Feeding and Nutrition :: Hatchlings and pellets

[DanM]

It's been a while since I've been here, wow...

Anyways, I've noticed that both of my RES have been looking overweight, but I can't tell if I'm actually over-feeding them or not.

I give each of them two Reptomin pellets each day, breaking them in half when I feed them (which I do separately). The one RES is just over 2" shell-wise and the other is about 3".

If this is too much, how do I go about feeding them? Just a pellet or so? It seems like two pellets would fit inside of their heads (if hollow of course), but I'm not sure.

Another random question:
Is it OK for a thermal (red) light to be on overnight? My house is rather cold and it's currently my only means to heat their area. I typically put that on later in the day/at night and their basking light on during the day.

[GThiele93]

How old are they

[DanM]

They were born approx. June 2007.

[megcornell]

If you're feeding what would fit into their hollow heads, that is the right amount. Make sure you're adding veggies to the diet too.

As for the heat light, the only way to really heat the water and keep it in an appropriate temperature range is to pick up a submersible heater. They aren't very expensive, the sooner you get one the better.

[shannon_nicole]

Yeah you should get a water heater.
But I've used a red bulb also when one of my hatchlings was really sick and was sleeping on the basking dock at night, I used the red bulb to keep him warm at night so he wouldn't get any sicker.


Do your turtles have room to swim around and stuff? If not they could be gaining weight from lack of exercise. I dunno if that really happens but it seems like it would.
And also a sign that you'd be feeding them too much is if you can always see their skin shedding off.

[RunninWideOpen]

You're not overfeeding them. If anything, underfeeding.

What makes you think they're overweight? Have any pics?

[industrial_girl_2000]

You will definitely need an underwater glass-tube water heater for the water. Don't use a lamp....it's not strong enough to heat the water enough & can cause a lot of temp variation. Too much variation in water temp can make your turtle sick.

The submersible glass-tube water heaters are available at every pet store, last a really long time, and only cost around $20. Make sure you get one that is rated for your amount of water in the tank, and buy a thermometer at the same time ($2) so you can make sure the temp is correct.

The best way to keep your turt healthy is to PREVENT illness. Once they are sick it can take a long time for them to be healthy again (and can be expensive, depending on what they get).

[marisa]

The shell lengths without the curves are 2 and 3 inches? If so, I wouldn't think 2 pellets each would be too much for them.

What area are you trying to heat---the basking area or the water? If it's the basking area and they sleep on it at night, some people do use red heat lights to keep the area warm at night. I've used red heat lights at night with hatchlings in winter to keep the basking area warm and keep the ambient air in the tank warmer (I cover a good portion of the tank to trap the heat).

If you don't have a submersible water heater, you need to get one. You didn't say how cold the room they're in gets at night, but if they sleep in the water at night, covering the tank would help contain the warmth that rises from the warmed water and will keep them warmer as well.