Red-eared turtles have fascinated many people. They are bought in pet stores, markets, brought from the sea. But are the sellers reporting the correct information? And if your red-eared turtle does not eat, moves a little and closes its eyes, then most likely you have created conditions that are incorrect for it.
Many unscrupulous traders assure that the animal is unpretentious and a basin is enough for it, you can feed it with fruits and vegetables. Keeping in inappropriate conditions affects the appetite and general condition of the acquired pet.
Why does the red-eared turtle eat little
There may be several answers to the question why the turtle does not eat. The main causes of poor health and their elimination are given below.
Getting used to changing conditions or adaptation after acquisition
You bought an animal a few days ago or recently cleaned the aquarium, and the red-eared turtle is lethargic and does not eat much. Do not worry, she gets used to the environment, temperature and composition of the water. The stressful condition will pass, and your pet will become healthy and active again.
Autumn coming
There is less sun, so the pet is less active. Nothing needs to be done, with the onset of January everything will return to normal.
sexual behavior
If the pet eats little, but remains active, then you have a male. With the manifestation of sexual activity, animals become restless and abruptly stop eating. After the end of the mating season, the pet's condition returns to normal.
Suppression of weak individuals
In group keeping, hardy individuals dominate the weak ones, taking food from them. When feeding, the oppressed animals should be separated and food should be given separately from the rest.
Wrong content
Often sellers are silent about the fact that turtles need a temperature of 26-35 degrees Celsius. This parameter is the main condition for the existence of cold-blooded animals. Turtles are relatives of snakes, lizards and crocodiles. According to biological systematics, all of the listed animals belong to reptiles, and this class of animals does not know how to maintain a constant body temperature, as people and other mammals do.
To support all life processes, they need warm habitats. Usually these are southern latitudes. If the turtle does not open its eyes and does not move much, then look at the indicators of the water thermometer. If they are within the specified norm (26-35 ° C), then read about other reasons and create favorable conditions.
Mistakes in feeding
The owner of the animal may be misinformed, as a result of which he will give the turtle unsuitable.
Remember that this species is omnivorous, but young individuals are fed only meat. For adults, the diet is based on the ratio: half animal food, half plant food.
Disease
Aquatic species are not adapted to our climatic zone and are highly susceptible to diseases: helminthiasis, constipation, pneumonia. For example, with inflammation of the eyelids, the turtle's eyes are closed, it stops eating. With a prolonged hunger strike and symptoms of the disease (sneezing, nasal discharge, bleeding), it is necessary to contact a specialist - a veterinary herpetologist.
Do red-eared turtles hibernate?
Under natural conditions, turtles need winter sleep to survive the cold and short sunny days. Inhabitants of fresh water bodies kept at home do not need hibernation. By maintaining the same temperature regime and the degree of ultraviolet radiation, the pet will survive the autumn period and will only slightly reduce activity. If there are no visible signs of illness, but the turtle is sleeping and not eating, then prepare to "overwinter" for one or two months.
The sleeping room should be made small, at the bottom - a ten-centimeter layer of sand and a little water to create humidity. When you transplanted a pet into a house, then lower the temperature to 8–10 ° C in a week and a half. Put the turtle on the veranda, balcony, or take it to the basement. Check your pet regularly and carefully.
Remember: a domestic freshwater turtle does not need a long dormant period, so it is not necessary to specifically create conditions for hibernation.
What you need for a long life pet
With proper care, these reptiles live up to fifty years, so their maintenance is costly. You can make an aquarium yourself or buy a suitable, optimal volume of about 100-120 liters. One third of the dwelling area is land, connected to the water part by a rough ladder. The water in the aquarium should be sufficient for the free movement of the reptile: usually the turtle does not move or swim when there is not enough space.
The water temperature must be above room temperature, so additionally purchase a thermostat based on the size of the aquarium. To heat the surface air space, I use incandescent lamps of 40-60 W, they are usually turned on during the day. For the formation of vitamin D in the pet's body and the absorption of calcium, it is necessary to put ultraviolet lamps with UVB 10%.
