Baby turtle wont eat :(

Question
I bought a baby yellow bellied turtle from the petshop about a month ago. Everything was going great at first, but now he wont eat. His tank stays at 80 degrees and I clean it regularly. Ive tried putting him in a bowl of warm water but he still isnt interested. Yesterday when I went to feed him he was floating upside down in the tank but when I picked him up he was fine. Please, please tell me what to do. BTW..Ive been feeding him the turtle pellets, which he loved at first.

Answer
Floating upside down is a common sign of pneumonia- a common stress-related illness that it could easily have gotten at the pet shop (pet shops that sell babies usually get them form places that handle them pretty barbarically) or it may have picked it up at home.

The care for pneumonia is tough for the home keeper, but a big part of it is making sure the turtle is getting the right cares and diet.

You can learn cares, diet, and health issues at these sites:
- http://www.austinsturtlepage.com
- http://www.redearslider.com

Sadly, pet shops are not known for giving buyers good, solid care info- they usually recommend poor foods, small tanks, inadequate filters (if any), etc.

Briefly, most turtles want three things:
1. Good water- a BIG habitat with plenty of warm (75-80F) water kept very clean by a powerful filter system.

2. Good sun- a safe, accessible basking area (preferably not rock) that is warmed to about 90F and nicely lit in a way that illuminates the entire tank while still leaving shadowy areas. Using UVB light is a bonus.

3. Good food- I recommend a mix of about 1/2 brand name pellets (Reptomin or Mazuri are good), and 1/2 live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods' like worms, small fish, shrimp, krill, insects, snails, beef heart, etc. Baby turtles usually like small worms like bloodworms.

Turtles that are ill need slightly warmer water (80-85F), as little stress as possible, supportive medical care (try the fish medicine Stress Coat per directions), and benefit from UVB lighting.

You can learn more at the above sites.

Good luck!