All Turtles Message Board

Posada · Level 2 Joined: 18 Apr 2005 Posts: 31

I feed my RES baby Nutrafin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets medium floating pellets. Once a day, following the directions in giving enough for him to finish within 2 hours. Occasionaly at least once or twice a week I feed him canned crickets, as much as he can eat in 20mins. Is this a sufficient diet for him? I\'m not sure how old he is I imagine no more than 5months old. When should I start feeding him vegetables?

Also will my RES get lonely by himself. Id like to get another one but I dont think I have the room for when they get older.
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RIP Sour
If you're ever not sure of anything with your pet, and kind any information that is 100% accurate, always contact your vet if you're not sure.

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: Turtle\'s Diet

I have read somewhere that you can raise turtles on pellets alone, but who wants to eat the same thing the rest of their life, I am sure that turtles like ourselves, like a variety in their diet, just make sure that you don\'t overfeed, it\'s hard to say no when you see them begging for food:D Very Happy

Here is a link that has an article on what to feed your turtle: http://www.turtlecare.net/food.htm

Baby turtles are carnivorous up until they become adults, I am not sure when exactly that is, I would say that you might want to offer it but not expect your turtle to eat it.

I read somewhere that turtles aren\'t all that social, so I guess they will be ok by themselves, here is a link to that page: http://www.turtlecare.net/alone.htm

I hope that helps:D Very Happy

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dixieee · Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:39 pm Post subject: Re: Turtle\'s Diet

ok u\'re on the right side..those are the basics a turtle needs but are u sure it says 2 hours?? cz on the one i have it says give them what they can consume in 2 mintues! so it differs a lot!!

for the veggies and fruits, u can always try adding them to the diet but it doesn\'t usually work with baby turtles (just like baby humans!)..u can put some floating leaves in the tank like lettuce and leave it there so ur little guy might eat it if he felt like to..if u want to force him eating it then starve him and he will..i don\'t recomment that for now since he\'s still a baby and i\'ll assume he\'s not overweight..

for the company thing, in my opinion, i encourage having more than one turtle together cz i feel bad for them, they don\'t have anything else to entertain themselves with:( yet, many turtles are territorial and are not willing to share their home with an \"intruder\" (especially when it is a small home)..if u want to do it and can afford getting a bigger setup then do it as soon as u can b4 ur guy grows up so it doesn\'t become almost impossible to learn how to share stuff..

good luck with him:)
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Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

BXsLilPrinCesS · Level 3 Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 129

I have urtafin food too... Don\'t listen to the 2HOUR thing. You can over feed your turt and in a few monhs he/she won\'t look very attractive.

I have a baby I feed him everyother day, just enough to fit the size of his head. and on off days I give him lettuce.
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fsn77 · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Turtle\'s Diet

I\'ve used that food too... it does say 2 hours (!), but I never give my turtles that much food at one time. I usually feed them as much as they can eat in 2 - 3 minutes twice a day. Variety is good for your turtle, just like it is for anything else.
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My 3 turtles (1 painted and 2 RES) just love their 40 gallon breeder tank, decorated with an assortment of artificial wood for them to climb up on and bask.

Posada · Level 2 Joined: 18 Apr 2005 Posts: 31

Wow thanks for the input I wont be feeding him like that anymore. He usually eats for the first few mins then stops. Yesterday I bought him some Wax worms, I read somewhere they love these. But they\'re not little, is this ok to feed him the whole worm? If I feed him the whole worm should I still give him some of his normal pellets later?
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RIP Sour
If you're ever not sure of anything with your pet, and kind any information that is 100% accurate, always contact your vet if you're not sure.

toxiceagle2007 · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 11:42 am Post subject: Re: Turtle\'s Diet

My turtles like to eat their feeder fish. I dump about a gross and they eat them as they get hungry. I thought that they\'d pig out and eat them all at the same time, but they really don\'t. They each eat about 5 when the fish go in. And it takes about a month for them to finish off about 100.

I also give pellets. I use flunker\'s turtle diet. My turtles have recently found the joys of veggies. they\'re still young but they eat lettuce and mushrooms. They also enjoy baby carrots. My apple snail eats any left over veggies or dead feeder fish.

Sorry for such a long response. Smile

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My turtles are now nameless. I haven't found two good names that I can get to stick...

fsn77 · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: Turtle\'s Diet

I\'d give your turtle the entire wax worm. There\'s not really any way to cut up a wax worm like you would an earthworm. Wax worms are more or less all goo inside and not as solid as an earthworm. If the wax worms are too big for your turtle, he (or she) will bite into it and use his front claws to tear off the rest into manageable pieces. I don\'t see it being a problem--even when my turtles were very young, they would still swallow adult guppies whole.

I\'d feed a couple of wax worms (depending on how big your turtle is) at one feeding and give pellets for the second meal, or vice versa. I wouldn\'t try to give both at the same time, since most animals prefer live or natural food and you\'d most likely be wasting your pellets.
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My 3 turtles (1 painted and 2 RES) just love their 40 gallon breeder tank, decorated with an assortment of artificial wood for them to climb up on and bask.

yaya · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 558

pellet should be a staple in their diet(the basic,what u give normally) the amount should be the size of their head(without the neck)each day for a hatchling(baby) and every other day for juvenile(1 to 3 year old) and adult..
veggie can be introduce but like other said don\'t expect it to be eat by a baby...green collar are a big no!
snails,feeder fish,worm,cricket ect, should only be give as a treat!!!cause they content in protein is really high and it can make ur turtle fat really easily...
the time for feeding doesn\'t mean anything!some turtle are so \"pig\"(like mine)they can eat what they suppose in 30 secondes...
if u give fruit try to look if the content are high in phosphorus(like banana)if so be carefull with those,they can harm ur turtle if u give too much phosphorus...
if u scared ur turtle will be lonely u can introduce some feeder fish(like guppy)they will keep ur turtle buzy and will be a good snack(if they been caught:D)
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i'm not a expert,i just try to help....

mariza · Level 4 Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1339

I\'ve seen the 2-hour instructions on the Nutrafin container and can only think that the writer was drunk when s/he wrote them and the person editing the text didn\'t do a very good job/doesn\'t know about turtles (and to save money the company hasn\'t changed the packaging).

For pellets, what yaya said is a safe guide (a hatchling being up to a year of age).

I bought waxworms once for my 6-month-old hatchlings and did try to cut them up. It was revolting. Actually, waxworms are even more fatty than mealworms, and have even less nutritional value (and meal worms don\'t have much). Try earthworms (you can even get them at Walmart); I cut these up as well, since the babies can\'t eat them all at once and if two latch on to one worm it becomes quite a battle to see who gets it (I don\'t want anyone getting hurt).

Introducing plant matter early is good, and your turtle might surprise you. My hatchlings starting eating greens after only a few months. Stick with leafy greens like dandelions, pieces of collard, chicory, red leaf and romaine lettuce (not iceberg). They also like anachris (aquatic plant). If there\'s a Petsmart near you and it has a frozen food section, see if they sell any San Francisco Bay frozen cubes for aquatic turtles. They\'re actually small cubes made up of anachris and other plants, bloodworms, pollock and other good stuff. I cut each cube into quarters before giving them to my hatchlings. They melt quickly and my turtles tear them into pieces. I will warn you that they are messy (so if you don\'t have good filtration, feeding in a separate container might be a good idea), but my turtles spend a fair amount of time foraging and eating any stray bits. I think one reason why the hatchlings accepted plant matter so soon might be because they were first given this stuff.

Yaya, how is your turtle doing (the shell problem)?
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""You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."" -Antoine de Saint Exupery-