The water used is ordinary tap water. Turtles heavily pollute the aquarium, for regular cleaning you need a filter, the volume of which is two or three times the actual volume.
All products can be purchased at pet stores or online stores.
What do red-eared turtles eat
The natural diet of this reptile consists of medium-sized fish, crustaceans, aquatic molluscs, and insects. They eat plants, getting the necessary vitamins and fiber from them. At home, the turtle is fed with low-fat fish (leave the bones in the fish, grind large ones), liver, shrimp, squid, snails. The meat is not thermally processed. From plants give dandelion, plantain, leaf lettuce.
Often a small turtle will not eat when vegetables and herbs are fed to it. Juveniles are predators; vegetables, fruits, greens should not be given to them. Until the age of two, they are fed every day, then - two or three times a week. Do not overfeed the animal, otherwise obesity will occur. In half an hour, the turtle should have time to eat the entire portion.
You can not feed the turtle food from the table, lamb, pork, crab sticks. In limited quantities, give hamarus, bloodworm, coretra, mealworm and food insects.
Take care of your beloved animals and do not forget that we are responsible for those we have tamed. Let your pets always be healthy, vigorous and please the owners with their behavior.
For physical stimulation, which must be done if the turtle does not want to eat, the following methods are suitable: - a slight increase in temperature; – conducting a course of ultraviolet irradiation; - thermal baths.
What to do: the turtle still refuses to eat?
In the event that these methods were ineffective, it is necessary to apply artificial feeding, which will help restore nutritional functions over time. Sometimes you have to stick to this method for a very long time, sometimes throughout the life of the animal. But even in such cases, although it may seem strange, turtles lead a rather active and long life, without losing the ability to reproduce.
Vitamin and mineral supplements
Like any other animal that is kept at home, in addition to the main food, the turtle requires various vitamin and mineral supplements, and during the period of shell formation and growth, the turtle is vital. In pet stores, you can buy bone meal and add it to your pet's food daily. A turtle needs five grams of flour per day. When you're at the pet store, check with the clerk to see if there are any new fortified turtle supplements available.
live food
There are many types of freshwater turtles and most of them are adored in their diet. earthworms . In the summer it is not difficult to dig them up in a country house or forest area, but for the winter they have to be stored in advance. Earthworms are stored in boxes, after pouring a thick layer of earth there and placing these boxes in a cool place with moderate humidity. Worms are unpretentious to food and eat any food waste.
mealworm larvae are the most common live food, but they should be given to turtles no more than twice a week, because this food contains hard chitin, which can cause inflammation of the gastric mucosa in the animal, due to the fact that it is poorly digested.
Breeding a flour beetle is not difficult. A dry and warm room is required, with an air temperature of at least +27 degrees Celsius and low, well-ventilated tin boxes. The substrate is dried and crushed birch leaves. Swollen oatmeal, as well as food waste, are suitable for feeding the beetle.
In the event that mealworm larvae will be used regularly to feed the turtle, then it is necessary to additionally give food to the animal with a high calcium content.
Brownie and steppe crickets are considered the most preferred food for turtles. Small but tall boxes are suitable for their content. The height of the walls should be from thirty centimeters and above. The boxes need to be heated. For heating, lamps with a power of 25 W are used, which are installed inside the boxes. The soil consists of sifted earth and crushed birch leaves. You can feed crickets with finely chopped vegetables and herbs. The presence of water in the boxes for keeping crickets is a prerequisite.
You can also feed the turtles wax moth and flies . Since it is rather difficult to breed them at home, therefore, in the summer, traps are made for these insects, but in the winter, this type of feed has to be abandoned.
plant food
Since plant foods contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals, their presence in the diet of turtles is a prerequisite for keeping these animals. As vegetable feed, vegetables, fruits and berries are usually used. From vegetables, beets, carrots, cabbage, leafy vegetables are suitable, and as fruits, apples and pears. Beets and cabbage contain carotene, vitamin C and active vegetable proteins. Leafy vegetables contain vitamins and minerals. Carrots have a beneficial effect on appetite, digestion due to the content of vitamin A.
