Feeding and Nutrition :: baby turtle feeding?

[frog]

i am getting a RES turtle from my fathers friend who cant keep it anymore and from what i have heard the shell is about 2 inches long. now if thats the case than the 20 gallon i am going to (temporarily) put him in will work well.

anyways, what do you feed turtles this age? how does their diet change as they grow? can they eat veggies like turnip greens and collard greens, and squash? if so that will be great as me bearded dragon eats veggies like that and now not as much will be wasted.

oh and, (sorry off topic question) do they grow fast? because the more time i have to save up for a bigger tank the better.

thanks,
Sara

[marisa]

Please do a little reading on the site as to what you should feed (and not feed) your turtle. A diet that includes a reputable brand(s) of pellets and a variety of foods is good. Veggies/plant matter are very good to introduce early and become increasingly important as your turtle ages. High protein foods (shrimp, krill) are best given as occasional treats. Don't overfeed.

[frog]

i did do reading on this site on several different places about feeding.

i was wondering though how often live prey such as guppies etc. should be fed, and if they should be a certain size.

sorry if i seemed like i dont bother reading first, i just sometimes have questions i want to make sure about, i want to take good care of this guy!

[SpotsMama]

You can safely give your turtle a high protein treat once a month or so. This would include a few guppies or minnows, or a shrimp, or a few crickets. If you get minnows or feeder guppies, just get whatever size is available and looks healthy. I would think small ones would be best.

On the live prey, you know you don't have to give live prey. It's an option. Some turtles, like mine, are pretty indifferent to live prey. A big rosie red minnow has been living in Spot's tank for - gosh, I guess it's going on two years - and they don't bother each other. The minnow earns his keep by cleaning up the bottom of the tank.

Some turtles, on the other hand, really like having an occasional minnow for snacks.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Try to find Reptomin baby pellets, those are good. You want to feed a head-sized amount every day. If you can get the turtle on veggies, the sooner, the better. But don't get discouraged if he doesn't want to eat them right away. Just keep trying.

[frog]

ok, thank you for that info. they were planning on getting the turtle friday, but im going to try for saturday because then i can goto the pet store (thats when i go back to my dads house) and get supplies for him the day i get him and not leave him in the box for a day waiting for me. i know he will probably be fine but i want to get him in his new home as soon as possible

[Bladedvixen]

Reptomin Baby pellets is my little two inch babys favorite! He doesnt like veggies much and won't actually touch any greens but nips at some other fruits and things... however, do not give up on feeding veggies you will see him/her get more interested in what you offer over time. Many say to put some sort of aquatic plant in the tank that not only adds decoration but offers access to greens all the time. Eventually it will get eaten

[taylor_a]

I have a little guy who's not quite yet 2 inches in shell length. He's always been fed an adult formula of turtle pellets.

Am I right to think that these are higher in sugars/proteins/etc.? Just in case, I feed Toby a little less than a headful a day.

Thoughts?

[steve]

I have a little guy who's not quite yet 2 inches in shell length. He's always been fed an adult formula of turtle pellets.

Am I right to think that these are higher in sugars/proteins/etc.? Just in case, I feed Toby a little less than a headful a day.

Thoughts?

If your referring to Reptomin Baby (I'm not sure of other hatchling-specific pellets), they are just smaller and claim to have a bit more calcium than standard Reptomin.