Feeding and Nutrition :: my 1 1/2 RES refuse to eat it's shrimp

[cam722]

I read through all the posts in this topic and you've still not answered any of the questions. In order to help you with your turtle you have to provide us some information and answer questions when they are asked. Unfortunately, no one on here is a psychic and we need a bit of help from the owners.

So, once again... Where do you live? What do you have for your turtle setup? Even if it's inadequate according to our standards we really need to know so that we can offer help with your turtle's problems.

[Gordon89]

Ok, im going to transfer my baby RES from a small cage to a bigger box. It is a rubbermaid; about 6'' x 11.75'' x 4.5''. No cover necessary, because there is no one in my home who touches my turtle. I'm going to add a water heater so my turtle can regulate its body so it can eat (I found out from other forums, since lack of heat = don't want to eat). I'm going to mod a basking area from a tape box. Thats it!

P.S. Why my turtle's throat is moving sometimes? And what is it doing when it puts his head on the bottom and starts sprawning on the water?

[ellman605]

6"x11"x4.5"???

thats tiny!!!!!!!! are you serious? you have got to be kidding, i use that thing for a temp container when cleaning comes around...seriously, get a bigger one.

[cam722]

You should have a minimum of 10 gallons of space for every inch of shell. A 10 gallon tank measures.. 16 x 8 x 17. Do you have a UVB light for the basking area?

As for the throat moving, it could be just the movement it makes when it breathes. The thing with the bottom could be that he's looking for food, not that he's hungry they just do that sort of thing.

[Gordon89]

Speaking of UVB light for basking area, can Fluorescent lamps help?

[marisa]

No, they're not the same as UVB lights for reptiles/turtles. They won't provide the UVB rays that your turtle needs to produce Vit D3, which is needed for your turtle to be able to absorb the calcium in his diet and keep his bones and shell healthy.

Your turtle needs a UVB light. This light should be positioned next to a heat/basking light (can be a regular lightbulb) over the basking area. At least a 5% UVB light would be good. For the heat/basking light, use a wattage that will warm the basking area to 88-90F.