Dandelion flowers and leaves of young nettle turtles also eat with pleasure. These plants are also used as a remedy for constipation and some other diseases.
Berries, as a rule, are included in the diet of animals during the treatment of stomatitis and hypovitaminosis C.
Specialized dry food for marine and freshwater turtles
Dry food is added to the diet of animals once a week. In addition to specialized foods, in some cases, turtles can even eat ordinary dry dog and cat food, although the composition of these foods is not suitable for turtles. But if the animal has been eating these foods for a long time and tolerates them normally, then it makes no sense to refuse them.
Recently, specialized feeds have been commercially available in the form of granules or plates, which include vitamin and mineral supplements.
Since in most feeds the basis is fishmeal, and owners who have sufficient experience in keeping turtles do not purchase such feeds at all, it is necessary to carefully study the composition and quality of the feed, since there are no vitamins in low-quality feeds. In any case, you can feed the turtles dry food no more than three times a week. Not always the turtle will immediately eat dry food, so be prepared for this - the animal needs to get used to it.
The effect of age on the diet of turtles
Turtles can eat both vegetable and animal food, but at a young age they still prefer live food to plant food.
However, gradually with age, animals prefer plant foods. This is due to the fact that in adult animals there is no urgent need for amino acids and calcium, which are necessary for young individuals, and, unlike their young relatives, they do not spend as much energy, which must be replenished.
Shredded turtle meat is also eaten with pleasure, but it must be boiled in boiling water for several minutes before feeding, as raw meat can cause salmonellosis. Lamb and pork should also be excluded from the diet. Turtle fish is more preferred than meat, and like meat, it should be boiled in boiling water for a few minutes.
In order to add oil solutions of vitamins A, D, E to feed, which should be present in feed, it is necessary to impregnate dry feed with a vitamin solution in advance. Vitamins A, E are given once every two weeks, vitamin D - once a week. Dry food soaked in a solution of vitamins is quickly thrown into the water.
It happens that you get a pet, take care of him, take care of him, and at some point he gets sick or simply loses his appetite. This can easily happen with, which can be very finicky to care for. Why she does not want to eat, she, of course, will not say, but it is quite possible to watch her and try to figure out for yourself what is the matter. And you should not delay with this in order to take timely measures and avoid complications.
There are many things to consider in order to help the turtle feel the joy of life again. Some of the possible reasons that could make a mammal unsettled are:
- Getting used to a new environment;
- Adaptation in captivity;
- Disease;
- Stress;
- bowel problems;
- Extreme temperatures (cold or hot);
- Puberty;
- Inadequate nutrition.
The main reasons for unwillingness to eat are considered stress from a change in habitat and hypothermia of the animal. From the very process of transportation, the reptile's nervous system can be severely damaged and it will take more than one day to restore it.
Solution
After carefully observing your pet and, unfortunately, not finding out the true reasons for his starvation, the best solution would be to make every effort to create comfortable conditions for your turtle. The following instructions will help:
- To begin with, take care of a fairly large turtle "house" - an aquaterrarium, the volume of which should be about 200 liters. The container should only be half filled.
- Habitual conditions. Care must be taken to make the turtle feel at home, where it spends most of its time not in the water, but on land. To do this, in the middle you need to equip a small island of high-quality plexiglass with recesses that will provide the turtle with convenience and comfort when diving onto it. Bedding made of moss, sand, algae, or other material that will not make the water cloudy is also suitable. It is important to consider that the pebbles should not be small, otherwise a lover of absorbing everything in her path can get very sick.
- Water purity. It is necessary to change the fluid at least once a week, and better - as it gets dirty. Water will become of high quality and suitable for your red-eared beauty, if you first defend it and pass it through the filter.
