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Great! Looks like warming him up a little helped- and its always good to have confirmation that its just the temperature messing with them and not disease. I love the fact that you are reaching out for information- feel free to ignore the hateful comments. Its obvious you care about your pets and want the best for them. We don't pop out with the knowledge of the universe fully formed in our noggins. We have to learn, we have to ask and even then the experts we seek out may be completely off base. Heck, the very people selling iguanas to us still recommend feeding insects, even though it can shorten their lifespan by 2/3.( Unlike just about every other reptile they do best on a vegetarian diet)
Be careful feeding them raw meat. It does appeal to them, but reptiles can also get and transmit salmonella. If you do feed raw, remember to wash your hands thoroughly every time you handle him- ok, that's a good idea regardless of what you feed him. You may also try him on feeder fish if you want to entice his appetite, but feeder fish have the possibility of introducing parasites. Plenty of turtle keepers do this without issue, but you should always be aware of the potential problems when introducing new food items.
Many turtles do enjoy fresh greens with their diet and they can be a great source of nutrients and calcium if you give the right ones. I would not feed romain or iceburg lettuce. They are both very low on nutritional value. Collard and Mustard greens are great. If you want a great pond plant that is safe a nutritious for them to snack on, water lettuce is pretty good, though the roots will muck up your filter. My little guy loves them.
This is a really good resource for researching reptile care. Melissa Kaplan's advice kept our rescue iguana happy and healthy for 9 years after we got her and she is very interested in providing proper basic care information for other reptiles as well.
http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Make sure you have a heat lamp and UV lamp over your little guys basking spot- where he climbs out of the water. If the water is a little colder in winter it actually encourages them to hop out and spend a little more time under the lights soaking up warmth and those UV rays.
The reason everyone is pushing UV light, and full spectrum UV if you can get it where you are, is that it is vital to calcium absorption, keeping bones and shell strong. Reptiles without it are prone to a form of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease. But turtles, and sliders especially, are pretty rugged little reptiles and tolerate a period of learning and adjusting by their caregivers very well. With a couple of minor upgrades you should be fine!
Good luck with your critters, McCord6!
I dont blame him one bit for snubbing them lol.
