peninula cooter not eating

Question
QUESTION: Our peninsula cooter is 5 yrs. old.
recently he was constipated, but for the last few days has straightened himself out, but now he is very restless and will not eat. He is about 9 lbs and we would like to get him back on track. Can you give us some help?

ANSWER: Hi Fannie,

Can you tell me more about what was going on with him and the constipation?  If you can tell me how he's being kept--tank size, temperatures, diet, etc.--and how he's acting now (basking?  swimming?  any problems with his legs?) that would help.  How long have you had him, what size is he, and are you sure he's a male?  Get back to me and I'll do what I can to help.

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

QUESTION: We've had him since he was a baby found him in the driveway in Florida, five years ago.We travel back and forth from Florida and he or she has always done well. Right now we are still in Maryland and he is in a tank around 150 gallons we try to keep the temperature between 76 and 78 degrees.  A couple of weeks ago the one heater went on the blink and the water dropped to about 70 degrees, but he was still eating good and still pooping but not as much as he would normally.  We feed him spinach and some of the Reptomin Aquatic food sticks, and he has always done well, he basks a lot  and stretches to the max all the way down to the tip of his big feet.sometimes he is still on the rock when we turn his lights out.  The only thing is we are really not sure what sex {he} or {she} is.  His size is 13 inches by 12 inches and is strong as an ox.  His eyes are bright and does not act sick, besides not eating.  I'm getting worried because it has been 5 days now.  We appreciate the help and hope you can point us in the right direction. If he is a female, is she trying to get out to lay eggs? If so how would we deal with that problem? and would it be normal for her not to want to eat?
we fixed the heater on Monday and he had been pooping mostly at night when he is still.  Hope this information can help us find an answer. Thank-you   Fannie.

Answer
Hi Fannie,

It sounds like you do have a female, based on the size.  Males are smaller than females, have long front claws, and a longer tail than females.  It's possible she does have eggs, as turtles can lay without a male, and the restlessness and lack of appetite could mean she wants to lay (could mean other things, too).  You can try filling a large plastic bin with soil and setting a basking light over it to see if she displays any digging behavior.  The soil needs to be about as deep as she is long.  Alternatively, if you're in a warm weather area you can put her outside in a fenced-in area to see if she needs to lay (outside is better than in a bin because she can select where to dig, but sometimes a bin will work).  If nothing happens, I'd take her to a good herp vet.  She can be x-rayed to check for eggs, and of course it's entirely possible that there's another health issue going on.  The change in behavior is an indication that something is definitely wrong.  

Your setup sounds good, but I'd suggest making some changes to her diet.  Adult cooters are primarily vegetarian, but spinach should be fed as part of a varied diet and not the mainstay.  Try adding in some other greens such as turnip, collards, kale, spring mix, etc.  You can also give her worms, fish, boiled chicken, and other types of meat a few times a week to see if she likes any of those.  Getting more variety into her diet will help ward off health problems in the future.  Also make sure she has a source of UVB lighting--you may have that already, but I wasn't sure from your post.  

Here's a link to a care sheet that may be helpful to you:  www.chelonia.org/Articles/pseudemyscare.htm  

Good luck and please post back and let me know what happens.

Just saw your followup.  Let me know what the vet says, would you?  And thank you for wanting to take good care of your turtle!