General Care Discussion :: Turtle is not eating

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 1:43 pm   Turtle is not eating

OK, I searched the forum but didnt quite find the answer I need. Have had this turtle a little over a year. He came with fungus, and shell damage and white spots on his shell, which have disappeared. He has shed his scutes more than once and the shell looks good now. I feed him the jello shots from the recipe here, and he ate them, also occasionally meal-worms and crickets and the occasional treat of raw fish. He lives with several goldfish which started as feeders and he didn't eat them. Also there are two pleicos. He also likes to eat the goldfish flake food that I feed them. I have seen him eat snails that are in the tank for cleanup.

Recently he stopped eating anything, not the jello shots nor cooked chicken nor raw fish, just nothing. He swims vigorously and basks, he just doesn't take any food that I can see. He used to be such a beggar and would take food from my hand but now he doesn't seem interested. We are having a cold snap here but the tank is heated and he has sunlamp and UV lamp on a timer so he is on an established cycle.

Should I worry? It's been a couple of weeks since I have seen him take any food.
Zombiehead
 
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Post Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:18 pm   Re: Turtle is not eating

If the activity level is good and your turtle is still basking, I wouldn't be too worried yet. A few questions: is it possible someone else is feeding him? Could he be grabbing goldfish flakes when you don't notice? Any chance the goldfish are breeding and he's eating the eggs?

Finally, are you sure he's a he? I've read here that some females will stop eating when they are ready to lay eggs. Luckily, I've not has first hand experience with that.
Tobi a RES born in 2012
1 dog, 1 teenager, 3 aquariums filled with fish, snails, shrimp and a bit of algae
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ljapa
 
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 12:53 am   Re: Turtle is not eating

My RES (especially my male RES) are a bit more moody during the winter. Some say it's like S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder) but could also be some or all of things ljapa mentioned.
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 12:16 pm   Re: Turtle is not eating

In the past he would always eat goldfish flakes. He has always hated turtle pellets but seems to enjoy the fish flakes. However during this time he does NOT eat anything including the fish flakes. As to gender, we assume he is male because he fought with another turtle and we were told this is male agressive territorial behavior, which is why we have him. Will a female lay eggs without breeding?
Zombiehead
 
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 2:31 pm   Re: Turtle is not eating

RES males and females can be aggressive. RES will usually be the dominant personality in a turtle community. Yes, females can produce eggs without breeding.

I'd try some different pellets, either way some variety is good.
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 6:51 pm   Re: Turtle is not eating

Sorry late on reply. Just told someone else find a live worm in ground or at bait shop. I personal haven't seen an aquatic refuse a live worm. Only I would feed it out the tank in an container with only an inch of tank water. You say only had it a year but is it a baby or adult. If adult I use an old tote for this. Much easier to monitor what's happening than in his/her tank. Do this for about an hour or two and see what happens. If adult female , I had some stop eating when with eggs in the past years , like Ijapa also said. Of course if baby could be other problem going on. If a baby cut the worm in say 1/2 or 1" pieces. I have an adult male RES that's like Steve's male just has moods with change of seasons. Also do you have live plants in his/her home , maybe if yes getting it full on plants. Turtles in wild can go for weeks without eating but in captivity would not be healthy. Hope the best for your friend.
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