hatchling painter turtle

Question
Hi. I found a hatchling painter turtle at a lake and it hasn't eaten for 3 weeks. It might be a few weeks old. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING! can you help me?

Answer
OK- to be up front about this... turles are tough pets. Babies are tougher, and wild-caught are tougher yet. Wild caught baby turtles are usually stressed by the new habitat and require more care than turtles usually need.

I am not sure what you are trying to feed it or what your housing situation for it is like, but some basics would be:

HOUSING
- At least 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle
- Heated to 75-80 degrees with basking sites of 90-95
- Filtration or a water cleanliness plan
- Lighting that includes UV-B rays

DIET
The basic baby diet is high-quality turtle or trout pellets. You can get fancy from there, but the most people opt for simplicity. In pelleted food, you get what you pay for- cheap foods are neither tasty nor healthy.

You can also try a few very small feeder guppies, or other fresh or frozen fish food items.

MALADAPTATION SYNDROME
Wild-caught turtles are usually stressed by the capture and changes. By simulating the conditions of their home territory you can reduce the shock. You can also help by
- boosting tank temps another 5 degrees or so
- keeping everything especially clean
- minimizing stress, like vibrations, light flashes, dogs, handling it, or even staring at it
- ensuring a high-quality diet

Personally, I'd release it. Even as an experienced keeper, I would not try to keep a atur wild-caught turtle.