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My boys bought 2 RES at the beach 10 days ago. We brought them home Sunday and put them temporarily in a 5.5 gallon aquarium. They sleep all the time and only get into the water if we place them there. Then they only swim to get back to the basking spot. I have a filter and basking log in the tank and added a small heater and basking spot light today. The basking tem is 88, the tank temp is 82 and the water temp is 82. I hate to sound like I have waited forever to take the proper care of them but the salesman told us they would be fine in room temp water with dechlorinator and to provide them a light source and they would be fine. They have NOT eaten in the 10 days we had them. I have tried 2 different pellets and last night I tried bloodworms. They swim right by the food and back to the basking log. They also bask with their eyes closed and you can pick them up and hold them or place them in the water for several seconds before they ever open their eyes. I plan on moving them to a 20 gallon tank when I can. Does anyone have any suggestions. Thanks bunches

My first suggestion would be to read the main site's basic care section. There are a lot of things that go into raising healthy RES. Some basics I can include for you are 10 gallons of water per straight inch of shell length. Lack of can cause health/shell problems over time and aggression. A good heater for the water will stablize the water temp, which should be around 78F for hatchlings. You turts also need to have UVB as well has UVA. UVB bulbs are expensive and should say right on the box that the light contains at least 7% UVB. You UVA is to provide the heat and can be a regular lightbulb. Basking temp should be about 10 degrees warmer than the water temp. A decent filter is also a must, turtles are messy. Those are just some of the basics, so be sure to do some reading.

For food, try soaking the pellets in some tuna juice. The strong smell might encourage them. Some turtles take longer to adjust to their set up as well. With a proper set up and some time, they should be good to go.

How big are your hatchlings? Have you changed any of the water yet?