Hi! Our baby turtle had been eating 3-4 pellets everyday for a month, but recently stopped. Any reason why?
Jul 21, 2008 by Chris Y | Posted in Reptiles
My girlfriend and I won him (let's assume "he") from a carnival here in Japan about a month ago. Of course, in the beginning he was so scared of everything and didn't eat at all. We bought him one of those "Turtle Starter Kits" from the pet shop. It's a 6L plastic tank with slits along the top for air circulation and a cover. It also included calcium gravel, a ceramic cave, turtle water conditioner, and turtle pellet food.
This is our first pet turtle, but I did try to do as much research as I could... I also bought a thermometer and the temperature is steady at 23C (73F). I don't have one of those UV lights so I try to expose the tank to as much natural sunlight as possible... but he *always* hides in his cave almost 24/7.
Here's a video I took just last week when he was still eating in his "dinner bowl":
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-kfENxXxdX I
Copy and paste the URL above if the link doesn't work.
Thanks in advance for all your advice!
Cheers,
Chris & Kaori
The first thing I'd do would be to get your turtle a real tank, 30 gallons at the minimum; 55 gallons would be better. Sunlight through glass is useless except to raise the temperature. Get rid of the gravel, too.
Now for the food. How would you feel about getting fed the same thing every day for a month? Try a little variety and make up for the lack of UV light. Strips of liver dusted in bonemeal will be almost a balanced diet and provide calcium and the vitamin D to absorb it. Live earthworms almost always stimulate a sluggish eater and are a good source of calcium. Live fish (not goldfish) and soft-bodied insects are good too.
Finally, you might try raising the temperature a couple of degrees C.
oikos | Jul 21, 2008
Recommendation: Zilla Deluxe Turtle Kit ~ 20 Gal Aquarium Set-Up for Baby ...
The Zilla Deluxe Turtle kit is experienced for new users and those seeking to have a 20 gallon aquarium for child and young turtles. The kit is ...
ReptiHabitat™ Turtle Kit - Instructional Video
The NEW ReptiHabitat™ Aquatic Turtle Kit includes everything you demand to properly set-up a natural habitat for your aquatic turtle. This 20 ...
REPTILES FISH and BIRDS....Zoo Med has your supplies all in ...
" "Zoo med" reptiles snakes cages aquariums "starter kits" "Gifts for kids you lust after pets" turtles "kenneth ...
enviro-News from CfBD: wins, losses, worries, scandals + junk-mail ...
by leashedForLife
We're only $22,600 short of the $100,000 we need to raise for our Endangered Species Action Fund by midnight tonight, Dec. 31. Help us meet the match today. Please donate generously to save sea turtles, panthers, manatees, and 1,000 other imperiled species in 2010. If you do it before January 1, your gift will doubled by a generous donor. Texas U.S. Global Exotics is a major exporter of wild-caught turtles, including internationally protected endangered turtles. It's behind the removal of all Cagle's map turtles from the Guadalupe River, prompting Texas to protect the species. The company also sells imperiled spotted turtles -- 10 of which were confiscated, near death, during the December raid. Because of the Center's work, the Cagle's map turtle is now a candidate for federal protection and Texas ended commercial turtle harvesting in public waters. Unfortunately, Texas still allows unlimited harvesting of seven species from private waters -- so in 2008, the Center petitioned to stop it. We've petitioned 12 states to save turtles from harvesting, and Florida, previously one of the worst states for native turtles, now has one of the country's strongest turtle-conservation measures. A Federal study, just published due to a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, has concluded that 87 endangered manatees are being killed every year by humans. This is more than seven times the number deemed sustainable by federal scientists. The primary killing blow is recreational and commercial boaters, who run over the slow-swimming manatees in speedboats. Dams and fishing gear entanglement are also taking a toll as Florida's human population skyrockets. Because of a petition by the Center and allies, the Obama administration is now considering a much-needed expansion of habitat protections for the Florida manatee -- whose federal "critical habitat" designation hasn't been updated since 1976. Increased habitat protections will help reduce key threats to manatees and promote...
