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Hey everyone,
I've just recently adopted a new baby RES. Which means im a NOOBIE to the forum too Just wondering if i'd be able to get some advice on the basics? two major questions at the moment are... why he doesnt want to eat live guppies? AND If it's really serious if he has slight markings on his shell like as if there's a crack but nothing major and no bleeding...? thank everyone who has the time to give their two cents

- Sally

Guppies: Turtles all have their own tastes and preferences. He could not like guppies because he doesn't like the taste, he's not quick enough to catch them or he just has no interest in eating prey.

Markings: You mean like a scratch? Scratches aren't bad. They just happen sometimes. Could you post a pic? That would be most helpful. Make sure the shell is dry.

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For guppies: As Nettle said, he may not like guppies yet, or he's not fast enough to catch them.

For the markings, if you are concerned, best to post a pic when the shell is dry, and we can help you out with that

Guppies: He may just need to get used to the enviorment. How long have you had him?

Marking: Is it on both sides of the shell? Or one?

My turtle isn't particularly interested in live food. When he first had the opportunity, he loved to chase minnows, but he seemed to get frustrated that they were faster than he was, so he gave up and pretty well ignores them today. Every so often, a minnow disappears, and I figure it swam right into Spot's jaws.

The bottom line is that some turtles love to chase live food and others don't care about it one way or the other.

when I first put minnows in Sylar's tank he couldn't seem to catch them. he'd chase them for a few minutes and then give up. I'm not sure what changed, but now all of a sudden he has got a new hunting strategy and manages to catch them regularly. He spends lots of time chasing them around now. Just give him some time and he might take an interest.

Moo -- I am sure if you cut back on his regular food he will get more interested. Fact of life: turtles eat fish. He will get around to it when he is hungry enough and the mood strikes.

Thanks guys... and for the welcome too I'll try to post some pic's of his shell soon. His name's SQUIRTTLE <3 I've had him about 2-3 weeks :/ guess i'm a nervous and worried mommy. It all makes since... and thanks for the feed back.

If your turtle isnt interested in fish,you are soooo lucky! My turt just gulps them down!!!

lol... i have ten guppies in a seperate tank thingy... he wont eat any of em think he's too slow... but he's a piggy when it comes to his pellets

You can leave a few of them in the tank. They will help keep the tank clean when he's not eating them. Just don't leave too many in, otherwise if he goes on an eating spree one day, he'll get an upset stomach.

You know... the feeder guppies i purchased actually seem dirty to me... i mean they poop like crazy in their little tank thingy. And my Squirttle is a pooper machine too. Havent been able to purchase the filter just quite yet... how are the guppies supposed to help keep the tank clean if they poop so much??

Ha! I don't know about guppies but I have rosie red minnows in Spot's tank (well, there's only one now but he's a big one) and they definitely do more cleaning up than pooping. Maybe it's a matter of getting the right balance of fish to turtle. Of course, if the turtle keeps eating the fish, then that will be hard to achieve balance.