Feeding and Nutrition :: 1st time RES owner needs help with feeding requirements

[nlopez99]

I have 2 yearlings that I found near a dumpster over a year ago. One is about 4.5 inches and the other is about 3.5 inches. They are doing well, with the exception of pyramiding. I read here on the forum that this condition is caused by overfeeding. I have always had a soft spot for feeding them a lot, since they were in bad shape when I found them as hatchlings. Their diet has been ZooMed growth formula pellets. They can consume about 60 pellets in about an hour. Yesterday I decided not to feed them after reading that yearlings only need to be fed once every other day. Today when I fed them, they devoured 30 pellets in less than a minute, literally. I don't know what to do at this point. I would like the pyramiding to be resolved, but at the same time these 2 little turtles are tugging pretty hard at my heart strings. PLEASE HELP!! Any advice for this novice owner is greatly appreciated.

[octpusgirl8]

Don't give in to them, overfeeding them is really bad for their long term health. Introduce fresh greens and vegetables into their diet, they can eat lots of them everyday. Remember, all they need is a head's amount of pellets every other day.

[BullDog]

Turtles will eat until they throw up, then continue to eat. And they're notorious beggars.
Don't give in!
As Oct said, feed a head sized amount of pellets each, every other day, and start introducing veggies. There's a good sticky at the top of this forum that has what veg you can feed (in addition to the nutrition page on the main website).
And don't forget your cuttlebone. Peel off the hard backing, and you can give it to them whole or in chunks.

Finally, make sure both of them are getting about the same amount of pellets. You want to make sure one of them isn't hogging all the food.

[slamster33]

and my turt is about a year and half and he loves rosy reds minnows! and they are good for protien and are about 12 cents each at petsmart. and give good exercise cause they are quick but dont worry they will catch them and eat it

[Callie]

Not to hijack the thread, but as it's the same topic.....

Can one overfeed with say, red leafed lettuce? George (2inch shell) loves it, and eats it whole/quickly.
Admittedly, he's a pig if I cave - which I learned to not do...

And feeding pellets - would it be better to give the daily amount in one shot, or throughout the day?

[SpotsMama]

Can you overfeed with red leaf lettuce? Yes, sort of. When a turtle eats too much lettuce (fiber) he/she will get the runs (diarrhea). Big mess. If your turtle is having this problem, you should cut back on the lettuce. Otherwise, the amount he's getting is fine and good for him.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Pellets, what is best for you. Many owners like to give food throughout the day, so if you go for this method, it's best to buy one of those pill dispensers and put how many pellets you can give him in a day's time, and then feed until they are gone.

I personally feed pellets in the mornings only and in the evenings veggies. I've found that he rarely begs for food because he's now on my schedule.