Feeding and Nutrition :: how much food a week?

[blackforce247]

ok this is my feeding schedule tell me if this is enough or too much:

monday:about 5 pellets for both turtles
tuesday:no feeding
wednesday:no feeding
thursday:2 inch piece of lettuce to female 1 turtle pellet to the small 1
friday:no feeding
saturday:no feeding:
sunday: 8 pm: 2 turtle pellets to the smaller one and 4 turtle sticks to the older one

please tell me if its too much but if thats good then thx. if i need to put more varieties of food tell me and ill get them as soon as i get a response form anyone

[steve]

How big/old are your turtles?

[blackforce247]

well id say that the baby turtle is about 1 year old since i got it in the summer. i dont know how old the female is since the female was bought at 5 inches. does that help because i seriously have to know

[megcornell]

It sounds like you're underfeeding to me.
If your smaller turtle is under 4 inches he should get a headful of pellets every day. The older one should get a headful every other day. As well, they should have a variety of veggies every week.

[blackforce247]

ok then. ill make sure i feed it the things it needs. but the sad thing is if i feed it too much it will start pyramiding on its shell again which is starting to happen with the older female after feeding it 4 pellets and 1/4 of a lettuce bush

[SpotsMama]

Here's the section on nuitrition. If you haven't already, you should read through it:

http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Here's a cute thread with some photos of a turtle's head that might help you to visualize how much to feed the turtles. In this turtle's case, people thought he should get 4 to 6 pellets a day, and he was a pretty small turtle.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11368

I also makes a difference what kind of pellets you have - some are very small and some are large. If the pellets are very small then you'll need to give more of them.

[blackforce247]

i have the turtle sticks and the turtle pebbles called turtle pellets. ive seen that picture before its cute i like it. thanks that really helps ill post my feeding schedule in a few more days when i have the time. thx that helps alot sportsmama. every1 else that also helps thx i knew there was somthing worng with me not feeding them some food

[TheComputerGremlin]

Remember also that veggies have calories and can cause food problems too. Also look for hidden sources of protein, are you giving them treats, feeder fish, worms? You can probably try to post a picture of your turtles head when it's out near a pellet and see what kind of suggestions you get.

[blackforce247]

i don't feed them those weird worms and all they don't seem to notice them. i give them some lettuce now and then. i don't feed them goldfish or guppies since their kinda fatty. oh the turtle is about 2 turtle pellets long and 1 turtle pellet high which is about 3 turtle pellets id say. and the older one is about 4 pellets across nose to neck and height is about 1 pellet which is kinda simpler to se. ill try to get a picture of them when i have the chance