red eared slider stop eating!

[geekinpink]

Hi, I have a couple of red eared slider, we've had them for about 2 years. They are about a saucer big...never had problems before until now...one of them just won't eat. He/she is active but it wont eat.

-is it because of the heat? should we up their bulb wattage? They get sunlight everyday as well if the weather permits.

 

[ekm5015]

I dont know what it is, but my two RES stop eating for a couple months during the winter...even though I keep them indoors year round. Its like they know that its winter out even in their heated fish tank with an MVB. It has happened the past three years.

First I would check the water temp and basking temp. Make sure the water is around 75-80 degrees and the basking is around 90-100. Also, are you using a UV light?

 

[tortoises101]

What are you feeding it? If you're feeding the same things everyday it'll obviously get bored. Have you tried giving them a quick treat like a piece of shrimp or a bit of fruit to entice them? Keep the water and basking temps warm too, like what ekm said. Turtles won't eat if they're cold. I don't think it has too much to do with UVB.

 

[geekinpink]

their "pond" is under the sunlight everyday ( i live in a tropical country) but it is unusually colder this year than last year. Not eating never happened before that's why we were worried. We feed them turtle food and they also have small fish in their pond some greens but they never touch them...never tried shrimp before though. Should I put a basking light even if there's sunlight out? How long can they survive not eating, we're just very scared right now... and there's no vet for them where we live

 

[tortoises101]

Is the air cold? If they breathe cold air it could pose a risk of RI. Here's some instructions on how to make a cover; http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/winterizing.htm Just scroll down to the 16th paragraph or the part where it says "enclosing the habitat." I know it's meant for aquariums, but the exact same system will work for outdoors as well, as you live in a tropical climate.

As for eating, turtles might go through a dormant period. The best way to keep them awake is giving them 12 hours of light a day and keeping them warm.

 

[Yvonne G]

Turtles and tortoises can go a very long time without eating. Also, if you have them outdoors in a pond, they're probably eating detritus from the bottom of the pond. They're probably reacting to the cooler weather, but I really don't think you have to worry.