So, I go into my favorite pet store today, a Petco by my workplace which has the most healthy reptiles I have ever seen. They are really diligent about taking animals to the vet if needed, they get their reptiles from reputable breeders and have very well educated care sheets. They all have care sheet books for red eared sliders.
Oh wow, oh wow. There were some good things in the book, like big warnings about "do not get a turtle if you aren't prepared to house it or have doubts", recommending the proper basking temperatures and equipment like we do here. Then, I started reading the diet section. It seriously listed "low-fat high quality canned dog food" as a food source. [!!!] just doesn't cut it.
So, I mentioned it to a manager who happened to be standing a few feet away. It actually scared him when he realized the book said that. Their books are cash and carry anyways, they rarely recommend them to customers and I don't think any of the employees have even read the books. (The employees will also try to convince you to adopt or buy from a breeder before getting one of their animals). He was saying to me how he hopes people will have the common sense to know better and I'm like, "I go on RES.com on a regular basis. Common sense died a long time ago." Sorry peeps, but, it did. We get questions about food items way more worse than dog food.
Turtles eat live prey in the wild: Most animals which hunt in that manner, such as cats, typically require "taurine". Taurine is not in dog food, because canines don't need it. But, I would imagine a turtle does (I vaguely remember seeing taurine listed on some types of pellets).
In any case, the gentlemen told me they always give out the care sheets (I've seen them, it's the kind of stuff we tell people on here), and was generous enough to thank me for letting him know. At least you can talk to the store owners/workers there. Other stores don't give a rat's behind about their animals.
