Instructions
Weigh your pet turtle. Turn him upside down and place him on a food scale; make a note of his weight. Weight him throughout the year so you know his normal weight fluctuations from season to season.
Make sure he has a warm living environment. Turtles are cold-blooded, meaning they can't regulate their own body temperature. If your turtle is too cold, then it will feel sluggish and not have the energy to hunt, eat or digest food. Place the turtle in a sunny area or under a heat lamp a few hours before feeding.
Provide a clean environment for your turtle. If your turtle is lethargic, has cloudy skin patches or milky eyes, it could be sick. Make sure you clean your pet's tank. Provide clean water and clean away small decomposing flesh pieces. Make sure your turtle always has a clean source of water.
Feed your turtle live food. Provide one fish a week so the turtle is getting exercise and has fun hunting its food. Use a wriggly worm to tempt a turtle that has been starving itself to eat.
Reduce your turtle's stress. Your turtle may be unhappy because of too much interaction with children and animals. Reduce stress by limiting the amount of time your pet can be around humans and other animals.
Vary your turtle's diet. Wild turtles have a varied diet of plants and bugs, depending on the time of year. Give your turtle a variety of fruit, vegetables and bugs and provide brightly colored vegetables and sweet-smelling foods to engage your pet's senses.
How to Make Your Turtle Eat
Turtles are cold-blooded reptiles and are a popular choice of pet. They are relatively easy to take care of. A turtle is an omnivore; it eats plants, snails, fruit, vegetables and nightcrawlers. However, often it can stop eating. Reasons for this include a lack of variety in its diet, a stressful living environment, an environment that's too cold or unhappiness with its habitat. You can try a number of techniques to coax your pet turtle to eat.