Sluggish Terrapin and other questions…

[bdanka50]

Hello all- I’m new to the group, so bear with me as I find out more abuot my Terrapin 🙂 I foundm y Terrapin in O.C. Maryland as a hatchling…baking in the sun covered in ants on the sidewalk. We promptly took him (or her?) in and cleaned the animal and gave it fresh water, a place to bask, and some store bought pellets. He ate them up no problem, and has been a hungry active terrapin for over a year now. I have some questions I would hope to have answered if possible, as I’ve read more about this animal on the internet recently. 1. He has grown quite a bit in the last 9 months, almost to about 6 inches or so. this leads me to believe that he has been a little overfed in his first year. I know I fed him once a day, and sometimes a little more. I read at first that twice a day was ok in moderation, but now I read every other day. Which one is it? Also, if he HAS been overfed and grew too fast, are there any long term effects aside from an abnormal shell? He physically looks pretty good to me. 2. He has become very sluggish lately, and doesn’t seem to want to eat his regular pellets that he used to LOVE, although he will eat his shrimp treats (storebought also). I have a few theories of my own for this. One, I think maybe he needs more space and a larger and warmer basking area. Right now he is in a 10 gallon aquarium, with only minimal basking area and not a very good light source. The water level is about 7 inches deep, so he has room to swim okay. But, I think a larger aquarium is in order. Two- I am starting to think he wants to hibernate. Do the terrapins do this? He digs alot, and doesn’t eat as much, which I’ve read is a sign of wanting to hibernate for aquatic turtles. I’ve never seen anything else about terrapins hibernating though. 3. I have tried live fish in his tank, and he watched them a little, and then didn’t eat them. I suppose I will try some other types of “real” foods, like smelt…but I have no idea what to buy or where to buy the stuff. He only gets pellets right now. Can someone maybe give me some advice on what else to feed the little guy? 4. I change the tank regularly, when the water begins to loko a little dirty. The filter I have on the tank kicks some butt (it’s good for up to 50 gallons I think, so on 5 gallons of water it does pretty good). I also use the Dr Turtle sulfur tablets on a freshly changed tank, and I use the blue water purifier stuff too. I also use the Turtle Sulfur dip on him while I change his tank. Can you guys think of anything else I can do to help with his health? I am thinking about taking him to a VET just to be sure. Any of you ever take a turtle to the VET? Are they pretty knowledgable about turtles? 5. Finally, because of his sluggishness, I am a little worried I’m going to lose my little buddy. 🙁 I would like some peace of mind by knowing how tough these creature really are. Like I said, he looks good, and when removed from his tank he REALLY is strong when trying to hold him, and he gets around pretty good. Also, like I said- he does eat his treats just fine (which is dried shrimp I believe). Anyhow- what I’d like to know for #5 here is “How much can these animals endure?” Are they really FRAGILE in their health? difficult to keep alive? I want to know that my pet is a survivor (with proper care of course!) and I won’t lose him when I make little mistakes like not having enough basking area for a while. 🙁 Thanks to all, and I hope to hear from you pros! Nice to be in the group… bdanka50

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