I have two red ear sliders ive had for a wk. now. They havent eaten anything yet. What's the problem?

they are babies and i drop turtle pellets in there tank. that i have to clean out within 2 days.

I have two red ear sliders ive had for a wk. now. They havent eaten anything yet. What's the problem?
The other posters are correct. They usually do not eat right away until they adjust to their surroundings. You can do your part in ensuring they adjust by checking to see if you have everything you need and that you are keeping them warm enough (water temps should be mid to high 70's with basking spot 10 degrees higher 90ish. You should also remove uneaten food after about 20 minutes. This will help not foul up the tank. Some people say to feed in a seperate container but I do not think that is a good idea when you have new ones. Here is a list of important things to help you.





1.You need the biggest tank you can afford upfront. A good rule of thumb is 10g per inch of shell, so no a 10g would not be fine unless you have a 1in hatchling, but it won't last you long so it doesn't make sense to buy small. Red Ear's can easily grow 12 in or more with proper care! If you can't afford a large tank, there are other options, a kiddie pool, a preformed pond liner, a rubber maid tote etc. Turtle tanks / the side cut out is a waste of money. Also Sliders like deep water so fill the tank!





2. You need a UVA/UVB light the box must say UVB and it must emit at least 5% UVB but 10% is best.





3. You need a Heat/Basking lamp, this can be a clamp lamp from a hardware store for 5 bucks and a household bulb.





4. You need a Basking spot. This needs to be a place for the turtle to come completly out of the water to dry off and sun himself. You can use a log, a platform, a dock, a ramp, etc as long as the turtle can fit on it comfortably.





5. You need good filtration. Turtles are messy. Shoot for 2x the gallon size but more is good too. For example if you have a 40g get a filter made for an 80g or bigger.





6. Submersible heater. Depending on where you live, you may need a heater, the water temps should be mid to high 70's if you cannot achieve this w/out a heater, then get one.





7. A thermometer so you can accurately monitor the temps.





8. Substrate, you may use substrate but do not buy gravel!! Turtles can and will eat it. Usually with dire consequences. A good alternative is river rock bigger than the turtles head upgrading if needed.





9. Decorations/plants (llive or real as long as not toxic see safe plants under food below) a place to hide. This are not absolutly needed but plants and other hiding places reduces stress.





10. A good herp vet. If you want to be a responsible pet owner, you need a good vet BEFORE trouble happens. http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm.....





http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vets_for_h... These links will help you find a good one.





11. Food, turtles need a varied diet and need to be fed in the water;





Hatchlings


Hatchlings should be fed everyday for the first year of their lives. They should be given as much as they can eat in 10 to 15 mins time or as much as you could fit into their head if hollow. You can feed them all of it at once or you can slit it up into 2 feedings.





Hatchlings tend to be more Carnivorous than adults, so make sure to check out the suggestions of live and protein-rich foods below for how to supplement accordingly. (Make sure you still give fruits and veggies at this stage!)





Juveniles/Adults


Once your turtle reaches the 4" mark, we recommend that you change their feeding schedule to every other day. Giving them greens or live plants in between.





Adults tend to become more Omnivorous, so make sure to check out the suggestions of fruits and vegetables below.





Vitamins and Calcium


You should supplement your turtle's diet with both vitamins and calcium, every third feeding or once a week. To give them vitamins many people will give them a Vitamin Bath once a week. You can also either soak the pellets in a liquid vitamin or dampen them and roll them in a powder vitamin before feeding.





It is recommended you have a light that supplies UVA and at the very least a 5.0 UVB output. The UVB is necessary for the absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. Turtles need both calcium and Vitamin D3 for strong bones and shells.





**Feeding Tip Feedings should be done in a separate container so that you do not have to frequently change the water nor the filter media.








Common Diet Errors





Feeding Cat or Dog Food


Despite what some pet store employees may tell you, turtles should not be fed dog or cat food (Sounds insane, but we've heard it!)





Pellet Only Diets


Pellets provide many benefits, but variety is key!


Supplement their diet with veggies, live foods and some fruits. Check out our safe list below.





Giving in to Beggars


Turtles will always beg whether you give in or not- they know you are the supplier of food!


Supplement between feedings with greens or live foods they have to chase to eat. ( Iceberg lettuce is a common filler that doesn't contain much nutritional value, but will keep them content.)








Safe Feeding List





Commercial Foods (This is just a few of them on the market)


* Tetra Reptomin


* ZooMed's Aquatic Turtle Food


* Exo Terra


* Wardley's Reptile Premium Sticks


* HBH Turtle Bites





Frozen/Canned (For treats)


* Spirulina-enriched Brine Shrimp


* Bloodworms


* Plankton


* Krill


* ZooMed's Can O'Crickets, Grasshoppers, or Meal Worms





Live Foods (Carnivorous)


* Guppies or Rosies Reds (no goldfish they are too fatty and have very little nutritional value)


* Crickets (Gut-Loaded)


* Pinhead Crickets (for smaller turtles)


* Earthworms, Night Crawlers


* Ghost Shrimp


* Aquatic Snails/Apple Snails


* Slugs


* Wax Worms, Super Worms





**Be careful about Wild-Caught foods, they can carry parasites that can be transferred to your turtle. Freezing Wild-Caught foods for a month will help to kill off some parasites.





Fruits (small amounts for treats only)


* Apples


* Bananas


* Grapes


* Melon


* Tomato


* Strawberries





**Should be cut up in small, bite-size or match-like sticks that will be easy for the turtle to bite into and not choke on.





Veggies


* Squash


* Zucchini


* Carrots


* Greens- Red Leaf, Romaine, Collards, Kale, Dandelion Greens





**Stay away from Spinach. Make sure to cut the veggies in bite-size or match-like sticks so your turtle can eat them easily. Iceberg lettuce is a good filler, but contains little/no nutritional value!





Aquatic Plants


* Anacharis


* Duckweed


* Water Hyacinth


* Water Lettuce


* Water Lily





12. A good forum where you can get advice, support and help. I'm partial to the one I belong to lol http://www.turtleexchange.com/forum/inde...
Reply:turtles are very slow....at everything and yours are also stressed.
Reply:call the vet and tell him
Reply:Copying and pasting doesn't mean the information is not correct. It just means it is a lot of information and pasting is much easier than typing it all. JuliaF's and others have the right info.
Reply:dude


trust me


all the info given by others is just copy pasted and wont b smart n quick


try this out


itl surely help


i own two red ear sliders myself n so i care a lot fr them


this site wil give u all that u need to make yr turtles eat and stay healthy always


www.redearslider.com
Reply:They are not eating because you are not keeping them properly. Since you gave no details as to how they are being kept, nobody here can definitively tell you what corrections need to be made.


The most common reason for lack of appetite is being kept too cold.


You should read some books on basic turtle care.
Reply:It does take time for reptiles to adjust to new homes and I am sure they are still not sure about their new home. Its probably pretty scarey for them. Give them some time and try some other foods too. Baby turtles are mainly carniverous. Try getting some dried krill from the pet store or some crickets, live or freeze dried. You can also get little tiny feeder goldfish for them to chase too. You can try hand feeding as well. Most baby turtles dont see the pellets as food. Just keep trying. If they still dont eat after trying all that send me a message (in my profile) and I can give you some more advice
Reply:reptiles sometimes take a while to get adjusted to a new environment. give them a little longer to adjust. if they don't start eating soon or begin losing weight, you may want to take them to the vet.



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