diamondback feeding help
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Well here is the story.I have been keeping reptiles for around 14 years[never diamondback terrapins]and many of my friends know of my hobby.Over the christmas holiday a friend of mine was in New York City.He ventured through china town and ran across a little old chinese lady on the street selling diamondbacks for soup.Well he purchased 3 adult females for $20,and he brought them back to Atlanta,to me.I know these girls have been through alot,they have all got good weight to them and actually look really well,especially considering their background.They appear to be northerns.They have got a few small cottony looking fungus spots that ,I am currently treating and am sure will overcome.Well like I said it has been nearly a month and I have not seen them eat anything I have offered.I have tried reptomin,mazuri tortoise chow,cooked shrimp,smelt,live/dead crappie minnows,and crickets.I know that some reps need time to acclimate and ?I thought this may be the case here,but know I am starting to worry.I am keeping 2 of them in a large polyethelene horse feeding trough with a 60 watt basking area and water temp 65-70 degrees,the other I am keeping in a 40 gallon tank with a water temp of 70 and a 30 watt basking site.both basking spots reach mid-upper 80s.I do not see them basking much either.Any ideas,suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.I want these girls to pull through.Thanks for your time,and whenever your in chinatown keep an eye out for terrapins.
Christian, It sounds like you’re doing a great job. Since these critters eat in the water, I think the cool water temperature is slowing their metabolism down enough that they are thinking more about dormancy than feeding. It sounds like you’re offering a diverse selection of foods that should tempt their tummies. I would warm the water up to 75-82F with a submersible aquarium heater and see if that helps. I suspect that the increased water temperature will have a dramatic affect on their general behavior and help stimulate their appetites. I’m sure others will have other great ideas but increasing the water temperature seems like the easiest place to start. Good luck. Kurt “Christian ” wrote:
Thanks for the reply I am going to give it a shot.Thanks again.Bye the way what is your opinion on brackish vs freshwater.Right now I have been adding 1/2 cup of rock salt to 10 gallons of water. _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
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