My baby turtle won't eat the food from Petco. What should I do?

Give him some time to warm up then offer fresh food. Make sure pellets or sticks are small enough for him to eat. You can also try freshly molted crickets or mealworms. The movement may stimulate his appetite.

Make sure temps are high enough for him. Low temps can affect appetite and digestion in reptiles. Withhold mealworms for a day then offer bits of pellets. You can grind up mealworms and coat the pellets before feeding. Offer other prey as well. Make sure they aren't too big and gut load them for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value.

Check the temperature in the tank. Low temps can affect activity and appetite in reptiles. Water depth should be no deeper than twice the length of the shell. You can offer bits of raw beef heart to stimulate the appetite. Continue to offer chopped greens, pellets and nightcrawlers. You can soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to maintain hydration. Review painted turtle care at the link below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Turtles-Tortoises/Painted-Turtle/

You can feed a variety of different veggies and it's best to feed dark leafy greens. Protein sources should be limited. The food can be placed in the enclosure and he will find it himself. If he's not eating, then he may be used to a different diet prior to you having him. In this case it would be best to contact the previous owner and find out what they were feeding him. Below is a link to an article that explains how to properly feed your turtle and has other helpful information for proper care. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html I hope that helps and all is well with Puddle.

The pellets shown should not be fed to turtles for any length of time. Doing so may lead to nutritional deficiencies. If you feed a pelleted diet, choose one specifically for turtles. You can also offer feeder fish, nightcrawlers and freeze dried prey made for turtles. Turtles are omnivorous, so you should be offering chopped fresh greens and vegetables in addition to animal protein and a pelleted diet.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Juvenile RES should receive commercial aquatic turtle pellets, supplemented occasionally with live fish (guppies, goldfish), & earthworms. Make sure she gets at least 15 minutes of natural sunlight weekly. Adults need 30% of diet to be the pellets & some protein like mentioned above. The krill can be offered on occasion. 70% of the diet needs to be plants in the form of chopped leafy greens, kale, romaine, mustard greens, dandelion greens, watercress, parsley, shredded carrot, frozen (thawed) mixed veggies & squash, & occasional fruit. Take care.

Thanks for reaching out about Tutu. Turtles should be fed only a few pellets 2-3 times daily. But chopped vegetables should also be offered daily. Whole prey, as in fish, are also part of the diet of aquatic turtles and can provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Good luck.