The red-eared turtle, despite the generally accepted idea of ​​it as a lazy and slow animal, in natural conditions habitat behaves quite actively and lively, showing curiosity in every suitable case. It seems even more strange passive behavior reptiles when red-eared turtle does not eat, sleeps and is lethargic. If the owner of a red-eared slider does not have extensive experience in handling reptiles, it is better to consult a veterinarian just in case.

Poor nutrition

The red-eared turtle stops eating due to a number of circumstances. The owner of a reptile simply overfeeds his beloved pet by giving it food too often. In nature, red-eared turtles need to eat no more than once or twice a day, and it is not worth increasing the frequency of feeding the reptile. If the problem arose due to a violation of the diet, then the owner of the red-eared turtle should reduce the number of daily portions and give the turtle as much food as it can eat at a time. In this case, leftover food must be removed, since spoiled food is quite capable of causing various diseases.

Hibernation

The hibernation that red-eared turtles go into in winter is another reason why the pet suddenly stops eating and does not show itself from behind its shell. Don't underestimate the risks this state red-eared turtle, since at home it is very difficult to create an authentic environment in which the reptiles wait out the winter. Therefore, if you suspect that your tortoise is about to hibernate, take steps to prevent it from falling asleep, otherwise there is a chance that your pet will not wake up from its sleep state in the spring. To do this, increase the temperature in the terrarium to 28˚C, increase the level of illumination there, extending the period of daylight by two to three hours.

If you still missed the moment when the red-eared turtle hibernated, provide it with conditions for comfortable waiting out the cold season. Place it in a wooden box and place it in a place with increased level humidity and low temperature. The red-eared slider should begin to emerge from hibernation around mid-March. If the red-eared turtle still does not wake up, the owner of the animal should begin to take measures to awaken it, otherwise the pet will die from exhaustion and dehydration. To do this, you need to gradually increase the level of illumination and temperature of the box with the turtle every day.

Mating games

Finally, one more natural cause The change in behavior of the red-eared turtle, when it stops eating, is the onset of the mating season, however, if the reptile is kept alone or has not reached the age of sexual maturity, this option is unlikely. If a male and female red-eared turtle are kept together in the same aquarium and have reached the ages of 5 and 4 years, respectively, then you are unlikely to be able to prevent them from conducting mating games, and you just need to wait until they start eating again as before. . During this period, red-eared turtles become aggressive and refuse to eat.

Pneumonia

The most unpleasant explanation for a turtle's low activity is possible illness. pet. Often it is malaise that leads to the fact that the turtle eats little and sleeps a lot. The most common disease in house-kept red-eared turtles is pneumonia. When pneumonia occurs, the reptile becomes lethargic, inactive, stops eating food, and begins to float to the surface of the aquarium with its mouth open. The cause of pneumonia in a turtle may be hypothermia, which occurs due to a prolonged lack of heating in the terrarium, as well as a long stay in a draft. If a red-eared turtle gets pneumonia, it will collapse on the affected lung when swimming. At the same time, the reptile will breathe through its mouth and dive into the water less often, as it will experience difficulty breathing.

Prevention

A monotonous or inappropriate diet may also be among the reasons why a red-eared slider is lethargic and does not eat. Veterinarians recommend including in your diet food that reptiles eat in natural conditions: lean fish, beetles, worms. Bone meal supplements will help strengthen the shell. It is recommended to include vegetables and herbs in the diet.

Reluctance to eat is sometimes accompanied by other symptoms of painful conditions. The turtle may experience inflammation of the eyelids, nasal discharge, bleeding, sneezing, and coughing. If you notice such symptoms, contact a competent veterinarian who can determine the cause of the ailment.

Nowadays, keeping various exotic animals in your apartment - crocodiles, lizards, snakes, spiders is considered the highest chic... These and other exotic animals attract people with their unusualness. Red-eared turtles are becoming popular all over the world; they are bred on special farms and then sold in pet stores. These animals are kept in aquariums or terrariums. Turtles are one of the most ancient animals. For two hundred million years appearance almost unchanged.

