feeding the baby
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Hi! We have just brought home a baby diamondback turtle, after a friend convinced us it would have a better chance of survival if we could take care of it for a year and then return it to the bay when it was bigger. We’ve put her in a tank with sand and rocks and a pool of water, and she seems to run around and swim very nicely, but isn’t eating. We’ve tried frozen brine shrimp and ReptoMin Baby Turtle food (both in the water and out) but she doesn’t seem interested. It’s been about a week. Also, the tank is in a bright window, and it is warm in the house (high 70-s to low 80’s) – do we need to also put a light in her tank? We don’t want her to get too hot . . . Thanks so much for any advice! Nicole and Dean
You will still need to put a basking light over an inside tank to create a warm spot where the dbt will bask and completey dry out. Set it up and then measure the temperature on the basking spot to make sure it isn’t too hot. Adjust the height or wattage of the light accordingly to get about an 85 degree or so basking spot. If your hatchling already started feeding in the wild then it may take live food to get the feeding response triggered again. Live blood worms or brine shrimp from an aquarium store may do the trick. Small guppies and glass shrimp are other feeders that may at least get the hatchling interested in chasing prey and thinking about eating, even though they are a little large. Hatchlings like real or artificial plants to hide in at the water surface. It can take a while for any age wc to adjust, so be patient and keep trying different food offerings. Todd misstippy999
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