Now that I found a way to share videos, I'd like to start sharing the history of my turtles. I taught junior high science for 34 years and had Western Painted turtles in my classroom for 25 years. They lived for the most part in a classroom "pond" constructed of a kiddie wading pool inserted into a raised, wooden platform with a plexiglass surround, pump, filter and uv lighting source. My students learned a lot about caring for them and developed an appreciation for the beauty these marvelous creatures. When I retired, I built a concrete pond for them to also retire to. On July 7, 2007, I watched one of my females dig a nest and lay 8 eggs. Knowing that it would be about 70 days until they hatched and that it would be too late in the year for them to emerge (hatchlings spend winter in the nest if they are hatched in late summer, where they incur a high mortality rate from harsh winters), I carefully removed the six hatchlings (2 eggs did not hatch). I set up an aquarium with a turtle landing, filter system, heater and uv fluorescent light. They have grown from 1 inch, quarter-sized babies to nearly 3 inch, active eating machines. Temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is vital to baby turtle survival. Many young ones die from respiratory infections caused by too-cold temps. At this time, all six hatchlings are vigorous and healthy. Here is a short video of two of the babies on November 7, 2007. I will share more recent videos if you are interested. I hope to add them to the pond after they reach 4 inch size and when the water is consistently above 75 degrees.



Don

OMG, I can't believe I stayed up all night messing with these videos. I guess that's why my students used to call me Maestro loco. My wife thinks I'm nuts, too. Anyway, I got another snippet of a video done that shows the hatchlings at the end of January 2008. It also shows the kind of setup that is needed to properly take care of baby turtles. As you can see from this video, the little guys have really grown and have really learned to associate me with food.



Don

Hi Don! Love your videos. Those little guys are very lucky to have you! They sure are busy. Thanks for sharing with us.

Don, since your a turtle expert compared to me, I wanted to ask your advice about my turtle! I have a 6.5 inch, 2.5 year old, male Eastern redbellied turtle named Tator. Tator used to eat like a total pig - any and all commercial pellets, mealworms, crickets, kale, grapes, carrot, you name it, he ate it. He would eat a huge leaf of kale so fast! The last few months, he's decided not to eat accept for a few crickets. I put in king mealworms too (like the one you tiny babies ate) which he bit in half and let drown.

I keep monthly weights on him, and he's always gained weight but the last few months, he's lost weight. His weight chart is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/tator.htm
The only thing he's eating now is crickets. The Petco "expert" suggested live fish. I was reticent to try those (promised never to do it) because I love fish, the "feeder" fish always are diseased (and want to protect my other animals; I use the same hose to drain all tanks), and what would I do if he didn't eat them. Well, I put in 7 rosy red minnows yesterday. He bit the back end off of one but didn't eat it. He's now made friends with the other six. I moved Tator to a 120 gallon tank last Saturday, and I put him in his old 40 gallon tank for an hour or two at night for feedings. Any ideas of what to try? Could it just be because it's winter even though his tanks are well heated and lighted? He didn't stop eating last winter. Now, I have to decide what to do with the sick fish. I already started up a filter and air stone and added MelaFix for them. I will leave them in the Tator feeding tank for a week but then, if they make it, I will probably have to treat and rehabilitate them (just what I didn't want to have to do). Everyone I know with turtles feeds them feeder fish, and the turtles scarf them up. What's wrong with Tator? He otherwise seems fine. He was wigglying his nails at his reflection this morning. He's also stopped basking since he's stopped eating. Thanks for any ideas.

Robyn

Turtles that I've overwintered inside have always slowed way down on feeding during the winter months. I suppose that has to do with the quality of light; artificial light can't compare to the light the sun provides. Temperature has a lot to do with appetite, too. In the pond, the turtles can bask in the sun and really heat themselves up, which is essential for digestion of food. My box turtle often goes through periods of not wanting to eat much. I just continue to offer a wide variety of foods and make sure that there is clean, warm water, a good temperature gradient (so he can find the temp he prefers) and keep an eye out for problems. Winter, again, is when he slows down on eating.

