layer of shell to grow back. The pet shop MAY be able to help but your best bet is probably a vet

Best of luck to you both!