Feeding and Nutrition :: My RES won't eat

[TurtleGirl54]

This is the first time i am doing this but i have a res and she wont eat but i think that she has to be since i have had her for 3 months and shes really active and looks great.. i still give her food but dont think she eats it. any advice? please help thanks!!!

[SpotsMama]

Maybe she's too shy to eat in front of you. What do you feed her? Hopefully she's getting some good turtle pellets. Can you count the number of pellets you put in her tank and then see if any are missing when you come back later?

[TurtleGirl54]

I am giving her ReptoMin which have mini-sticks, krill, and baby shrimp in them.. but i gave her two pellets yesturday and they where there all day and i just happen to look and she was headed right for one but than she touched it and went on her way.. i dont know what else to do? she has to be eating right?

[marisa]

If your turtle poops, then she's eating something. If you haven't seen any, she could even be eating her poop (they will do that). How about trying some different food to see if that interests her.

[emma]

I have been trying some different kinds of lettuce (red & Romain) and my turtles really like them. I think they are sometimes more interested in lettuce then pellets. I also give my turtles fruit for treats every 2 weeks, and every month I will give them at least 2 worms or some fish.
I also just bought a new brand of pellets for them for a variety. Try that. Maybe your turtle doesnt like the brand.

[Starchick]

Has this been going on since you've had her, or is it recently that she stopped eating? What is your water temperature? If it's too cool turtles will refuse to eat.

[Shawn]

my son has a female that we have had for 4 mos and I swear it has been days since she has eaten. we live in San Diego and her 20l gal is in the laundry room but it's getting cold at night. water temp issues? she isn't as active either.

[emma]

Maybe it is that the water is to cold. It should be around 76 degrees. Do you know what the temp. is now?

[mikee]

Tgirl54 – I sounds like your turtle is eating something. Keeping an eye out for it pooping is a good idea. While you are doing this I would suggest that you up your tank temp from the 78 degrees to about 80 until you can see what is going on. The higher temp. will raise their metabolism and cause them to be hungrier.

Shawn -- The colder they are the less they eat. You will need to increase the tank temperature to 78 degrees. If she doesn’t eat then you also should raise it to 80 degrees for a short period of time. Is the filter keeping the water clean and are you checking the water quality with you test kit?-- Good Luck!