Baby turtles need a lot of energy in order to grow into adults, and they get all this energy from the food that they eat, well, that is, if they do eat food. So you’d be worried if your baby turtle does not eat
This article is a look into why your baby turtle is not eating
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Baby turtle is not eating
A baby turtle that isn’t eating is worrisome, not only will you worry that the animal won’t grow but you’d also worry that the animal will starve to death, so getting to the bottom of this is a must
Here is why your baby turtle is not eating:
New environment:
Your baby turtle’s environment can go a long way in affecting how it acts, including if the animal eats or not.
If you’re raising a hatchling then the animal may not be eating because it is in a new environment. These animals will usually stick to themselves and will not do or eat much once they get into a new environment.
What to do:
The animal will need some time to get used to and warm up to you and the new environment.
You can speed this process up by giving your pet tasty snacks, make sure that the animal can see you leaving the tasty snacks out for it.
Also, give your pet a safe zone where it can explore, don’t enter this safe zone. Not making any sudden movements or loud sounds around the animal will also help.
It’s too cold:
Another reason why your pet turtle isn’t eating may be because the animal is too cold.
These animals are cold-blooded animals, they can’t internally regulate their body temperature, their body temperature is affected by the environment.
When the animal’s environment is too cold the animal’s body will slow its systems down, this will cause the animal’s appetite to reduce or disappear the result is that the little animal won’t want to eat.
What to do:
Measure the temperature of your pet’s enclosure, if needed change the temperature so that it is appropriate for the animal.
You may need to add a ceramic heater into your pet’s enclosure to maintain an adequate environmental temperature for your pet
It’s recommended that you use a reliable and accurate thermometer to determine what the temperature of the enclosure is.
It’s the food:
Sometimes the food that you give your pet isn’t something that they’re interested in.
What to do:
If this is the case with your pet then you’d need to switch up the diet.
Give your pet live foods like snails, slugs, waxworms, and mealworms. Also, give your pet brightly colored foods and strong-colored foods, this will help the little animal understand that you’re offering food.
It is sick:
Another reason why your baby turtle may not be eating may be that the animal is sick. One of the common symptoms of sickness in turtles is a lack of appetite.
These little animals can get sick quite easily and their health can deteriorate quickly, so figuring out what your pet is sick with, and treating the animal is a must
What to do:
Because baby turtles are fragile your pet would need to be taken to a vet as soon as possible, the animal may not have much time until nothing can be done for them.
If you can’t immediately get your pet to the vet then isolate the sick turtle so it can’t infect other turtles
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Not Responding To Touch?, Why Is My Turtle Neck So Long?, Why Is My Turtle Not Using It’s Back Legs, Why Is My Turtle Eating Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Tank Cloudy?, Why Is My Turtle Not Growing?, Why Is My Turtle Not Eating In Winter?, Why Is My Turtle Limp?, Why Is My Turtle Not Pooping?