Help! Baby northern red bellied cooter floating

[threeinoneshampoo]

I have tried to feed him in a separate container, I even left him in there for an hour, but he still didn't want to eat. I've offered greens, blueberries, tuna (in water not oil), pellets, mealworms, and live insects and he hasn't shown any interest I also don't leave food in his tank, but I have been syringe feeding him up until a week ago (trying to wean him off)

He does nap most of the day and only moves to find a new place to nap, sometimes he hides and sleeps, sometimes he basks and sleeps. He's very lethargic unless I pick him up, and then he pushes me with his legs super hard.

I just weighed him, and he's barely 11 grams (after a month), plus the rear end of his carapace is super squishy even though he's been getting UVB lighting and the liquid calcium. He is still floating and I have no idea why, but I'm ordering an above tank basking area to maybe help him get more direct UVB (I have a 5% UVB bulb and a 75 watt basking bulb). I think is shell is painful for him and that's why he's not eating yet.

 

[threeinoneshampoo]

Thats good news! If he is shedding and growing he must be eating. Just when you arn't looking. Have you weighed him to see if he is more than 10g? One thing you can also do is take him out and bring him to a separate small container with some of his water with no decoration or anything just to put a couple pellets of food or strips of liver/fish whatever you're feeding. Basically just him and the food and not a whole lot of extra room. Leave him a few minutes so that he isn't nervous from you hovering over head, and then put him back in his normal tank after a few minutes. It will add some stress, so you may not want to bother if you can see him eat in his normal tank. But if you want want to be 100% sure whether or not he is eating you can do that.

Update #2:
He now weighs 11 grams and is able to dive!! He's still floating a tad, but not enough to keep him permanently at the surface and he has plenty of stuff to hold onto at the bottom of the tank. The rear of the carapace is still quite squishy, but he has a new basking area with better lamps and loves it.

Those old wire clamps weren't really directing enough light down, so I got the dual domed lamps.




He's currently sleeping in his coconut after basking for a bit