If you’re a turtle owner thinking about going on holiday or struggling with a turt that’s refusing to eat, you may be wondering: how long can a red-eared slider go without food? Days, weeks… months?
The answer to this question isn’t straightforward. It depends on several factors, including age, health, and even the season. Below, we’ll have a look at what your red-eared slider needs and what happens if it goes without food for longer periods of time.
Red-eared sliders are generally hungry little creatures who love to eat. So if your red-eared slider suddenly stops eating, it can be cause for concern. There are a number of possible reasons why your red-eared slider may not be eating.
1. Stress from Changing Environments
One of the most common reasons for a red-eared slider to stop eating is stress from changing environments. If you have recently brought home a new red-eared slider or moved your turtle to a new tank, it may be stressed out from all the changes This stress can cause it to refrain from eating for a few days until it gets more comfortable
Give your red-eared slider some time to settle in before trying to handle or interact with it too much. Also avoid making additional changes to its habitat during this adjustment period. Within a week or so your red-eared slider should regain its appetite once it feels at home.
2. Water Temperature is Too Low
Red-eared sliders are cold-blooded, meaning they rely on external temperatures to regulate their body temperature. If the water is too cold, below 75°F, it can cause your red-eared slider’s metabolism to slow down significantly and lead to loss of appetite.
Check that your tank water is between 75-80°F using an aquarium thermometer. You may need to adjust the thermostat on your tank heater to get the temperature within the ideal range. Once the water warms back up, your turtle should start eating again within a day or two.
3. Basking Area Temperature is Inadequate
In addition to water temperature, ensure your turtle has access to a proper basking area reaching 85-90°F. Red-eared sliders need time out of the water under a heat lamp or heating pad to warm up and properly digest food.
If the basking area is too cool, it can prevent your turtle from gaining enough warmth to stimulate its appetite. Boost the basking area temperature by adjusting the wattage of your heat bulb or height/angle of the heat lamp.
4. Lack of UVB Lighting
UVB light is essential for a red-eared slider to synthesize vitamin D3 and properly absorb calcium. Without adequate UVB exposure, your turtle may go off food while deficient in these key nutrients.
Check that your UVB bulb is strong enough (5.0-10.0 rating) and positioned close enough to your basking area at 10-12 inches away. Also make sure to replace UVB bulbs every 6 months, since they lose effectiveness over time.
5. Stress from Tank Environment
Even if all the habitat conditions seem right, your red-eared slider may still be refusing food due to stress. Some potential stressors include overcrowding, aggression from tankmates, excessive noise, vibrations, or too much handling/interaction.
Try to give your turtle ample space, provide plenty of hides, keep their habitat in a quiet room, limit handling to 30 minutes a day, and avoid any tankmates that seem to bother them. It may take a week or two for your turtle to settle down and regain interest in food after removing stressors.
6. Dirty Tank Water
Red-eared sliders do not like eating in dirty, unsanitary water. As waste and food debris accumulate in the tank, water quality declines quickly and can cause turtles to stop eating.
Thoroughly clean the tank each week by siphoning out 25% of the water, scrubbing down the rocks/decor, and filter media. Increase water changes to 50% monthly and replace filter cartridges every 6-8 weeks. Improving tank hygiene should get your turtle eating again.
7. Too Young to Eat Certain Foods
Hatchling and juvenile red-eared sliders under 4 inches long cannot properly digest all the same foods as adults. They require high protein foods like insects, small fish, and meat for proper growth and development.
If you recently brought home a young red-eared slider, try offering live feeder insects, frozen shrimp, mealworms, or high protein turtle pellets. As they mature over 2-3 years, you can gradually transition them to more vegetables and fruits.
8. Sudden Diet Changes
Red-eared sliders tend to be creatures of habit when it comes to food preferences. If you recently changed up their diet, such as switching pellet brands or introducing more vegetables, it may put your turtle off from eating.
Try reintroducing favorite food items, then gradually mix in small amounts of new foods. For picky eaters, consider soaking new dry foods in tuna juice, shrimp broth, or meat drippings to entice them with appetizing smells.
