Abandoned turtle, wont eat

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I was handed a turtle at work this afternoon. One of the staff was inspecting an apartment after a resident had moved out two weeks ago, and found a turtle in the kitchen sink in a few inches of water. They brought me the turtle...however I don't know much about reptile care. I went to a pet shop and got a light bulb and some water treatment drops, and some pellets. They seemed to think he is a painted turtle, but the bottom of his shell is almost red, but should be yellow they said. I put him in a 20 gallon aquarium and in water 2 times his body height, with a log to get up onto. He is swimming around, very mobile, almost anxiously so, but he will not eat. At the store we tried giving him some larvae and live fish but he ignored it. He also ignored the carrot I cut up. I am worried that he is in a state of hibernation or some shock. I want to provide what I can for this turtle, but I am of limited means and if it is going to be very costly and intensive to nurture him, I may not be the best person and will try to find him a better home. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

ANSWER: Danielle,          Before I can answer this question I need a better description of you turtle. Or a pic you can send it to me here. Does he have red lines on the side of his face.. with some yellow. Land turtles usually have an oval shaped shell and kinda domed and water turtles are rounder and have a flatter shell. I also need to know if he has webbed feet. If he does he may be a water turtle. Their diet is the same in some ways and very different in others. If he is a land turtle...It will eat all fruit and veggies.... try it and see what he likes. Crickets, meal worms,and wax worms very important for protein. If he is a water turtle... definitely sticks or pellets.... collard greens, romaine, you can give him Krill(a frozen food from your petshop)its kinda like a shrimp. Frozen kelp, bloodworms,chicken (lean and boiled),fish(feeders swimming freely). So lets figure out what he is and what he needs for proper care. They both need heat, but in different ways. Land turtles get it from UVA bulbs which also helps them produce calcium since all reptiles and amphibians taken out of the sunlight lose that ability. With a water turtle you need to create his heat with an under the tank heat to keep his water warm and put a UVB bulb on him. This helps him make more D3 and create greater amounts of calcium. Actually your land turtle should have both. This is because they are prone to MBD... This is metabolic bone disease makes them prone to broken bones and other diabilties.So get back to me and we can figure out what we need unless you can get it from the info I gave you. Good Luck kiddo.... turtles are great,Good Luck , Tina

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Tina,
Thanks for getting back to me. He is definitely a water turtle. No red lines on his face, but some on his legs and tail. His shell is pretty flat and his feet are very webbed. He hasn't gone for the pellets yet, but he took a few bites of bok choi. I'll go to the shop today and get some worms. How often and how varied does his diet need to be? What does his land area need to be like? All it is now is a log, but I've seen some descriptions of creating a dirt area so I might try to do that. What do you mean by sticks? How warm should his water be? What about humidity in the tank? Thank you so much!
Danielle

Answer
Danielle,          Keep his water temp between 70-80 degrees. Make sure he has a platform to dry out on. like a turtle dock you can get at your local pet shop. You also need to filter their water they are very messy eaters. After he is eating well you might want to feed him in a separate container. Like a large dish pan.No dirt to hard to keep clean. Feed him every other day. Make sure he gets his veggies and protein. Feed him as many different things always. Like one feeding do worms one do fish....always a pellet or turtle stick.(they are just big pellets). The more varied the more healthy.He needs to dry of so his shell doesn't rot. Vitashell is a great supplement to put on him every couple weeks. Plus he will like the massage.They CAN feel their shell. My henrietta.... loves me itching her shell. She lifts up like she has air shocks in her and wiggles left and right.You may be able to sex your new baby ..... males usually have long tapered tail fat at the base and very long front nails. Females have short stubby tails and shorter nails.... Good Luck,Tina... by the way you can warm the water with a small under the tank heating pad...you can get at the petshop in the reptile section.