Feeding and Nutrition :: my baby turtles eating habit

[tboggus]

so i got a baby RES turtle she's about the size of a quarter.
and i have pellets from my of RES turtle i have but she's much bigger and
the pellets seem kind of big so i break them in half and i put her separate to
eat and she still wont eat its been about a week, now her shell is peeling, is
she sick? i really don't know what to do. help pleasee

[Daniel3507]

what is your set up like? you could try soaking the pellets in tuna water but it may still be getting used to a new environment.

[untsmurf]

Shedding the shell scutes is normal, it's not a sign of disease. Just don't pull them off, you could damage the new layer. Your new turtle needs a few weeks to settle in before getting the urge to eat. It's probably freaked out about it's new environment. Give it a few days to rest and settle in, then try again.

[tboggus]

well i believe its a 40 gallon tank plenty swimming water she has a floating dock with basking light and fliter just basic, and the pellets are those Tetra ReptoMin snapped in half, they just float around until its mush and nibbles some then i have to clean it up.

[Daniel3507]

do you have a UVB bulb?

[queenjane]

I have the same problem. I've been posting on the thread "My Turtle Only Eats Shrimp!" and like tboggus, my baby turtle totally ignores the ReptoMin pellets, although is environment is ideal. He hasn't eaten in two days because I've been trying to coax him to eat the pellets and I've quit feeding him strictly shrimp. He is also peeling.

[tboggus]

yes i do have the bulb.
the lady at the pet store told me what she was
feeding them it was some pellet and those worms.

[queenjane]

I've got two bulbs... UVA and UVB. I just spent $24 on calcium supplements, a different (vegetable-based) kind of pellet, and crickets. I even have his food mixed with shrimp powder so it smells appetizing... and all he's doing is swimming in circles and kicking the cricket carcasses out of the way.

[queenjane]

Well, my turtle has not eaten in four days now. There is food in his tank and a cricket, and he hasn't touched anything all day. I don't know what to do.