Turtle help

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Which would you like to see pictures of, turtles tank filters? I can get them all.

yellow bellys and yellow eared sliders are all the same turtle. just different names by region.
the orange are pretty and just a slight variation of the red eared, but BLUE! I would so love to see one of those.

OK 20 Ga whisper filter

!/2 inch OD shoved up into the lift tube:

Pond filter being held down by a yucca: forgot to add the filter is chock full of Boi balls for natural filtration and held together with zip ties.

A few of the turtles:
the big one came as a breeding pair from a guy who couldnt handle the size: as you can see( underwater and uppper right by the cement block is a 5 year old turtle:
the rest are babies:

Also under water pictures are very hard to achieve a good photo from . sorry was the best I could do.

 

[FireTigeris]

Thanks for the picts-

The blue one was in the mammal world mennenistic, but in reptiles its something else - I regret not picking 'him' up that day. Here (FL) it wouldn't be hard to keep him.

 

[chixie]

My turtles live outside and when they are cold they don't east as much...

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
We cant leave them out in the winter here, it gets way too cold for them. and sliders are from temperate areas.
once the water temperature drops below room temperature( 70F) they do slow down eating, it take longer to digest so no need to eat a whole lot.
adding heat will help, just be sure the heater is one of the submersable unbreakable type.
nothing worse than coming home to zapped and fried turtle.

 

[nop169]

As previously posted he (?) may just be going through his yearly hibernation period - both my turtles, my sulcata tortoises & my monitors do this regardless of the temp of their setup & regardless of their UV lights maintaining daylight for 12 hours. It is a body cycle... mine usually stop eating for about 3 weeks... however not all animals are the same and as I have had mine for years I know their cycle. Yours may have some other issue or sickness.
I also agree that you need UV light & heat in your tank... also I personally do not like the pelleted food as the only choice.... I use Mazuri brand turtle & tortoise food but it is only 50 % of the diet. My turtles also get live comets (live in the tank with them & I replace as they disapper) raw chicken, crickets, roaches & mealworms (that are gut loaded with a good balanced diet of greens/veggies). The tortoises get hay, fresh grazing areas, prickly pear pads & any & all veggies & greens left over from the garden or preperation of supper! My monitors get a canned monitor diet, live mice, roaches & ground turkey with a calcium supplement once per month.
With all reptiles & amphibians when the temp drops they are unable to digest food & will hibernate. That may be your problem... but also have his shell checked for bacteria infections or soft areas. Sulfer blocks in the water helps prevent some of this... also use chlorine free water when changing his tank... also he may be parasitic & need treatment or may need Flagyl for protozoen infection/appetitite stimulation.
And finally, I know money is tight for everyone this year but.... find a good reptile vet who can help you... they are not easy to find & are often not cheap - but.... advice from members like myself can help point your way & research is great as are the employees of most pet stores... but we are all amatuers and when things go wrong in reptiles/amphinbians & turtle/tortoises it is best to find someone who is more knowledgeable. If you cannot find a vet that treats them - check with any local zoo or university... usually they will have a vet on staff or a knowledgeable staff member....
Good Luck

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

McCord, I hope your turtle perks up soon, sounds like alot of people have given you sound advice...
I think people need to be a little nicer, if she didn't want to change the situation for the turtle she wouldn't be here asking for advice. She is trying to change it for the better, no one is perfect remember

I think we've all made animal mistakes at some point!

Gypsy, did you say you have an INDOOR pond?! Can I come live with you?! LOL

Do you have Yucca growing in the pond water, Aquaponic style?! What's the growing medium?
We are just starting to plan an indoor Aquaponic system. We've done all sorts of research and science projects with the kids on Aquaponics (we homeschool). It's fascinating stuff!
Sorry I strayed off topic guys!

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Sure Jenna come live with me not only do I have an indoor pond I also have a huge rabbitry and empty cages, lol
A living jungle in the house, fish tanks with all sorts of fish,
ummmmm spiders snakes, scorpions

Actually talking about the pond and hydroponics and aquaculture all go along with having healthy turtles.
Yucca and Arrow plants, believe it or not are not bare rooted in the tank they are actually in the same medium and pot they came in.
Many will argue this is wrong , I have been doing it this way for years and the Yucca is strong and healthy, see the principle behind it is not only do you have soil roots you also have water roots and in having both and the soil you are taking out all types of contaminants. ( plants are natural filters). NO fertilizer, none is needed the plants get what they need from the turtle waste and turtle food leavings.
One thing I have found with turtle tanks is DO NOT put in snails LOL, yes apple snails, Mystery snails are great for bottom and algae cleaning , but yep the turtles eat them like Halloween candy. gets expensive after a while.
Also with turtles you can go to your local bait store and get Dillys( small night crawlers ) IF you know they are chemical free and no mold in the cups).
Its like spaghetti night lol.

McCord first I would definitely boost the water temperature and add the UV light, when he perks up you can start feeding by giving a few turtle pellets or some chicken or turkey, something easily digested. The main thing is bringing it out of its hibernation unless you would like him to hibernate for a few weeks or a month. it does help them tremendously, but not completely necessary.
Good luck with the turtle and please keep us updated we are definately here to help you when we can.

 

[McCord6]

I got a UV light on my way home from work, just the bulb I have a heat lamp that it seems to be working fine with (same heat lamp I was using for the chicks). I gave him a little bit of raw turkey liver and added warm water to his tank. He still not eating or really moving around at all so I guess he is hibernating. Guess Im just going to have to wait and see what goes on.

 

[McCord6]

I put some pellets in his tank right above his head to see if he would eat and YAY! he ate it all! Guess he didn't like the turkey liver but at least he is eating now. I poured a little bit more warm water in his tank, water is still getting cold even with the UV light. Maybe sometimes this week I will be able to get a water heater for his tank. Need to replace his broken filter, broke a while back ago, the one I have is way too small for his tank, goes to the gold fish vase.

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

Give Him some Romaine Lettuce