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A neighbor of mine found a baby painted turle just a little bigger than a dime and raised it until now. She asked me to continue raising it because she doesnt have the time. Of course, I said I would. But, now things aren't going good. At first, he was very active and always went after and ate the flies that I fed him. But, now he seems kind of lathargic and doesn't seem to want to eat much. I put a light over his "aquarium" because I had read that warm water might help. But, it doesn't seem to be working. Does anyone have suggestions for what I can do? I really dont want to loose him! Thanks. :(

I have a few questions for you, first:

How large is the turtle?
How large is the aquarium?
Does your turtle have a basking spot?

Turtles can require more care than people often realize. But once you uderstand the basics, it is pretty easy, and a lot of fun. I will give you a quickl crash course in what your turtle's enviroment should be.

ENCLOSURE
You can use a regular glass aquarium. The size really depends on your tutle. A good size for a full grown Painted turtle would be a 55 gallon. Females grow a bit larger than males, and they may require a bit more space. The tank should be filled with water about five inches from the top. At the surface of the water, you will need a basking spot. I suggest a Turtle Dock or Turtle Ramp. This provides the turtle with the necessary space to get out of the water. Above the basking spot you should have a basking lamp. You can top the tank with a screen lid, and place the lamp on top of that. You should use a sumbersable aquarium heater to maintain water temperature, which should be in the mid to upper 80s.

FOOD
You turtle should be fed a nutritous food like Reptomin turtle pellets. Insects are good, bu not as the only source of food.

You may know all of this already, but by your posts it sounds like you are new at this. Make sure you setup is up to par, and let us know how things are going.

Good luck!

Eva, read over my hatchling turtle page at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/hatchling.htm for information. You can use an aquarium heater in the water to warm it up if the turtle is not doing well.

Thanks for all of the help. I'm going to get the stuff you mentioned today and i'll let you know if it helps. Thanks again!