Page 1 of 1
turtle!

Posted:
Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:55 pm
by turtleman123
my turtle had RI, i went to the vet and now my turtle has antibiotics. but my turtle won't eat!!!! i tried everything! How can i force feed it?

Posted:
Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:10 pm
by megcornell
What kind of antibiotics did you get? Injectable or oral? And how long have you been giving them to the turtle?
It takes a while for them to kick in, so your turtle may not be feeling well enough to eat yet. That and some antibiotics suppress appetite.
You can try to entice him to eat by offering something pretty irresistible like tuna. Actually forcing food into the turtle may stress him more and make him more ill so for now I'd just keep giving him the meds and making sure his water is warm (80).

Posted:
Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:14 pm
by marisa
How long has it been since he's eaten? If it's been a day or two, I wouldn't be too concerned yet. Don't force feed---your turtle could wind up choking if the food went down the wrong pipe. Are your turtle's eyes open or swollen so he can't see? If he can't see, try hold something smelly (tuna or a bit of sardine in front of his nose in the water) so he can smell it. You might try feeding him those foods in a separate container of water that's cut in half with Pedialyte, so he gets some electolytes in him when he drinks.