I visited my close friend the other day. He has a Red-eared Slider turtle (though the turtle's name is Hercules, I don't think he officially knows the gender of the turtle; I will just refer to it as a *he*). Since December last year, Hercules has hardly moved around in his tank (except for once in a while sticking his head out of the water for a breath of air) and also doesn't seem to be eating his food. This is unusual behavior for him. My friend went to the local pet store where he buys his turtle's food, and asked the woman there about his problem. She said that turtles go through a type of hibernation and this could be the cause. But this has been going on a while, and I think Hercules may be sick. My friend has been routinely changing the turtle's water and giving him new food. I don't know the age of the turtle, but my friend has had him a number of years. Also, if my friend picks him up his body feels much slimmer/bonier than it used to. Does anyone know what is wrong?
Answers:
does it have proper heat and light... does he have enough room to move... he might need a bigger tank or deeper water...
That's what turtles do.
that's what happened to my turtle until we realized it died days ago. You'll be able to tell by the festering smell.
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Ok so he does not move a lot, some red ear sliders go in hibernation when there tank is too cold. They need a place to get out of the water and sun bathe. The water needs to be around 70 degrees.I have owned my red ear sliders for 7 years. They can eat turtle food from the can, they also like to hunt so get them feeder fish as a treat once a month,that gets them moving. When cleaning the tank you should also clean your turtle too. Take a old tooth brush and clean there shell top and bottom,if you don't and they stay in the water they can get whats called shell rot. At least once a week when its warm outside you should put them outside so they can soak up the sun, they need the vitamin D from the sun. I made my turtles a cage for outside and I let them sit outside for an hour in the sun,it also brightens there shell too. Healthy turtles like to swim and soak up the sun light in there tank make sure you have a sun light.They will stretch out all there legs and lay on there rock under the light.Red ear sliders everyone says they only eat plants WRONG they will eat feeder fish, crickets and turtle pellets.My turtles like the turtle treats and like fruit too they eat some green fruits and veggies too. try it and see what your turtle likes.Take your turtle out of its tank and let it swimm in your tub while your cleaning the tank.DO NOT use soap when cleaning your tank that may make it sick. there are videos on you tube that you can watch. Turtles are very active if you have the right stuff for it. Try these things and see how your turtle does he should start to move around but if hes cold they wont move cause there trying to keep warm. any question got to you tube and watch the videos theres a lot of them to watch. hope your turtle gets better
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