Urgent Care :: new and need help

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Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:26 pm   new and need help

about 3 days ago i was given a turtle as a gift, he's about the size of a quarter maybe a little bigger but not by much. he lives in a 5 1/2 gallon taknk with filter and heater with a basking light and a spot to bask. the over all temp of the water is about 80 not sure on the temp of the basking spot but he lays in it a lot and seems very relaxed in it...

but here is the problem the little guy has not eaten since i got him... i have tryed the turtle sticks, tuna, tried goldfish, green leafy veggs, and today i attempted blood warms...

oh yeah, he's eyes are clear and he when he swims its normal no sideways or anything like that.
emccausland
 
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Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 9:28 pm   Dont Worry

dont worry about your turt not eating yet. Usually a turtle will not eat when they are first put into a new enviroment. It can take about a week for them to get used to the new tank to the point that they feel comfortable to eat. So dont worry yet. If a week has passed and it is still not eating, then you consider getting some help.
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Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 9:57 pm   

A 5 gallon is small even for a hatchling. Sounds like you've got everything else about right tho. You need to know the basking temp. It's very important to know exact temps at all times. Read the Stickys under Habitat-Indoor and make sure you've got everything. Once you have all the necessities he should chow down. :)
The things that come to those who wait may be the things that were left by those who got there first - Steven Tyler
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 11:38 pm   

do not wait a week. he is very young and needs to eat soon. search the forums and you will find alot of ideas to try. an older, mature turtle can go a week without food but a hatchling needs to eat.
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Post Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:44 am   Lots of food

A week is a long time to wait,sorry about that. There are a ton of foods you can try though. Any vetable that you can eat, they can eat. try carrots, but make shure you soften them in some boiling water.
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Post Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:58 am   

well we went out to petsmart and got him some live plants and are hoping for good results. when we wake (we're 3rd shift workers) i am going to try the carrot idea thanks
emccausland
 
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Post Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 3:16 pm   

If he's that small, he'd be more interested in animal matter, especially if it moves. Can you get him some live baby crickets (at Petsmart) or some small earthworms? I'd also get him on a pellet, particularly Reptomin Baby (for small turts). If you really want to see if he'll eat plant matter, while you're at Petsmart look at their frozen food section and pick up something call San Francisco Brand Frozen Aquatic Diet (a mix of plants and fish/worms). Quarter a cube and see if he'll eat that (it's messy though, so it's good to feed him that in a separate container). He can go a week without food, but it's best to get him eating.

What are the temps of the water and basking area? Are you leaving him alone when he eats?
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
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Post Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 8:55 pm   

finally he started eatting about 20 mins ago!! thanks
emccausland
 
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Post Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 9:47 am   

Apparently there is a large selection with the San Francisco Brand:

This is from Austin's Turtle Page (ATP for short):
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/menu.htm
IX.) Examples from the San Francisco Bay Brand (SFBB) Product Line:

a.) Bloodworms: Midge larvae, not mosquito larvae. Some people have a powerful allergic reaction to them. It’s my understanding they aren’t very nutritionally rounded & should be a minority player in the diet.

b.) Mosquito larvae: SFBB’s web site says they have a very high protein and fatty acid profile, triple that of blood worms. My turtles will eat these but seem to prefer shrimp-based foods like Krill better. I’m under the impression these aren’t very well-rounded nutritionally; I’d recommend use as occasional snacks, no more.

c.) Brine Shrimp: The famous ‘Sea Monkeys.’ Very small shrimp from such high salinity water (lakes) little else can live in it. There’s a concern here; high sodium. See how SFBB produces them at: http://www.sfbb.com/FAQ/sfbbbrine.htm.

d.) Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp: Spirulina algae supposedly enhance immune system function in some fish. Whether gut-loading with this before freezing is preferable to the algae ‘normal’ brine shrimp would have instead, or how the relative amounts compare, I don’t know. I buy and use this.

