Hey guys I bought a turtle for the first time as a Christmas present and he won't eat his pellets :(
Is this normal? Also he won't get up on his little log to sunbathe. He kinda just sits in a little corner all day and I'm worried I did something wrong.
>>2021626
you're either baiting or that turtle is already doomed due to a shit owner
>>2021629
Oh no! What am I doing wrong?!
>>2021630
>impulse buying an animal for christmas
>very shallow water
>feeding pellets
>probably a ton of other things that can't be seen in the pic such as a small tank, low quality filter, no UVB light, etc.
>>2021638
The shallow water is something I thought about, but the guy at the pet place told me that was all that was needed. I'm gonna just pick up some worms or something tomorrow and fill it up higher when I clean the water. Do you think tap water is okay to use, or is there something I need to do to it? I'm doing as much research as I can, I want him to live!
>>2021630
Small tank.
do you have a thermometer or heater? They go off feed if they aren't warm enough.
Is his sunbathing spot warm? Does he have a filter?
If he has a filter I'm like 95% sure that it's not strong enough, cause turts are messy. You should do water changes often, and turtle water is godly for plants.
/an/ hates impulse buys because it's shitty for the pet and the owner. Your turtle isn't gonna be happy unless you have an outside pond.
If you had gotten a mud turtle that setup wouldn't be an issue, but it's clear that the turt has barely any swimming room. Try adding more water if it's dock is one of those suction cup ones that floats. Get seashells and put them in the tank for calcium, and try and find a neighbor with a pond for it to go in after a few years.
They are the worst turtle pet. Mud turtles are a 1000 times more suited to indoor captivity. That turt is gonna get big enough to feed a family.
Try and get a better tank, like look out for them if you're in america, especially come spring, people throw them out constantly.
Turtles like that are really diverse feeders, try feeding it guppies sometimes, and/or live shrimps if you have a better stocked fish store. They're big fans of bait-store fare, like worms or hellgrammites, though bait store fish are bad for it because of parasites. Goldfish and rosy red minnows are poison. They like leaves sometimes, especially for an older animal. In the wild they go vegetarian with age.
They do seem to like being taken on walks around the house, interacted with, but they only eat in water and like to bite sometimes, but it doesn't hurt much, unless they are persistent.
>>2021647
Thanks for all of the information, I'm really tryin' here! The guy at the pet store made it seem like it was no big deal but when I did everything he said I could just tell it wasn't going to be that easy so I've been looking into it since.
Snapping Turtle master race here, OP get a bigger aquarium ASAP, get better lighting now (Full spectrum UVB and a good heat lamp) build a sump with a bio tower yesterday. If you are concerned about money buy used equipment or don't keep turtles as they get expensive quick. Here is a picture of The Beast
>>2021650
I've actually got the lamp, I have no clue what a sump or bio tower is though. I've just got the lamp resting on the top of the screen, right over his log. I'm actually afraid it might be too hot for him, and that's why he never wants to get on it.
>>2021651
Google is your friend
>>2021651
Also I said 2 types of lighting, one lamp won't provide both effectively. As you seem to know dick about basic aquarium keeping techniques take your new pet back to the store, get a refund, do some research, build a proper enclosure, then aquire a turtle from a reputable breeder
>>2021665
Got both types. As you seem to BE a dick, I'm not gonna take that advice. I know your concerned about the little guy, but I think he's gonna be ok. I went and bought some worms and he's been chompin on em. I was so relieved.
>>2021680
So you are going to kill your turtle ...