- The amount of water. Only 30 cm of liquid is enough to make the reptile feel at home and be able to easily get out onto land.
- Suitable climate. To do this, you need to maintain in the aquarium from + 26⁰С and make sure that it does not rise above + 35⁰С. If the house is cold, heaters will help. The air temperature will also be suitable, and this is a couple of degrees more than that of water, if you use ultraviolet irradiators or incandescent lamps. These devices will provide air heating, as well as help the patient fight rickets.
Red-eared turtle food
To avoid loss of appetite, you should not allow your pet to eat low-quality food. This will adversely affect her health and lead to serious illnesses. Several points apply to this:
- The presence in the diet of products of animal origin (seafood, fish, liver, offal of birds);
- Plant foods (apples, cabbage, spinach, carrots, lettuce, dandelion greens);
- Restriction in feeding with special food for turtles;
- Do not let her crawl on the floor, where she can, as usual, swallow something and become infected with salmonella;
- Avoid monotony. Food should be very varied and nutritious.
If you have done everything possible to create suitable conditions for your pet, and, despite everything, she looks very weak, emaciated, thinner, does not get out of the water and sleeps a lot, then you need to urgently treat her. And not on their own, for example, with the help of the Internet, but by contacting a specialist in turtles - a herpetologist who will be able to professionally find out the reason behind the lack of appetite. And before that, try pampering your turtle: feed her seaweed, because this is her favorite treat! And who knows, suddenly he will be tempted and start eating?
Turtle does not eat — Video
You will need
- Salad
- Tomatoes
- Table lamp or heater
- UV lamp
- Plate or bowl
- Boiled water
- Manicure pliers
Instruction
If the turtle has stopped eating, try to determine if it is time for her. Turtles are usually active in the summer and go to bed, which is natural. But there are exceptions. Even the Central Asian or Greek tortoises, which usually follow a normal life cycle for the northern hemisphere, may well fall asleep in the middle of summer to make you think about their winter menu. This happens if the turtle fed well at the beginning of the summer. The Central Asian tortoise has two periods: in winter and in drought. In this case turtle just leave it alone. You can put her a box with dry leaves. Put the "bedroom" in a cool place where there are no drafts.
If the turtle does not hibernate, but does not eat, it may well be that she wants something completely different from what you offer her. Try feeding with lettuce or dandelion leaves. If the turtle remains indifferent, give something that no land turtle is usually able to refuse - a piece of tomato. If this does not help, try giving your pet the right to choose. Take it out on a warm sunny day on the grass. Let her see for herself what she likes. Put on the menu whatever she chooses.
It is possible that the turtle will not choose anything. Try giving her a small piece of bread. Remember that in general you can’t feed a turtle with bread, it has a harmful effect on the liver. But a small bite to stimulate appetite does not hurt, turtles love even what is harmful to them. After bread, give salad or dandelions.
A turtle may want to drink after hibernation, but not eat. Pour water into a saucer and place in front of the turtle. Some turtles do not eat after hibernation because their intestines are full. In this case, arrange a "bath" for the turtle. Pour warm, boiled water into a bowl or bowl, depending on the size of the turtle. The water temperature should be slightly above room temperature. Gently place the turtle in the water. This must be done so that the nostrils are above the water. This procedure will help solve two problems. Maybe the turtle is just thirsty, then he will immediately get drunk. A 10 minute bath is usually enough. But it can also happen that the turtle immediately gets rid of what is in its intestines. Then it must be washed, removed and wiped.
Sometimes a turtle can't eat because its beak is growing back. In this case, the beak must be trimmed with nail clippers. If you cannot do this yourself, contact your veterinarian. By the way, an overgrown beak can be a symptom of calcium deficiency, due to which the turtle can also lose its appetite. In order to avoid calcium deficiency, turtles need to be given pieces of chalk, as well as take them out to the sun or irradiate with an ultraviolet lamp. Turtles usually start eating immediately after being irradiated.