In nature, the red-eared turtle feeds on animals and plant foods.
To avoid mistakes in keeping these animals, you need to know exactly what the red-eared turtle does not eat, and what is especially useful for it. The turtle's diet should be as balanced in content as possible. nutrients and in terms of calories.

If the diet is formulated incorrectly, the turtles will not grow well. A balanced and high-calorie diet for red-eared turtles is one of important conditions correct content. Young turtles are fed animal food. They also eat dried daphnia, bloodworms, tubifex and gammarus, both dried and live.

The young one does not eat meat and fish, that is, what must be given to adult turtles. For meat, it is recommended that adults be given boiled or raw beef or chicken. Some people prefer to feed their pets instead of meat. goes fat fish, then you must first keep it in boiling water. Before feeding big fish you need to grind it, removing the bones. The small ones are crushed together with the bones.
Turtles also need vitamins, which are found in raw liver, shrimp, squid meat and the larvae of various beetles, such as mealy beetles.

Some hobbyists mistakenly believe that the red-eared turtle does not eat live food, or are afraid that it will not be able to catch it on its own. But that's not true. Turtles are excellent at catching live food. Experts even recommend feeding them with live food more often, as this creates conditions that are close to natural.

Adult turtles feed on algae, so in a separate aquarium you need to specially grow plants for feeding, otherwise the reptiles will nibble on the algae and the terrarium will look sloppy. The red-eared turtle does not eat poisonous algae, such as limnophila and elodea. If there is a pond near your house, you can catch duckweed there. You can also collect some other plants. Instead of algae, you can give the animals lettuce or dandelion leaves. Red-eared turtles enjoy eating cucumber or cabbage.

The pet store sells special balanced food for turtles. It is very convenient to feed them, but you need to look at the composition and make sure that they are fresh. It is best to purchase imported food, as they are more balanced, but dry food for cats and dogs should not be given to turtles - they contain substances that do not meet their needs.

It is useful to occasionally give crushed tortoises eggshells and vitamin D. Food should be thrown into water. You need to give so much food that it does not remain in the water, otherwise uneaten pieces of fish or meat will rot very quickly and the water will have to be changed.

To feed red-eared turtles, you can transplant them into another aquarium, but not all animals like this. Young turtles need to be fed once a day, and starting from two years old - every couple of days.

U healthy turtles Always good appetite. The reasons why a red-eared turtle does not eat can be different - the diet has changed, or it is simply not hungry, or maybe it is just sick. In this case, she should be shown to a veterinarian immediately. A turtle may also refuse to eat because it is in a new environment. In this case, you just need to leave it alone for a while.

The red-eared turtle is one of the most common pets. We fell in love with the turtle for its unusual bright color and its ease of care. However, many people do not know the rules for keeping a turtle or simply ignore the recommendations of veterinarians and pet store sellers. This is where problems arise with her health and physical condition. It often happens that having bought red-eared turtle, the owners bring her home and notice that she is inactive, sleeps most of the time, is lethargic, and refuses food. In fact, there are a huge number of reasons for the occurrence of such syndromes, so let's look at the conditions in which the turtle is kept in order to eliminate our own fault.

The red-eared beauty comes from America, it’s not for nothing that her second name is American turtle. This pet will be a great friend because... at home and at proper care turtles are active and very hardy. These pets often have a distinct personality and character, and are very intelligent and quick-witted. If you have two individuals, you can observe the aggressive antics of the red-eared slider - taking food, fighting, rivalry. At home, turtles live quite a long time, up to 40 years. Another pleasant bonus of purchasing such an animal is the absence of allergies to it. The red-eared beauty is known for its striking olive-colored coat, with a red stripe running across its entire body. The size varies, from 3 cm to 30 cm, and it is worth considering that at home, red-eared turtles develop much faster than in nature.