What temperature is your turtle's water? You might try raising the temperature with an adjustable in-water heater to about 80 degrees F. Make sure it has a basking area with a good UV light and heat. Also, if you are moving the turtle to a feeding tank, make sure that there is no major temperature difference between the two tanks. Turtles generally don't like rapid water temperature differences. Again, try raising the temperature of the environment (water and basking area). This will help digestion.

There is also the possibility that your turtle has another problem. If it is wiggling its nails at its reflection, it is probably a male and is exhibiting a mating display. Male turtles will approach a potential mate from the front, place their front legs alongside their heads and shake their feet and long claws in a vibrating fashion. If a real mate were there, they would use this motion to caress the female's head, asking for a little action. Maybe your turtle is losing appetite in reaction to the old adage that in springtime, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love. In other words, maybe he's horny.

I'd try the temperature increase.

Don

The heater in the 120 gallon is set to ~72 degrees F and the 40 gallon to 75 degrees F. I set it a few degrees warmer because I wanted to encourage him to defecate in there to keep the 120 gallon cleaner. Since he's barely eating, he's not really defecating either but there was some debris in the 120 gallon. The water temperature is the same all year. In the summer, my mother keeps the air conditioning pretty cool so it's not that much warmer then. Also, natural light never hits the 40 gallon tank but does hit the 120 gallon in the fall. Tator's only been in that tank for a week. Both tanks have reptile UV fluorescents and two incandescent heat lamps.

Since he's only been in the 120 gallon a week, and he hasn't been eating for two months, the temperature of the 120 gallon was not the cause. The 40 gallon is always warmer than the heater setting due to the heat lamps. I don't actually have a thermometer in there because he used to try to eat it (not anymore I guess!). Today, he bit a mealworm in half, guts coming out, but didn't eat it.

Tator is definitely male - very long nails, concave plastron, waves his nails, and has illicit interludes with his fake log. He does seem more consumed with those things these days so maybe that's all it is. He has a one track mind? My lizard would fast for months when I had her but that was almost always when she was egg bound. Tator doesn't have that excuse. Hopefully, he'll get over it. How long can he go without eating much of anything?

Robyn

I think I'd try a temperature of 78 to 80, at least for a while. If there is anything like a respiratory infection or some other ailment, the higher temp will help his body fight off the bug. Since they are cold-blooded, everything, including immune system, digestion etc are affected by ambient temp, so I'd up the temp and give his immune system a better chance of dealing with something that may be ailing him. Also, you might try putting a bunch or two of Elodea in the tank to see if nibbling on some water plants might stimulate his appetite. I've read that red-bellied turtle adults are primarily plant eaters. You might pick up some turtle treats, like dried Gammarus (scuds or freshwater shrimp). Mine go nuts when I give them some of that. As soon as the weather gets a little warmer, you might try, as I do, to go to a natural pond or swampy area and, using a fine net in a weedy area, collect some natural foods, such as very small crayfish, insect larvae, worms, etc. The movement of natural food should stimulate him. Another thought is that it is generally a good idea to fast turtles at least one day a week.

When I overwinter turtles inside, they sometimes become very sluggish and don't eat at all for well over a month. Again, I've found that raising the temperature of the water to 78 to 80 degrees really makes a difference.

Don,
Your babies are so cute!!! They ARE lucky to have you!!
Ellen

Here are two videos of my babies eating Gammarus (freshwater shrimp or scuds)

Tator did eat his parsley today and even nibbled at his former favorite kale. He used to love those things. He was really wriggling
his nails this morning, holding the legs up against his head and shaking. I do have some gammarus but he was never big
on those. I might trying raising the temperature. It's hard to change the heaters without really getting in there. I bought some
anacharis for him a while back which he ate.