Feeding and Nutrition :: Diet adjustments

[akaghettoraver]

So, I have been looking around and I would say it is time to adjust my turtles diet(alright so some one mentioned my turtle's shell might start to be pyramiding). We(a collective effort of me and a test pilot), feed the turtle Reptomin and repto-treat every day except saturday as of about two months ago. And the reptomin shrimp every couple of days. Before that we gave him/her a combination of those pellets every day. As I have seen during a recent over view of diet needs. I have found I need to add vegetables and cut way back on pellets, but I have limited resources in this country. I mean we have markets and a "grocery store", but I don't really trust that food for a turtle(i.e. pesticides and god only knows what else), heck I don't even eat that stuff, lol. We have a small store on post but I don't know what kind of lettuce it is they sale. It comes as a head of lettuce every two to three weeks and is gone in two days, or so. Any and all advice or certicizim is good for me and the turtle obviously. Thanks.

[Arisu]

Great that you guys have cut back on the pellets and are already considering some veggies. It sucks that there aren't reliable veggies but keep trying!

My suggestion is cutting back on the repto-treat and shrimp. Regular pellets can be given every other day (as you are doing) but repto-treat and shrimp are both high in protein (which encourages pyramiding) and should be given once a month (skip out on regular pellets when giving her treats).

[akaghettoraver]

Alright that sounds easy should I get cutter bone for her or does the pellet supply enough calcium, you think?

[BullDog]

I would get some cuttlebone. Reptomin is pretty good for nutrients, but no pellet has 100% what they need. You should be able to find it in the bird section of a pet store.

As was mentioned, cut back both the reptotreats and shrimp to once a month, max.

For veg, there are a lot of options (check out the feeding sticky, and the feeding page on the main site). If there's a veggie that you're eating, then there's a good chance that your turt can eat it too. Even frozen veggies are fine, although limit the "common" frozen veggies like peas, corn and beans.

[octpusgirl8]

As for the pellets, he should be getting a head's size amount every other day. The treat/shrimp should be given sparingly, once a week at most and only a little bit. You have to be careful not to feed too much protein. Check out the feeding section on the main site, it has a good list of what veggies are good to offer. If you're worried about pesticides, just wash them thorougly first. He should be gettng veggies every day.

[akaghettoraver]

yeah I saw that, I have a head of lettuce I will give her that. Thanks for your inputs

[zoologist]

How big is your turtle? if it's under 4" it should be fed pellets every day. if it's over 4" the pellets should be reduced to every 2-3 days. however you can feed lettuce daily. just let a piece as big as their shell float around in the tank for the day.

if its light colored lettuce like iceberg, don't bother giving it to them. They need dark leafy greens. Kale and Collard Greens are among the best.

[SpotsMama]

You can grow some of your own veggies. Not as hard as it sounds. Basil, a green leafy herb, is very easy to grow in a pot.

Also, if you can get an aquatic plant to grow in the tank then it would be a renewable food source. A good type is anacharis - very widely available around here and cheap - not sure about Hondurus.

The problem with aquatic plants is that a lot (most) turtles seem to enjoy ripping them up so they don't last long in the tank. The solution is to get a separate, small tank to grow anacharis (or whatever aquatic plant you choose) and give pieces to your turtle from time to time. Any aquatic plant that is safe for fish will be safe for a turtle, so there are lots of types to choose from. Just get one that's easy to grow. When I grew anacharis for Spot, I grew it in a small tank along with a couple of minnows. the minnows made "fertilizer" for the plants, and nibbled on the plants (though I also gave them fish flakes from time to time) so the whole system was practically self sufficient.

[akaghettoraver]

Thanks, for the replys. I will look into that

[moldygrape]

YOU CAN FEED RES BASIL? REALLY?