>>2021680
On a side note if the temperature isn't right he won't be able to digest what you fed him. Do your homework or don't keep turtles
Okay guy listen, for the sake of your turt you need to fix a few things. If you could post maybe some better quality pictures of both the turtle and its current enclosure, that would really help us help you. It's hard to get any info from a single. low-resolution picture. From what I can tell that seems to be a red-eared slider, but from the pic it's hard to tell, but I'll work with it. I'm not gonna be a dick, but I'll list so far what I see is wrong:
>filthy water, TERRIBLE for turtles
>as far as water goes, there's not enough of it. Get a 20-30 gallon tank and fill it at least halfway up
>get a filter that is meant to handle AT LEAST 2x the amount of water in the tank. That's a good rule of thumb when owning aquatic turtles, they're filthy, filthy animals
>buy some reptile water conditioner or at least water dechlorinator from the pet store
>don't just leave pellets in there, it makes a mess and shits up the water
>if you're going to be feeding pellets, make sure they're reputable ones. I personally use Tetra Reptomins
>on top of having quality pellets, if you're gonna be feeding them, make sure they are heavily supplemented by other healthy food such as freeze dried shrimp, live crickets/mealworms, romaine lettuce, etc. feed pellets minimally if you do it
>use google
>never, ever, ever, ever trust the shit pet store employees tell you, they're always dumb stupid retarded idiots who don't know fuck and just want to sell you an animal
Make sure to get both a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. Turtles need UVB light to survive.
Not to be mean, and I understand you meant well, but it's best not to impulse buy animals. I understand the temptation, but it's best to put in AT LEAST a day or two in of good research before ever buying a pet, especially one as high-maintenance as a turtle. Turtles are not 'easy' pets, despite common belief. I have one baby turtle and she's more expensive equipment-wise than my toad, pacman frog and tarantula combined.
bumping for interest, have to take care of my friends red eared slider for 2 weeks
>>2021714
A+ 100
GOOD SHIT
OP, LISTEN.
Not OP, but I need my turtles diet critiqued. She's almost a year old and eating retromin, dried shrimp, live + dried mealworms, and goldfish when she can catch them. How much should I be feeding her and how often? Does she need greens? I really like her and want her to live as long as possible.
>>2022236
stop feeding goldfish, they contain enzymes that destroy vitamin b1. they are awful feeders
just put plants such as elodeas in the tank. the turtle will chomp them down whenever it feels like it
you can also feed it various other insects/worms
http://www.insectivore.co.uk/articles_turtles_food_pudding.html
turtle pudding is also great. takes a bit of effort to make, but you can freeze it and have a lot of it stored
Somewhat related- is the anon who has the camo shell soft shell turtle still lurking around /an/? it was pretty cool
>>2021649
Yep, a good rule for life is if they try and sell you something, they don't tell you what might discourage your purchase.
>>2021714
The UVB lamp can be forgotten if you have a nice south facing window, and a tank big enough to have half of it in shade.
Dechlorinator isn't needed, just let your water sit for at least a day, prior.
>>2021680
If it's too hot, then he needs it less, that's probably alright.
Biological filtration is how aquariums work. They are actually bacteria farms that turn ammonia(turtle shit) to nitrate (plant food).
The Nitrates are removed when plants grow and use the nutrients. A sump is a tank outside the tank to maximize surface area for the bacteria to grow in. Lots of people use them for reefs, but if you change water often, then it's not needed, especially for one turt. You should get some pothos vines and grow them outside the tank, with their roots in the current/bubbles of your filter. They help reduce the need for water changes, and the smell of the slimy beast.
Peace lilies can grow with roots n water too, and they are really good air purifiers for your room. Just wash off the dirt, roots in water, leaves in air.
Duckweed is a good supplemental food, and you can find it in nearly any gross body of water. It's that green shit that grows on the top.
Egeria or anachris helps reduce nitrate.
Welcome to advanced fishkeeping, I started with turtles too.
Your gravel is gonna stink to high heaven, you might want to remove it, and put rough rocks (lava ideally) instead.
Seashells are a good turtle water conditioner.
>>2021643
Did you go to a good petstore that specializes or did you go to a chain like petsmart
>>2022258
Evaporation doesn't get rid of chloramines though. If your city adds chloramine you have to use a treatment product anyway.
Here's my turt
>>2022266
I'd be careful with pothos, it's toxic to cats and dogs, and more filtration is always better especially with turtles, plants are not as effective as doing water changes in regards to removing nitrates, build a sump, it can be done with a Rubbermaid container.
Also OP: use Google ya dumb shit!
>>2022258
A ton of windows block UVB.
>>2022321
Looks like it has shell rot
>>2022446
He's always had shell problems.
>>2022356
Turtles don't eat it in my experience.
>>2022462
Do you check their stool, adding plants just because they look pretty. They are living things that will defend themselves if they need to, possibly with violence.
