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My two baby RES love lettuce! They gobble it up within in minutes of me giving it to them and could probably eat the whole head if I let them. On that note I was just wondering how much lettuce they should get and if I should give it to them everyday or just a few times a week.

Give it to them daily. That's great that they are eating it! A couple of lettuce leaves per day ought to do it. I only give Sheba (my adult RES) this much per day. She picks at it on/off during the day.

full size leaf? Arnt those fairly large?

Not for Sheba.

If the turtles gorge themselves, then I would limit how much gets put into the tank.

Quick lettuce question.


Do you guys just let it float in the water or how do you feed lettuce to your turtles?

Some people clip it into the tank with a veggie clip, I let the lettuce just float... my turtle picks it apart on her own.

I feed my (3) turtles some lettuce every morning along with their food sticks. I feed them in a separate tub. I used to leave the lettuce leaves floating in the tank but they made a horrible MESS! Since I have been feeding them in a seperate tub, their tank is crystal clear all the time. Rarely do I need to clean up a poopie and there is no lettuce pieces floating around. Should I be feeding them lettuce more often than once each morning?

Do they have time to eat much of the lettuce while they're in their feeding tub? A good amount of lettuce is healthy for turtles - more than a few bites a day. My turtle has recently developed a love of all things edible including lettuce. I put a medium sized red leaf lettuce leaf in his tank most mornings and he eats it all, but it takes him all day.

Why don't you try leaving a lettuce leaf in the tank during the day. Keep feeding them the pellets in the other tub. Maybe if you cut back on the total amount of lettuce compared to what you used to offer, they will eat it all and won't leave a mess. That's what Spot's doing these days - he's cleaning up after himself so there isn't a mess in his tank.

I vary lettuce with other leafy greens, particularly dandelions (too much of the same food isn't that healthy). If your turtles are making a mess of the lettuce or pooping too much, then I'd feed less.

My one turtle shreds the lettuce and then has a lot of fun "chasing" the shreds down in the filter current and eating them. But she's certainly not quick about it.
Perhaps if you gave them more time your turtles would eat their leftovers as well? Or try feeding a bit less and see how much they'll take.