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So as a veterinarian that deals with turtles and tortoises on a regular
basis, I can tell you that one of the most common things I hear from
clients bringing in their pets is that the turtle has stopped eating. There
are many reasons why this can happen. A turtle can stop eating as secondary
for many different illnesses, but there are a few that we see more
commonly.
The first thing would be that the husbandry of the turtle is incorrect. The
word, husbandry, just means how you care for your turtle. What temperatures
do you keep it at? What food you're offering it? What temperatures it's
kept at? Does it have a source of ultraviolet light?
I think one of the biggest things that confuses people is that turtles do
need a source of heat to regulate their own body temperature. So a turtle
that is kept at a temperature that is too low, will actually have a slowing
of its intestinal transit time. Basically, this means the turtle is going
to be lethargic, and it's not going to want to eat.
Another thing I see commonly is that people aren't offering the appropriate
diet. So again, it's very important that you research your individual
species of turtle and figure out what it should be fed in captivity. There
are many types of commercial foods, but some turtles don't take to certain
types of pellets and require a more specialized diet.
So another thing that I see commonly in practice is that the turtle has not
been provided with a source of ultraviolet light. What this causes is
metabolic bone disease. It's important that they have the ultraviolet light
to synthesize Vitamin D so that they can utilize calcium. So when turtles
are calcium deficient, it causes them to lose their appetite, slow down. It
also suppresses their immune system and makes them more susceptible to
infections with bacteria, fungal organisms, and parasites.
So there are actually many, many different reasons why a turtle will stop
eating, but it is not a normal behavior unless your turtle is hibernating.
When you're keeping a turtle indoors, you really shouldn't be hibernating
your turtle unless you're a breeder. So we recommend maintaining the
temperatures and the lighting year round. So if your turtle stops eating
for some reason, that's something to be concerned about, and I would
recommend contacting a reptile veterinarian.