Resistant to change?

[Yelloweyed]

Are water turtles just as resistant to changes as tortoises?

I went away overnight (so no feeding on schedule, lights are on timers) and now my mud turtle hasn't eaten for 5 days now. She won't eat the live food or pellets. Water quality tested fine, filtration seems to be working, fish in the enclosure are doing fine.... I don't know what else to check. Do I just need to be more patient?

 

[mark1]

how's the water temperature ? personally , i'd be concerned at day 5 ....is there gravel in the tank ? they are definitely sensitive to a change of environment ..... like moving from inside to outside , or a small container to something larger ..... as far as missed feedings , mine would just be hungrier .....

 

[enchilada]

some female turtles stop eating for couple days before they lay eggs

 

[Yelloweyed]

No gravel in the enclosure but a small container of play sand with a hide. She stays under some driftwood to the side of the play sand container. She also never goes in the container; I rarely see any foot prints.

Her history is unknown but I was told she was kept in a pond with a red ear slider. Can they interbreed? Thanks

 

[enchilada]

No gravel in the enclosure but a small container of play sand with a hide. She stays under some driftwood to the side of the play sand container. She also never goes in the container; I rarely see any foot prints.

Her history is unknown but I was told she was kept in a pond with a red ear slider. Can they interbreed? Thanks

Can cow and goat interbreed? genetically mud turtles and sliders are that far

 

[Yelloweyed]

Ok cool.

Oh and water temps range from 74 to 80

 

[AJK Aquaria]

Eating yet?
How long have you had this mud?
How was it's feeding response beforehand?

 

[Yelloweyed]

I just realized that it's been 8 days with no interest in food. Muddie only watches the snails, earthworms and the live fish in her enclosure. I leave the food in for about 15 minutes and then pull it out before it stinks up the enclosure.

I've had Muddie since May 15 and was told she just woke up from hibernation. After two days with me, she ate voraciously - assortment of pellets, earthworms, snails, fatheads and guppies. I fed her about the same size as her head. Her behavior hasn't changed, excluding the eating. She'll come up to the edge of the enclosure to look at me and then returns to her favorite hiding spot.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Has your turtle been de-wormed? My turtle ate absolutely nothing for the first week, I brought him in to be de-wormed and this HUGE tapeworm came out of him. He started eating after that.

 

[Yelloweyed]

Ew... I'll have to wait until Monday to call the vet to check into the deworming.

 

[Markw84]

what is the photoperiod you have your lights set? Temperate turtles use photoperiod as the main cue to prepare for hibernation/brumation. I have seen many occasions where turtles stopped eating and became much less active only to find out their main lights were on a 12 hour or less photoperiod. Most of the US will range from 14.5 - 16 hour photoperiod in the summer - so that is what our turtles are used to. Once it drops below 12 - they begin to prepare for hibernation/brumation.

 

[mark1]

what is the photoperiod you have your lights set? Temperate turtles use photoperiod as the main cue to prepare for hibernation/brumation. I have seen many occasions where turtles stopped eating and became much less active only to find out their main lights were on a 12 hour or less photoperiod. Most of the US will range from 14.5 - 16 hour photoperiod in the summer - so that is what our turtles are used to. Once it drops below 12 - they begin to prepare for hibernation/brumation.

i've taken turtles , i knew were healthy , outside in the spring from being kept indoors over the winter only to have them stop eating . i believe as you say the daylight is less and in my cases the temps are cooler . i do believe it confuses them ........

 

[Yelloweyed]

I have the lights on for 12 hours - hopefully this is the problem. I'll set the entire closure lights for 14.5 hours. How long should I set the basking light?

Another note: there are a few small (0.5 cm), white opaque balls sitting at the bottom of the enclosure. They disintegrate when I pick them. I will take a picture as soon as I get home.

 

[Markw84]

Do you have a separate UVB light and basking light? What type of lights do you have on the tank?

 

[Yelloweyed]

Yes. I have a LED tube light that goes the length of the enclosure and an UVB (not coil) light bulb about 10" above the basking area.

 

[Markw84]

What are you providing for basking heat? Is the UVB a Mercury Vapor Bulb? The LED and a fluorescent wouldn't give the necessary heat for basking.

If it's a MVB then I would have the LED on 14.5 hrs and the MVB on about 10 hrs. Sort of simulating a brighter mid day yet still bright 14+ hrs. If your UVB is s fluorescent you need some basking heat like an incandescent flood bulb

 

[Yelloweyed]

Sorry, I meant MVB. I'll set the LED tube lights for 14.5 hours and the MVB for 10 hours. Thanks - hopefully this'll work.

 

[Yelloweyed]

Here's a picture of the weird white poop.




I was reading about parasites and possible causes of white poop.

 

[Yelloweyed]

Just wanted to give an update to the previous photo. I took Muddie to the vet and he said that the white lumps are urates.

 

[AJK Aquaria]

How's the turtle been doing?