Feeding and Nutrition :: we are new to the turtle thing need some help =)

[mindy and zach]

Hey guys, my girlfriend absolutly loves turtles and she got a baby turtle for christmas but didnt get him untill saturday jan 6 and im pretty sure its an RES from wut it looks like and the pictured iv seen. my questions are i have a 10 gallon tank witht rocks on each side higher then rocks in the middle so it looks like a little square swimming pool for him and i put a few fake grass/plant decorations in there. is this good? also i havent seen him/her( dont know wich) eat we tried reptomin and some tuna and tuna soaked reptomin and he still hasnt ate hes maybe as big as a half dollar so he must be young, as of today jan 9,2007 i found an earthworm under a peice of wood outside and i washed it off and threw it in the tank when the turtle saw it he looked very interested, extending his head out really far looking at it and he actually started to walk tword it and then stopped ( i think it wus because my g/f and i where waching him closly ) now iv read about the water temperature and giving him some privacy may be reasons for eating . what is the best water temp for him and tank set up and just some general information about it. thank you zach and mindy

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Hey mindy and zach,a good water temp for hatchlings is 78 degrees farenheit letting the water drop below that can be dangerous.A water heater is a MUST,spending 20$ on one can save you a 200$ vet visit.Since your turtle is in a new enviroment it will take him some time for him to adjust,give him some privacy and keep offering food..after a week or so,he should start eating.You can try enticeing him to eat by dipping the pellets in tuna or even cat food.But one thing i wouldnt do is feed him anything you find outside such as a worm or mosquito they can carry parasites and illnesses that can kill your turtle! Read the feeding and nutrition section for advice on what to eat,this site is extremely helpful so dont be afraid to ask any questions.

[SpotsMama]

Do you have a picture you can post? RES like a lot of water - they're aquatic and live in the wild in ponds and lakes. Also, they can only eat when they're in water - they can't swallow otherwise. I'm getting a mental image of your setup as not having much water but maybe I'm not understanding.

If the rocks in your aquarium are small, then you should know that they can be dangerous. RES will eat them and get impacted. There are some very sad threads on here on that subject. You can use big rocks - like river rocks - they're fine.

Have you read up on the the info on the site? There's a gold mine of information, photographs and how-to's.

[SpotsMama]

My goodness what a precious little turtle! I sometimes forget how darling the little hatchling are!

I'm glad to see your turtle. Could you also please post a picture of his tank showing how the rocks are arranged and how deep the water is?

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. Your hatchling is most likely adjusting to his new environment. I'd take out all those rocks and get him a basking area that allows him to swim under it---he may be small, but a 10-gallon tank is too, and the rocks are taking up precious swimming space.

Assuming he's healthy, a water temp of 78F is good for him and the basking area should be about 10 degrees higher (88-90F). Fake plants are good--they'll allow him to rest if he's tired swimming (how much water is in the tank?), and will give him some privacy. Does he have a UVB light in addition to a basking light (for heat--can be a regular lightbulb). A filter? Do some reading on the basic requirements for a habitat to give your turtle the best home you can.

BTW, hatchlings are attracted to foods that move, so the earthworm was a good idea (cut it up into smaller pieces if it's really big). Try some smelly foods as well--bits of tuna or sardines for example---to get him eating. Once he does eat, switch to the pellets. If you're trying to give him the regular size Reptomin, break it into halves or thirds to make it easy for him to eat.

[Hoooneylynn]

Hi, can you post a picture of his setup? Like spots mama said.. it sounds like you might not have enough water/space in his tank... this is a great site for a lot of great info, welcome!

[mindy and zach]

hey guys check the indoor habitat section i left pics leave me comments there

[cam722]

ummm I don't want to sound nasty or anything but you've posted basically the same type of post/topic 3 times. I can't combine them or delete any because they all have been replied to... Please try to keep it to one post on the same topic