Feeding and Nutrition :: Few questions for my little guys.

[Rubicon]

Since I've gotten them they've only eaten blood worms (every day two cubes each). I've tried pellets but they show zero interest in those. I red in the sticky that they also eat fruits and vegies. How does everyone feed theirs? I've only got a small platform in there and they use that mainly to soak up the light. Do you have a spot on the counter or a small tank that you let them sit in for 15mins or so to eat?

Also what would be a good fruit or vegi to start them on? Trying to break them of their love for blood worms.

[Bladedvixen]

Try feeding them reptomin baby. The pellets are smaller and a made specifically for a hatchling diet. at that age baby turtles will typically not show much intrest in veggies but feeding them too much protien will cause rapid growth and pyramiding. When my baby started eating veggies he liked carrots, blueberries and yams (feed them sparingly with those though). Try offering leafy greens like red leaf lettuce and water plants like water hyacinth.

You can try putting a live water plant in their tank. at first it will probably be a resting place but eventually you will come home one day and find the plant torn to shreds and half eaten. It takes time for young turtles to appreciate their veggies but never give up because they will eventually come around (just like human children ^_^) try feeding the blood worms only every 2 or 3 days. and make it a very small ammount.

You can try soaking their pellets in tuna juice and then letting them dry again. Also, you can take them out of the tank and feed them in a separate tub with water from the tank. It will cut down on the mess in the tank especially with the terrafilter. I was tricked into buying one and they just dont keep up well with turtle waste.

[Chrisbarnett]

Bloodworms are much too high in protein to be an everyday snack. Let alone 2 cubes a day for such small turtles.

Quit feeding the Bloodworms and only feed pellets for a while. They'll take to the pellets when they get hungry and realize the bloodworms aren't happening anymore. Get a Reputable brand of pellets like Reptomin.

Read through this whole section: http://redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html
There's tons of info in there for your turtles diet.

With foods like lettuce leaves, I just toss them into the tank mostly, Sometimes I take the time to put it in a suction cup veggie clip. (Veggie Clips are readily available at Petsmart for a few bucks.

I would try some red or green leaf lettuce or an Aquatic plant like Anacharis to start with. Keep in mind that your little ones are still very young and they might not take a liking to veggies right away. Most little ones don't like them for a while, or until they reach maturity even. But keep offering them anyway.

Also, You didn't mention Cuttlebone. It is sold in the bird section. You wanna get one of these, peel the hard backing off( the side you cant dig a fingernail into), then break off a chunk and toss it in the tank. This will give your turtles beneficial calcium when they eat it. Your turtles may not eat it right away either, but give it time, they have a natural taste for it.

Oh and get rid of the gravel. ( though I mentioned that in your other post)

[Rubicon]

Well I'm gonna swing by the pet store tomorrow and see if they have Anacharis. Also the little water fall filter we got came with reptomin. We've been feeding them in a separate bowl now for that exact reason. They'll only get reptomin now. One question say they don't eat the reptomin. How many days can they safely go without eating before I should give in and give them a cube of bloodworms?

Also the gravel will be gone tomorrow.

[Chrisbarnett]

Well they're not exactly hatchlings, So I would say UP to a week. They should take to them within a couple days though.

And only give a half a cube if you have to, your trying to ween them off it.

[Bladedvixen]

Well the tough love approach is hard. They will get hungry and give in eventually. if its been more than a few days, try soaking the reptomin in tuna juice. Just wait and see what happens and hope for the best. Dont give up on them

[Rubicon]

Thanks Chris and Vixen!! And to think I've been doing so many things wrong for these little guys.

Also would it be safe to say as long as the rock is larger than their head its safe to put in their tank?

[Bladedvixen]

I would reccomend rocks that are about the diameter of a golf ball. Something big enough to be used over and over in different tanks as they grow and will never be swallowed. Jumbo river rocks can be purchased at the dollar store in the craft section

[Rubicon]

Should I be worried about them eating to much of that plant? I'm shocked that they've taken to it so fast. Plus they're eating their pellets woohoo!!! I'm gonna start feeding them every other day for a week or so since they've been over fed for the past two months.

[Bladedvixen]

Im glad they have taken to their plant. I wouldnt worry too much about them overeating it though. You can slow up on the pellets and just let the little guys enjoy their veggies. Since they are still hatchlings, dont skip days in feeding them. Instead, feed them fewer pellets and make bloodworms a TINY once a week treat. you cant really "make up" for overfeeding by feeding them every other day.

[Chrisbarnett]

Nope. Unless they are having runny poops, then you want to cut back.

That's good they're eating pellets.

Don't bother with feeding every other day. Now that you are on the right track it's fine to feed them everyday. Unless they are fat. Are they getting tubby?

[REStless]

The pellets soaked in tuna juice works great. I could only get my hatchlings to eat lie guppies as they had zero interest in pellets. Once I soaked the pellets they went crazy for them.

[untsmurf]

REStless, you don't need to go back to old posts that already have resolutions and post solutions.

[REStless]

It's a simple fix for you, just click the link in the email that says you no longer wish to receive updates on this post. Alot easier than the 30 seconds you just spent to type that message.

I wasn't posting a solution, just offering my two cents on the solution already offered to verify that the solution works.

[Daniel3507]

its annoying for everyone though to see a post thats a few months old and has been solved to come up again