All Turtles Message Board

getsu_04 · Level 1 Joined: 10 May 2006 Posts: 22 Location: Philly

My 2 baby RES only seem to pick at their food. I've never actually seen them eat any reptomin pellets or fruit, they just seem to snap at it in passing. The ony things they seem excited to scarf down is tuna or their dried shrimp. Should I try cutting fruit into small pieces? Or maybe I should only give them reptomin for a few days so they cant fill up on "junk food?" I'm also kinda worried because when I clean their cage I dont see any turtle poop,lol.Any advice would be great! Thanks so much Very Happy

Linzlou83 · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:45 am Post subject:

Babies can be funny about what they eat. It took a while for my hatchling to get accustomed to pellets. Try canned mealworms and earthworms as they are a food they would find in nature and are more appealing to the babies. Fruit and veggies don't interest them much when they're young, but it can be introduced gradually.

Also, the dried shrimp is good, but large amounts can lead to shell pyramiding and growth defects as it's high in protein and not much else. Variety is the key. Freeze dried crickets from the pet store are good too because a lot them are fortified with vitamins.

Good luck!

Linzlou83 · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:48 am Post subject:

Oh and about the turtle poop...my little guy has a way of eating his, so I try to be careful about scooping it out as soon as he does it.

Usually, when I put him in his separate bucket to eat (this cuts down on waste in his tank) he usually poops right away when he's in new water.

Try putting your guys in a separate container of warm water for an hour or so and see if they go then. Cool