9. Fear of New Surroundings
In some cases, a normally good eater will go off food simply because it is fearful in a new tank or environment. This occurs most often when bringing home a new red-eared slider but can also happen after tank relocations.
Try to make your turtle feel secure by providing ample hides and plants for cover, placing their tank in a peaceful room, limiting disturbances, and allowing 2-3 weeks for adjustment. Do not force handle a skittish new turtle until it relaxes and starts eating on its own.
10. Gravid (Pregnant) Female
It is common for female red-eared sliders carrying eggs to exhibit nesting behaviors like refusing food, excess basking, digging, and restless swimming. Though infertile, females will still lay clutch sizes of 2-20 eggs 1-3 times annually.
Be patient with a gravid female and keep offering food daily until she regains her appetite after laying. Provide a suitable nesting box filled with damp moss or vermiculite for egg laying. Most importantly, confirm you do not actually have a male and female together.
11. Underlying Health Issue
In rare instances when environmental factors and husbandry are ruled out, a persistent loss of appetite in red-eared sliders can signify an underlying health problem.
Potential issues include respiratory infections, intestinal parasites, shell/mouth rot, abscesses, calcium deficiency, and other metabollic disorders.
Schedule an appointment with an exotics vet to have your turtle examined and tested if its anorexia continues beyond 2 weeks. Proper diagnosis and treatment can help restore your turtle’s health and appetite.
Summary
In most cases, red-eared sliders stop eating due to stress, incorrect temperatures, lighting issues, dirty water, or other husbandry-related factors. Making adjustments to their habitat and care is usually enough to re-stimulate their voracious appetites. But if your turtle continues refusing food beyond 2 weeks, a veterinary health assessment is advised. With time and proper adjustments, your red-eared slider should be happily eating again.
How long can a red-eared slider go without food?
As mentioned, the answer to this question depends on different factors. Let’s assume for a second, though, that your red-eared slider is a regular healthy and active adult with access to clean water and everything else it needs.
In a pinch, a healthy adult slider can go without food for a few weeks. They’re pretty resilient. If you’re planning on going away for a weekend, for example, there’s no need to have someone do more than just check in on your pet. We’d comfortably leave ours for up to 2 weeks.
Just don’t push it—letting your turtle go hungry for extended periods of time can lead to health issues like malnutrition or a weakened immune system. It’s not a risk worth taking. You also shouldn’t leave it without food too often.
What do red-eared sliders eat, anyway?
First off, let’s have a quick look at what should be on the menu for your red-eared slider. A balanced diet is key. Although it’s still commonly thought that this species is carnivorous, this actually isn’t the case!
Research clearly shows that wild red-eared sliders feed on a range of foods. Although the species’ diet varies according to location, what’s clear is that it involves everything from terrestrial foods like leaves, fruit, insects, carrion, and roots, to aquatic foods like algae, small amphibians, mollusks, and much more.
In captivity, their diet should consist of a mix of veggies, insects, and specialized turtle food you can pick up from the pet store. Variety is the spice of life—not just for humans, but for turtles, too.
Why is my Turtle NOT Eating Food?? How to get your turtle to eat again
FAQ
What do I do if my red-eared slider won’t eat?
Usually, when sliders go through a period of not eating, it’s because their tanks are too cold, or the lights are not left on for enough hours. So, do be sure the lights are on for about 12 hours a day. I recommend not attempting to feed her at all for several days, and then try some different foods.
How long can a red ear slider go without eating?
In a pinch, a healthy adult slider can go without food for a few weeks. They’re pretty resilient. If you’re planning on going away for a weekend, for example, there’s no need to have someone do more than just check in on your pet. We’d comfortably leave ours for up to 2 weeks.
How do I make my red-eared slider eat?
- Pick high-calcium vegetables and water plants for your turtle’s diet. …
- Avoid spinach, kale, and cabbage. …
- Choose small pellets for young baby turtles and large pellets for adult turtles. …
- Select live protein like feeder fish, crickets, or worms. …
- Supplement your turtle’s diet with reptile calcium vitamins.