e.) Omega-3 Fatty Acid-enriched brine shrimp: enriched but I believe it made a little oily film in my tank. Also, I believe it lowered the pH in my tank (I’m unsure; other factors may’ve been at work).

f.) Plankton: Looks like small shrimp, maybe 1 cm long. Different colored than brine shrimp or krill. Took my little guys awhile to warm up to, but they eat it now. SFBB says heavy β-Carotene that brings out color in fish..

g.) Krill: A shrimp harvested from Arctic waters. Contains high amounts of omega-e fatty acids. SFBB’s web site says contains astaxanthin, a carotenoid responsible for the vibrant colors of tropical fihs. Hot pink cubes. My guys love these.

h.) Mysis (Oppossum) shrimp: Small salt-water shrimp from Europe. In my experience gives off a large cloud of small particulates. Recommend feeding in separate container.

i.) Squid: White chunky meat. My turtles like it fine. Marketed for salt-water carnivores, so I’d think maybe high in sodium. Since squid’s relative the cuttlefish is used to produce cuttlebone, supposedly a calcium source offered to turtles, squid might be expected to have significant calcium as well. I have not confirmed this so don’t assume it.

j.) Beef Heart: Heart is largely composed of cardiac muscle; it doesn’t contain a G.I. tract, so it’s not gut-loaded to contain the vegetation-content one might find in while prey animal. I don’t know how far they’re willing to stretch the definition of ‘beef,’ but Encyclopaedia of Terrarium, page 55 states “Ox heart contains one hundred times more phosphorous than calcium, with only 2 mg calcium per 100 g (3 ½ oz) of meat. Heart also contains virtually no fiber but very high levels of proteins.” It recommends against feeding it to terrarium animals and notes liver has similar problems as well as high levels of waste matter. I would think ox heart would be equivalent to beef heart. Even San Francisco Bay Brand’s web site recommends it play a supplemental role to the primary diet (in fish).

k.) Emerald Entrée: In my experience, gives off a large cloud of small particulates & makes a mess. SFBB incorporates mysis shrimp as an attractant. Fortified with omega-e fatty acids. Designed for marine fish but marketed for fresh water also. Recommend feeding in separate container.

l.) Goldfish Food: SFBB makes using Anacharis, zucchini, spinach, carrots, romaine lettuce, brine shrimp and is fortified with stabilized Vitamin C and made to sink. Spinach and carrots are high in oxalic acid (Encyclopaedia of Terrarium, pages 56-57) which can bind up calcium so I wouldn’t use a lot of this for turtles.

m.) Freshwater Multipack: SFBB’s ‘combo. pack’ of Discus Delight, Emerald Entrée, Bloodworms and Spirulina-enriched Brine Shrimp.

:D
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 6:13 pm   

Yes, but the one that I've bought is a cube that mixes pollock, bloodworms, etc. with plant matter including dandelions, anachris and carrots. (Didn't see that mentioned above.) I've had really good luck with starting babies on veggies with it. But, it is messy, as was noted.
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marisa
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Post Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 11:25 pm   

We have a pet place that will be transforming to mainly aquatic pets, I think I saw some of those cubes in their fridge, I will have to check on that, I did give my turtles some romain lettuce and I checked on it the next day and it was almost gone :D , I will continue giving them veggies in-between meals, I feed them Monday-Wednesday-Friday, and some on sunday. :D
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 3:05 pm   

A pet shop that specializes in a range of just aquatic pets? The only one near me like that is just for fish. Lucky you.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 3:33 pm   

Well, Petco (I think) moved in close by (about a mile) and took most of their dog and cat business so the owner decided to change it to a mostly aquatic petstore, I love their fish displays, they also have coral displays with all sorts of marine creatures.
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Post Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 6:12 pm   

when i first got my turtle he wouldn't eat the sticks i got some pellets they are really small and easier on him. mine started eatting sticks when he got a little bigger
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