File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
So, the two Red Eared Slider hatchlings are doing fine. I set up a basking lamp for them, and they love to just hang out. One problem, though, they haven't eaten a bite since I've gotten them two days ago. I'm worried that they might be sick freezer babies or something. What should I do?
>> Anonymous
>>225932
I have exactly the same problem here... i've tryed diferent kinds of food but they dont show any interest on eating any.

Some advise?
>> Anonymous
Have you tried feeder fish or little bugs? the babies from what ive read are pretty carnivorous, more-so than the adults, maybe they just need a little meat in their diet right now...
>> Anonymous
>>226111
I'm going to buy some of those very small guppies from the pet store. The pet food I bought DOES have mini-krill in it, though.

Could they still not be warm enough despite the light bulb they have to bask under?
>> Anonymous
what's the temp under the lamp?
>> Anonymous
>>226160
Dunno, but I'm using a 100 watt bulb about 2 feet above them.... If I could estimate, I'd say it gets to about 60 - 70. The water is constantly at 80 with the heater.
>> Anonymous
Do you also have a UVB bulb? UVB would help stimulate their appetites and enable healthy shell growth.
>> Anonymous
>>226184
i would try to keep the basking area at 85 or so, possibly 80. and for god's sake keep thermometers in there!

if they still don't eat, try feeding them a tiny bit of beef or pork to get their appetite going
>> Anonymous
>>226211
I had them in front of the window to get their UV rays, and today I picked up a new bulb.

Hopefully they will begin eating soon. I don't want them to die, especially after having come from Chinatown.
>> Anonymous
>>226268
>>I had them in front of the window to get their UV rays

An open window? Glass filters out nearly all UVB rays.

>>today I picked up a new bulb.

Fluorescent, incandescent, or halide? Incandescent UV reptile lights are completely useless and a scam.

http://www.anapsid.org/uvtable.html

>>Chinatown.

...they're probably sick.
>> Anonymous
When someone shoved some sliders onto me and told me to let them go in my pond (I found them a home instead), I had the same problem until I found a site that recommended offering very small pieces of cooked chicken. I tried this and they gobbled it up ravenously. So over time I tricked them by throwing in more pellets and less chicken at feeding time, and it worked.
>> Anonymous
its pretty normal for baby turtles not to eat for a LONG TIME. they're stubborn little things. what i do is i buy a live feeder fish (like a guppy or a SMALL goldfish) and i cut the fish a little bit so that it bleeds. dangle the fish in front of the babies nose and this usually does the trick. he'll become interested but might not eat in front of you. leave the fish in the tank and leave the baby alone with the fish. either spy or come back in 30 mins or so and the turtle might have taken a few bites. good luck.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>226434

btw this is my bad boy all grown up flashing his manhood.
>> Anonymous
I'm hoping someone could answer this for me, but my red slider is starting to freak me out. He stands on his hind legs and claws at the tank every time he sees me or when I'm sitting at the table. Why would he do that? I think he wants to kill me.
>> Anonymous
I've always fed my turtles reptile pellets, and they eat it fine.

I'm always surprised because as a kid I kept sliders for years at a time, and I didn't nearly give them a basking lamp. After 10 years they grew out of their bowl and I left them loose.
>> Anonymous
>>226300
The window is open.

Thanks about the warning about incandescent UV bulbs. I'll take the one I got back imidiately.

So, Flourescent UVB + Incandecent heat?
>> Anonymous
>>226445
I have two russian tortoises that do this as well, and I really can only think that they see me as a food source and get excited every time they see me because they think they are getting more food.
>> Anonymous
Try varying what you feed them. Live guppies can be stressful because the turtle has to catch them before he can even eat. Try earth worms (the smaller ones, because you have babies), frozen shrimp, and make sure to include vegetation, like romaine lettuce. Commercial turtle food is good, but only if it's 25% of your turtle's diet.

I feed my big adult slider trout food, along with crickets or worms and veggies. It looks like normal pellets but it's actually the same stuff they feed trouts at fish farms which have a lot of nutritional value. He loves that stuff.
>> Anonymous
>>226519
Yes. You can also get compact fluorescent UVB bulbs but I haven't read any studies on them and prefer the lengthwise coverage of a standard fluorescent tube. I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't work well though.

More stuff you might find helpful:
http://www.anapsid.org/uvd3.html
http://www.redearslider.com/lighting.html