Urgent Care :: 3-year-old femal RES won't eat and is frantic. Please help!

[Cheri Hayashi]

How big is your turtle? 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches
How long have you had it? 3 years

What is the water temperature? 26 c
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? about 60 liters
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 30-32c
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? stone
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellet food, dried shrimp, raw tuna
When was the last time your turtle ate? yesterday (a little bit of raw tuna) after a week of not eating

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 75cm length x 45cm wide, indoor plastic tub
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? kind of, depending on the time

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes, desperately

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? She's desperate to get out, but shouldn't be gravid yet cause I took her to the vet to get an x-ray and there were no eggs


I'm calling on all of your expert advice because I'm soooo frustrated that even after scouring tons of different websites I can't find the reason for my 3-year-old female RES's changed behavior. Please help.

My RES, Gamera, has always been a pig...she has always had a healthy appetite and I have fed her daily. I keep her in a plastic tub (75cmLx45cmWx30cmH) with about 60 liters of water at present. I have moved her 4 times into larger tanks as she has grown...and she needs to be moved to a large tank once she settles down. She is about 8 1/2 inches in length and 5 1/2 inches wide now. Since I live in the northern part of Japan, Sapporo, I keep her indoors because half the year is winter here. There is a heater in her tank set to 26c and an island for basking (which she usually loves), special UVA/UVB lights above her basking area and a halogen spotlight for extra warmth. I use a very good filter, but still change the water twice a week.

Food. I basically have fed pellet food and dried shrimp, but always put in anacharis and leaf lettuces (which she has never eaten). At the end of January she suddenly stopped eating. After a week of not eating a neighbor suggested I feed her some raw tuna, which I did, and she ate about an inch long, but thin piece. The next day she wouldn't eat anything, not even any more tuna, nor the next day. And on top of not eating she scratches at the sides of the tank and seems to desperately want out of the tank. I scoured the internet for reasons she may not be eating and why she's so restless and won't settle down. I decided to take her to a vet here to have her x-rayed to see if she had eggs or not. It was negative. The vet said she looks healthy and that she's the right size and weight. Other than that, the vet had no other advice to give me. I read somewhere else that perhaps she may want to go searching for a mate since she's coming of sexual maturity and that she won't settle down until she does. IF this is the case, must I find a male RES to calm her down? What can I do to settle her down? Maybe it's not even the reason why she's trying desperately to get out.

Has anyone experienced such a change in behavior? Any advice I can get would be sooooooooo appreciated. I wish I could understand what the problem is.

[Caphits]

It sounded like she might be gravid, but you said shes not because of the xray. Is it possible that she is afraid of you when you feed her for some unknown reason? Try leaving a few pellets in there, and leave the room. Come back in 5-10 mins, and see if they are gone.

I dunno

[RyanJ]

How did she handle her previous tank moves? Did she recently get moved into a new tank? I'm wondering if it's that, turtles can take a while to warm up to new homes, which could be the reason she's not eating.

If you added a male RES, you'd need a much larger tank, and they may be aggressive with each other. They typically enjoy their solitude.

[SpotsMama]

Her behavior sounds exactly like a gravid turtle's. What does she do if you let her out of the tank to walk around? Is it warm enough where you are to let her outside to walk in the grass?

[Cheri Hayashi]

The only things I changed were getting a little bit larger submersible heater, a much better filter, and a bigger light. I have tried putting food in there and leaving the room, but it just sits there untouched. She's not shy and doesn't act afraid of me. She just desperately wants out of her tank. One thing that HAS changed is that the water gets cloudy so quickly. I have always changed the tank water every 3-4 days, but I'm having to do it every 2 days. I have never put her outside nor on the floor. Right now we have a little over 3 feet of snow on the ground outside so that's not an option. Should I put her on my floor and let her walk around? Any advice is appreciated!

[SpotsMama]

Try letting her out to walk around for awhile. She thinks that's what she wants. I'd be interested to know if she tries to dig any holes (in the carpet, for instance) with her back feet.

All the standard precautions apply: keep her safe from cats, dogs, falls, drafts. Make sure she doesn't get wedged into any place you can't get her out of. Rinse her off before putting her back in the tank.

If you've recently gotten a new filter, then probably the reason the tank is getting cloudy is that it's cycling (new tank syndrom). If you don't know what that is, there's some info on it on the main part of this site, or one of us can talk to you about it. It's normal and the water should clear in a few more days once the beneficial bacteria have stabilized things.

[Cheri Hayashi]

Thanks for your advice! I just went to the pet store and got some good bacteria for the tank. I also checked the Ph and it's 7.5. I let her out...I filled a tub with 1/2 organic soil and 1/2 sand and put her in it. She just wanted out. I'll try letting her walk around on the floor when my husband's at work (He hates the turtle and just complains that I'm wasting money and time on her!).

[seanwb]

Your tank sounds too small for a turtle of that size.

My guess is that the combination of uncycled filter, small water volume and large turtle has led to high levels of ammonia. Do you know what the ammonia levels are?

If you have any chlorine in your water, use of water conditioner is very beneficial.

[Cheri Hayashi]

I off to get an ammonia check kit. I added some good bacteria after I changed the water yesterday and so far the water looks clear. Ph check was 7.5. I lowered the water temp a little....it was 26c now it's 23c. She still is scratching at the sides of the tank, but not as desperately as before. She still won't eat, but she is showing signs of being hungry. I've dangled different food on chopsticks in front of her (raw tuna, raw liver, shrimp, and of course her regular pellets) and she bites into them and then spits them out.

The tank IS too small. I've changed it 4 times as she has grown and it's definitely time to get a larger one. The vet told me I should wait until she settles down and starts eating again. I personally was thinking that she would probably settle down faster with a larger tank, but I'm worried about how she will handle the change because I'd have to move the location to the other side of the room. Also, I went to the 3 largest pet supply stores here in Sapporo and the largest tank I have seen is 120liters. Outdoor pond types are larger, but I can't put her outside...half the year we have snow and other months are just too cool at night. I will check yahoo auctions Japan to see if I can find something larger.

[steve]

You can put an outdoor pond indoors as long as it is setup correctly. When she acts like she wants to get out, is it a constant behavior or does it occur only a specific time during the day?

[Cheri Hayashi]

Her wanting to get out is constant all day until she finally climbs up on her basking spot around 8pm. I have spent the last 4 hours scouring the internet for larger tanks.

I really appreciate everyone's support....I don't feel so alone nor as stressed as I have been for 3 weeks worrying about my turtle.