Turtle-keeping Experience Share: High Risks of Buying Turtles in Autumn/Winter; Feeding Differences Between Old and Young Turtles

Location: Anhui Province

Over the past few days I noticed that the appetite of the turtles at home has started to decline. Where I used to feed three scoops of turtle food every morning, now one scoop a day is still not finished. Have any of you noticed your turtles eating less recently? In fact, this is a normal phenomenon. Lately we’ve had rain every day and hardly any sunshine, and temperatures have started to drop. The temperature difference between morning and night is also large, which makes turtles more prone to illness at this time.

Cause Analysis

If it is a small/juvenile turtle, its resistance is somewhat weaker. What we should do is minimize temperature fluctuations in the water. For example, move the turtle tank (the container holding the turtle and water) indoors and add a little more water to reduce the temperature difference. Fortunately, my turtles are adult and hardy, so I still keep them outdoors. When the weather varies greatly, remember to remove the basking platform inside the tank so the turtles won’t leave the water and get chilled by the wind.

Also, autumn usually brings large day-night temperature swings, and mornings and evenings are relatively cold—so do not feed at night. You can choose to feed at midday when the temperature is higher and the turtles are more likely to start eating.

Handling Different Age Groups

Handling Juvenile Turtles

If the turtle is a juvenile with weaker resistance, you should minimize water temperature fluctuations. When necessary, move the turtle tank indoors and raise the ambient temperature; feed primarily easily digestible foods and reduce the amount of high-protein fish and shrimp.

Handling Adult Turtles

Adult turtles have somewhat better cold tolerance and can, depending on circumstances, remain outdoors. However, when day-night temperature differences are large or there are consecutive rainy days, pay attention to wind protection and insulation: remove the basking platform and avoid letting turtles frequently come out of the water and be exposed to drafts.

Feeding and Care Recommendations

You may also reduce feeding frequency—for example, if you used to feed once a day, you can now feed once every three days. Offer more easily digestible foods and moderately reduce high-protein fish and shrimp. Use a balanced commercial feed for general nutrition.

Avoid browsing livestream sales channels too much—otherwise you’ll be tempted to buy more turtles. This is not a suitable time to buy turtles. As temperatures fall and a turtle is moved to a new environment, it may be difficult for it to start eating. A few days ago I bought several small juvenile turtles. They looked fine on the livestream, but after arriving home they were lethargic and their color began to darken. Five days in and they still won’t eat. If this continues, I’ll probably have to use heated rearing through the winter. I haven’t used an aquarium heater in a long time because my home turtles are adults. The inexpensive juvenile turtles I bought will now force me to spend money on a heater—what a hassle I brought on myself.

So, really, browse livestreams less and buy fewer turtles right now. You can choose to buy turtles in spring or summer each year. New turtles are more likely to start eating at those times and are easier to raise. If you buy turtles now you have to consider getting an aquarium heater for juveniles. Adult turtles that have been kept only a few days may soon enter hibernation, and the whole wintering process will complicate care.

In short, do not choose turtles just because they are cheap. Do not buy solely for low price—afterwards you must consider all the related husbandry issues.