Feeding and Nutrition :: 5 year old turtle not eating

[oostern]

Hey everyone. I have a 5 year old RES, and he has randomly stopped eating. I can't find any changes in his habitat, and his behavior is totally normal except the fact that he isn't eating.

On sunday we noticed that he only ate half of his meal. We figured we just gave him a bit to much and forgot about it. The next day he ate even less. Eventually he started just ignoring the food in his tank. He hasn't eaten anything we have given him, including endive, blueberries, melon, carrots, and carrot tops. He isn't even eating pellets

I'm rather worried because he hasn't really eaten in about 3 days.

Thanks!

[xcristina]

Is he alert and behaving normally otherwise?

[oostern]

Yes, the turtle's behavior seems totally normal.
All week we have been offering food, but he eats none of it.

Here's a thought - could our recent bitter cold spell have triggered hibernation behavior?
While he appears to behave normally, I did catch him once tucked into his shell in the corner of the tank by the heater, at a time when usually he would be basking. But when I came close to the tank he popped up and began swimming around.
I checked the heater and it was working fine - though I suppose the tank temp could have been lower because of the overall cold.
The tank is at 78F right now.

[xcristina]

I think your guess is correct. Here is a link to the answer I gave to someone else and I think it could be true in your case as well:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35657

[steve]

My male turtle does this during the colder periods and there is less light out. He will still slowly take his pellets though.

[oostern]

Thanks all for your posts.
Its good to know this could be normal seasonal behavior.
We will keep watching though...