My baby painted turtle has a slimy shell and won't eat, is something wrong with her?

Question

I've had this little painted turtle for almost seven months now and she usually eats every day in a separate feeding tank. But lately she won’t eat, and today when I took her out of her tank I noticed that her shell felt slimy on top, which it usually doesn't. I keep the water very clean, and it's at the right temperature, and she has the proper lighting source, a calcium rock, and a basking area. She's been fine for six or seven months and just suddenly she has stopped eating. I don't know if it is maybe because it is almost winter and she thinks she has to hibernate (I saved her from the wild where she lived in a very polluted man made pond that people drove ATV's and large machines and excavators through). I started feeding her fish flakes, because I read online that it was good for baby turtles, she won't eat anything else (besides her calcium rock) and she acts terrified of any other kind of food. But when I took her out of her feeding tank this morning I noticed that she had something around her nose and eyes. I am not sure whether or not it was her flaky food though because sometimes it does get on her face. So there is a possibility of her having a runny nose. I also just recently installed an aquarium heater to keep her water warmer because it was getting around 60 degrees at night. Please help! I don't know if she's sick or if she is trying to hibernate!

Anonymous · Answer

Get a new heater, their water needs to be at 70 degrees. And It needs to be maintained through the night too.
Is she basking? It's normal for their shell to be slimy, algae. She's a turtle, she's underwater. Just clean off her shell. Rub it off, and it should come off. 
Anyway, if they are hibernating, they eat less food, at first. If you were feeding her, and noticed she won't eat most of her food, or little by little, she's most likely trying to hibernate. Are you taking out water from the tank?
If she is active, but won't eat, get her checked out. 
Maybe because you're feeding her fish flakes only, get her new food. Baby turtle food. They have it at walmart, my turtles love it! Also, try to get her dried shrimp, also at walmart.
Maybe thats why she won't eat it. It's too small, and she doesn't like it. Get her different kinds of food, not just one.
She'll be fine. But if you get her turtle food and she still won't eat, get her checked out.
Hoped this helped :)

οικος · Answer

Aim for 80°F water and a 90° basking area. The UVB light should hold down the mold. Try dipping the toothbrush in table salt.

Nora · Answer

Do you have gravel in the tank? And you should NOT feed fish food. There are pellets for baby turtles. Fish food could make them sick ( mine eats a bit when I feed the fish in his tank, but he also eats pellets and lettuce. ) The water temp. usually drops at night. If your water is in the 70s constantly, she wont hibernate. Keep the water a bit warmer, but I doubt that's it.

Adrianna · Answer

Turtles naturally have slimy shells.If she didn't have one before it meant she didn't feel so good.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5849635_make-baby-turtle-eat.html

Here you go.I hope this helps you with your precious gem :)

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My baby painted turtle has a slimy shell and won't eat, is something wrong with her?

4 Answers