i have some questions

Question
the tempurture in the cage is 81 degrees

the lighting is perfect

and the turtle is about 6 inches and is in a 55 gallon tank


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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
i have a turtle that wont eat pellet food and we but small fish in the cage but she didnt eat them what should i do?
-----Answer-----
Common reasons for not eating:

- Cool water. Turtle tanks should be heated to about 80.
- Bad lighting. Turtles NEED good lighting with UV, like a good reptile bulb offers.
- Small tank. Turtles need space- aim for 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle.

You can check out the basic cares and diet at good sites like http://www.redearslider.com or http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for help!

Answer
A 1/2 filled 55 gallon tank holds about 30 gallons- about 1/2 of the recommendation. Not terrible, but it could be better.

I'd love to know how you accomplished 'perfect' lighting- I keep trying to hit that goal!


Not eating, next most common issues:
- Size selection. Turtles choose prey by size. Too big or too small is not considered prey.
- Hibernation urges triggered by short light cycles and lowering temps (although you seem to have addressed the 2nd part.)
- Persnicity turtle. Try a larger variety of food options- different fish, worms, shrimp, brine shrimp cubes, trout chow, etc.
- Water quality. Not only dirty water, but also issues like ammonia concentrations, 'product pollution' ('turtle blocks', medicines, etc.)