Even a very hungry tortoise will not eat if the ambient temperature is below 18°C. Her digestive enzymes just don't work. Therefore, warm the turtle and the room in which it is located. Put a regular table lamp or heating device. At lower temperatures, the food in the turtle's stomach is not digested and may begin to rot.
note
If you created normal conditions for the turtle and tried to give everything that she liked to eat before, but the animal still did not have an appetite, take the turtle to the veterinarian.
Helpful advice
Instead of leaves, you can put newspaper in a box.
Despite the fact that turtles are considered herbivorous animals, in the deserts they hunt and eat everything that meets on the way. They need some protein food. Once a week, you can give a little boiled fish or poultry.
Sources:
- why did the turtle stop eating
The tortoise is a cold-blooded animal, capable of half slowing down the metabolism, depending on environmental conditions and the general condition of the body. Adults can go without food for up to 90 days, while losing up to 40% of their weight and using body fat reserves. However, prolonged starvation of the animal leads to severe exhaustion and irreversible consequences in the body.
Most often, the refusal of food is associated with changes in the conditions of its maintenance, the season, or the presence of any disease. In the absence of specific clinical signs, emaciation in an animal can be caused by sepsis, kidney failure, and other serious illnesses. When making a diagnosis, the veterinarian takes into account the season. After all, turtles in the period from October to January, reacting to a short daylight hours, begin to eat less. With an increase in temperature in the terrarium and with an increase in the length of daylight hours, starting from January-February, the turtles again take food. . Healthy turtles, subject to wintering conditions, begin to eat already 1-2 days after turning on the heating of the terrarium. If you don’t eat when the temperature rises and the length of daylight hours increases, you need to be examined by a veterinarian and, if necessary, start. After all, the wintering of turtles is associated not only with the rejection of food, but also of water. This entails such unpleasant consequences as a drop in glucose and vitamins, blood concentration, an increase in the level of toxic products formed as a result of metabolism. The most serious consequences of dehydration and exhaustion of a turtle are liver and kidney failure. If the pet looks good, but refuses to from food, it is necessary to examine the eyes. Sometimes conjunctivitis can be the cause of starvation. If the tortoise is not eating, but is active and does not look malnourished, it may be a sexually active male. As a rule, during this period, the appetite of animals decreases.
Related videos
If the turtle refuses to eat, you have reason to be alarmed. If the animal does not get enough food, it can suffer from hunger and even get sick. In this article, you will learn how to help your turtle eat and what to do if it refuses to eat. Many turtle owners have a feeding problem. Most often, turtles refuse to eat due to changes in the external environment or diseases. In order for the turtle not to starve, its living conditions should be changed, the disease should be cured in time and be resourceful when feeding.
Steps
How to understand why the turtle is not eating
- The water temperature for turtles should be around 25 degrees. On the island, the air temperature should remain between 27-29 ° C.
- If your tortoise lives outdoors, it will become cold when the temperature drops below 15°C. Install a ceramic heater to keep the turtle warm.
- Measure the temperature with a thermometer and correct it if necessary.
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Increase the amount of light. In order for a turtle to eat with appetite, it also needs enough light. Aquatic turtles need ultraviolet A and B spectrum rays. The turtle needs 12-14 hours in the light and 10-12 hours in the dark. Land tortoises need at least 12 hours of light each day. It can be either sunlight or the light of an ultraviolet lamp or an incandescent lamp.
- If there is less light, the turtle may refuse to eat.
- If your tortoise lives outdoors, you will need to adjust the lighting according to the season. In autumn and winter, more artificial light sources will need to be used, since there will be less sunlight, and in summer they can be abandoned.
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Examine the turtle for signs of disease. If the turtle isn't eating and you've verified that the temperature and light are OK, your turtle may be sick. She may have a vitamin A deficiency, constipation, a respiratory tract infection, eye problems. She may also be pregnant. If the turtle refuses to eat, look for signs of disease and take the pet to the veterinarian if necessary.
