My turtle is not eating.

Question
My red ear slider is 1.6 inch long, and he has not been eating for the last 5 days. He doesn't show any negative symptoms, though. He still swims and basks normally. I keep the water temperature at around 78F, and the basking temperature at around 86F. I have a basking light, proper basking space, and the water is 4 inches deep. The tank's full capacity is 15 gallons.

I usually feed him Reptomin Baby, 3 pellets in the morning and 3 pellets in the afternoon. I have tried alternative food to get him start eating again, like bloodworms and small fish, but he still refuses to eat.

Should I be worried, or is this just a phase?

Thank you for your answer.

Adrian

Answer
Hello Adrian,

Turtles can live without food for a couple of weeks, but it still very important that you get your turtle to eat. Just try to vary the diet as much as possible. Turtles likes live prey, so if you like, you can give live insects, snails, small fish or worms directly to your turtle.
You can also try to give your turtle some boiled chicken (Which is usually very appreciated) or some fresh plants like dandelion leaves, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce and turnip greens.

Refusal to eat can be a sign of an upcoming disease, but since your turtle doesn't show any signs of that - I would assume a disease like the respiratory disease - is not the case here.
However, if you're not able to get your turtle to eat after another couple of days, you should probably contact a vet for further help.

Best wishes
Sara