Feeding and Nutrition :: Live Food for the First Time

[dancermdm]

So my turtle (Male, 6") has never eaten live food in his life. I believe he is around 7, but I'm not sure when his egg hatched (my friend who gave me the turtle said 12 or 13, but that means he's REALLY small for his age). Anyway, he's never eaten live food (fish, snails, shrimp..ect.) and said he would probably choke if he got it now. Is this true? When he does get protein, it's always those freeze-dried crickets/mealworms. I give him pellets, too. (Though I offer him lettuce often, he doesn't eat it- if you could provide tips for this that would be amazing, too.) Anyway, I hear a lot of things say that live food's better than the freeze-dried stuff, because it will keep him from becoming obese (he will have to chase the food). Also, live plant suggestions? I have an old 10-gal tank in my basement that I could clean out to keep plants if necessary. Same with live prey- if you guys don't think he will choke...

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP! Though I've done a lot of reading on turtle's, it's different once you get one. I got him on the 11th (my friend was moving &, knowing my love for turtles, trusted me with him).

[ljapa]

Welcome to the site. Crickets and mealworms are ok as an occasional treat, but they have a higher fat content and lowere level of other nutrients than a turtle would get in the wild. The pellets are likely better as a staple.

To get him to eat veggies, you can try soaking them in the water from a can of tuna (not one packed in oil). Another alternative is turtle Jell-O shots:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17486

I can't really speak to live food. The only live food my son's turtle gets is the occasional red cherry shrimp, which is about the size of a pellet.

You don't need to grow plants in an aquarium, but two I grow, that are easy and healthy, are anacharis and duckweed. Be warned, the duckweed is a mess, and a turtle eating anacharis makes a mess, but she loves them both. Plus, both are high in calcium.

[steve]

When I used to feed my RES minnows, he would would rip it to shreds. The beaks are pretty sharp too, feeder fish will not stand a chance. Their throats can also expand a little of they take a big bite… but just don't over do it and it should be considered as a treat.

[Kansasslider]

Mine have eaten wild caught river minnows crawdads and snails. My map loves small snails but be warned I now have snails in my filter! They breed like crazy. Im talking about wild small black snails.