Find out if the turtle hibernates. Some turtles may hibernate during the winter. Even if a turtle lives comfortably and has access to food, it may decide to hibernate. If you have checked the conditions in which the turtle lives, as well as its physical condition, and did not find any reasons for refusing to eat, take the turtle to the veterinarian. It is possible that she is preparing for hibernation.
- Hibernation puts stress on the body. Only healthy turtles can hibernate.
- If the vet allows your turtle to hibernate, start lowering the temperature in the enclosure by a few degrees each day. This will help the turtle slow down its metabolism.
- Do not drop the temperature below 10°C. After 10 weeks, start gradually raising the temperature.
- Keep feeding the turtle until it stops eating completely.
How to get a turtle interested in food
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Give the turtle live food. The turtle reacts to movement. She may prefer live food: crickets, worms, snails, larvae, newborn mice. Live food also has a strong odor that may attract turtles.
- Do not give your turtle worms found in the yard. They can be contaminated with chemicals from the soil. Buy specialty clean worms from a pet store or a fishing supply store.
- The turtle can also eat caterpillars, beetles, wood lice, crayfish, flies, grasshoppers, earthworms, spiders.
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Mix turtle food with other foods. Dry food is the basis of nutrition for many turtles. Grind food and mix it with live food to keep your pet interested. You can soak the food in canned tuna liquid to attract the turtle to the smell of the food.
Offer your turtle food in bright colors. The bright color will attract the turtle. Give your pet strawberries, tomatoes, papaya, mango, watermelon, rose petals and other colorful vegetables and fruits. Fruits should not be given frequently to the turtle, but they can be used to get the turtle interested in food.
- To make the turtle eat more willingly, mix live food with colored food. The bright color and strong smell will make the food very attractive.
- Vegetables are healthier than fruits. Try soaking vegetables in canned tuna liquid to make your turtle want to eat them.
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Change your diet. The turtle may refuse food because it doesn't like the food you offer it. Try finely chopping the vegetables and food and mixing them with the worm pieces, and the next day, offer the turtle mango and food in the tuna liquid. Your turtle probably has preferences that you should remember.
- Try keeping a feeding diary and record how the turtle reacted to the food. This will allow you to figure out what the turtle likes best.
- Try offering food on land and underwater.
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Feed your turtle early in the morning. Turtles are active early in the morning and prefer to eat at the same time. Many turtles refuse to eat at other times of the day. Try to feed your pet between 4:30-5:30 am or as close to dawn as possible.
Take the turtle to the vet. If the turtle refuses any food and does not respond to changes in the external environment, take it to the doctor. Perhaps the turtle is sick, and hunger weakens it even more. An examination will determine the cause of the turtle's behavior, and timely treatment will prevent the disease from progressing.
Proper nutrition
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Add calcium to your food. A turtle should get all the vitamins and nutrients it needs from its food. However, calcium can be added to food. Calcium can be given in solid form, in the form of cuttlefish bones, or as a powder. Give calcium once a week.
- Put solid calcium or cuttlefish bones where the turtle lives, so that she finds and chews them herself.
- You can sprinkle the turtle's food with calcium powder.
- You can also give your turtle a reptile or turtle multivitamin once a week.
Give your turtle a balanced diet. The turtle's diet should consist of fruits, vegetables and meat. If the turtle is a waterfowl, 65–90% of its diet should be animal food (worms, snails, mollusks, frozen newborn mice, dry food), and 10–35% vegetable food (greens, grated carrots, grapes, mango, melon) . If the turtle is a land turtle, 50% of the diet should be meat (crickets, worms, larvae, snails) and 50% vegetables and fruits (berries, peas, zucchini, flowers).
Measure the air temperature. Turtles are cold-blooded reptiles. They will not eat if they are too cold. If your tortoise lives at home, arrange warm and cold zones for it in the terrarium. During the day in the cold part, the temperature should be between 20–22 ° C, and in the warm part - 29–30 ° C. At night, the temperature can drop to 15°C and 23°C respectively.
