My turtle won't eat!

[Raven_Girl]

I bought a baby turtle on 4th of July and since we've got him he hasn't eaten. We bought baby turtle food and dry blood worms. We read online to feed him romain lettuce and he still won't eat.
Its driving me nuts! :confused:

[MLA]

Is he a water turtle? If so, I found this information online about getting him to eat. Hope it helps!

http://www.turtlecare.net/eating.htm
If Your Turtle Will Not Eat
===========================

* Is the turtle kept warm enough? If turtles get too cool, they
will stop eating.

* Does the turtle like the food you offer? Try out different foods.
Some turtles can be very finicky eaters, especially in the
beginning. And they have definite likes and dislikes.
Most turtles will eventually take small earthworms
that are wiggling in front of their nose. Start feeding favorite
foods, then slowly introduce other items.

* Is your turtle exposed to too much stress? This is often a cause
in new animals.Stress can be caused by handling, travelling, tank
mates. New turtles will often not eat properly for several weeks.
Be patient and keep trying.

* Is your turtle healthy? Not eating can be a symptom of other
problems. If your turtle has been eating well and suddenly stops,
a health problem is a likely reason. Take a fecal sample to your
veterinarian. (Fecal samples need to be no older than 4 hours, and
you need to store them in water in the refrigerator.)

* Don't panic! A turtle can go without food for weeks, even months,
and when it feels well again, it will eat again.
See a veterinarian, if you thing you are doing everything right, and the
animal does not eat for more than 2 weeks.

* Offer him different foods--> refer to turtle feeding article

* It's still winter, and your turtle may just be taking a break. If he
has no other symptoms, this is a possibility

* Is your turtle still producing poop? If not, he may be severely
constipated. He'll need a laxative, and only a vet can calculate
the right dosage. If you want to try something on your own, dip a
few of his food pellets into mineral oil and feed it to him.
(Don't overdo it, that can be bad, too.)

* If you are ONLY feeding foodsticks (what brand?), your turtle may
not be getting all he needs from food. Offer some wiggly worms and
change his diet as suggested on the web site.

* Your turtle may be too cold. Check the web site on heating. Also, it
is always a good idea to keep a turtle that is not eating very warm.
Heat the water to 85F, and make sure the basking site is at 90F.
This will often help. Being warm also helps the immune system.

* If the turtle has a distinct nasal discharge or is swimming lopsided or
gaping, it is likely he has a respiratory infection. Refer to the
web page on this. In summary: Keep him warm if it is mild, if it does
not get better within a few days, you must see a vet, because he'll need
antibiotics.

[shopaholic]

1st question - what type of turtle is it?

[Raven_Girl]

Thanks!!!
He's starting to touch it but won't actually eat anything.
he's no longer thinks its trying to get him.

[Raven_Girl]

A Red ear slider.

1st question - what type of turtle is it?

[Sophia]

Does the turtle have a light/heat source that emits the proper kind of light? They need sunlight spectrum lights in order to be healthy and have nice, firm shells. (I found this out the hard way. :( ) Is it's shell nice and firm, or soft? Press very gently.

[chefker]

I have a red ear. Mine will only eat her food in the water (I think all red ear sliders are like this), so make sure the water is deep enough for the turtle to be able to see their food floating above their head, and so that they can eat it.

[shopaholic]

A Red ear slider.
If its a baby..do not feed it the pellets right away. They are too big for their mouth and they won't eat them.

I started off feeding my turtle the dried krill/shrimp. He actually just started eating the pellets and he is about a year old (started on pellets maybe about 6 months or so).