General Care Discussion :: Pokey's Weight Problem!

[Pokey's Grandpa]

Okay well I hope you all remember me, I haven't had much time lately to be on the Turtle Talk forums, so I want to give an update on Pokey.

He loves swimming, basking and eating, which, when we first got him, he refused to do any of. I was very worried at first that he would never eat and he didnt for about a week.

Now it seems Pokey has a weight problem. My girlfriend and I woke up and went to work at different times for a few weeks and unknowingly we were both feeding Pokey.

When this was discovered we put him on a diet but it seems now he is always begging for more food, and my girlfriend seems to think he is getting fat. She points out that he seems to be growing more than he should be at the seams on his shell, like the space between scutes I guess you would say. I think he is okay and with a diet he might not have any issues but I wanted to make sure and talk to some turtle experts so I thought I would ask around here!

How much is appropriate to feed him? We took the advice about as much as could fit in his hollowed out head, but with him already overweight, should this be less?

By the way, he is a hatchling I guess, or a bit older, roughly the size of a teabag I guess? He won't eat cuttlebone either, suggestions?

[Yayita]

awwww, he's getting chubby

I think here they recommend every other day, and the in between day is vegie day if I remember correctly.

[CountryGirl68]

For a hatchingly, once a day feeding is fine. If you're concerned he is still gaining weight, you can feed him pellets every other day and veggies (romaine lettuce) every day.

I thought my turtle didn't like the cuttlebone but after leaving it in the tank, he did eventually eat it.

Turtles will beg for food all the time. And, like dogs, will eat everytime you feed them. So I wouldn't worry about the begging.

[grey goose]

Turts will instictively go after the "meat" (protien, fat) first, and leave the veggies and other stuff, like cuttlebone, for last. I give my guys the veggies in the AM, then pellets after work. Once they finish, I'll put a few small pieces of cuttlebone in the tank for 'em. By morning its mostly gone, then I just start all over again.

[flutterby]

Worst case scenerio, the cuttlebone will disolve in the water which they drink anyway so it won't be going to complete waste.

[Pokey's Grandpa]

Thanks I am glad to hear it is not something to worry about too much! He seems okay but he has learned to change the setting of the water pressure on the filter in his tank so now randomly it will be going very low or very high because he is fiddling with it. Also he tries basking on it sometimes even though only his face is out of the water lol But thankfully he will hopefully live long enough to get some sense in his tiny turtle brain hehehe

[steve]

A lot of us have discovered that our turtles have been given extra food. Its hard to resist, plus most them are expert beggars. I recommend sorting out the food in a pill box, that way you can monitor the amount of pellets that are being used. If they want to give him a snack, tell them to use lettuce or a carrot shred.

[Pokey's Grandpa]

Oh my gosh are you ever right about that! I would think Pokey had been to a professional beggars seminar or something... When he is hungry he does so much cute and funny stuff but when he is full he just shrugs our presense off or bites at the glass to frighten us away! How he managed to get such a good lifestyle I don't know but he is definately taking advantage of it! Thanks to everyone who answered! I will be starting the veggie day soon and will get some pill boxes with days labelled for proper feeding! Thanks again!