Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeding guppies.

[gdesigner]

Is it normal that my 8 month old 3.5 inch turtle can't catch a feeder guppy or a rosie on her own? I think I may have spoiled her, lol.

[emma]

My turtles are around the size of yours and they can only catch the rosies.
The guppies are way to fast for them.

Give him some more practice, maybe he will eventually get the hang of it. (:

[gdesigner]

Yea I actually put 4 of them in, like 1 hour ago and I just checked and there are 2 left. I just wanted to see her catch them on her own. I'm just gonna put a couple in every week so she can swim around and practice.

[emma]

My turtles always love chasing after those things. I just feel bad for the fish when they catch them.

[vear]

It took mine about 6 months to get the hang of it. Now he catches anything that falls in his tank... haha.

[JossyRamos]

my turtles are about one year old and they couldnt catch the guppies either!!! i put then of them in there and two days later they were still there! Is there bigger slower fish i can give them?

[steve]

Hold the guppies by the tail.

[VeipaCray]

Hold the guppies by the tail.

Good idea. I put a few rosies in there for my 1.5 year old RES to chase around. At first it made me laugh and think... hey wow look at all the exercise he's getting. Now I just feel bad for the lil guy.

[JossyRamos]

yeah they kept trying and trying but they were too fast! they gave up after two days lol... i wanted to give them goldfish but i read that it was bad for them. i cant hold them by the tail because my turtles wont eat off my hand there too scared still adapting i've only had them for like a month.

[DrexelTanker0712]

i have a "paludarium" with guppies and swordtails in there that have 'bloomed' and reproduced. i'm now converting that tank to a RES tank, and I'm eager to see them on population control duty.

thre's a forum thread up top about how to breed feeder guppies.

in reality, it's not hard at all, sjut buy a whole bunch from the pet store and feed them. they wil multiply. i used to let them multiply in my paludarium rainforest tank, and then scoop a net full when tere were to omany, and feed my leopard gourami.

but it's financially more feasible to jsut buy them when you need them, rather then to set u a tank, maintain the tank and filtration, and feed the guppies, but whatever floats your boat.

[mia]

Where are you buying the guppies you feed your RES? I read somewhere that it was risky to give feeder fish to RES. I'm confused, can you tell me what type of live fish to give my RES and where I should buy them?

[mia]

Can someone get back to me on my question regarding feeding RES live fish? I read somewhere feeder fish were not good for RES because of parasites. Where do you buy your fish and what kind do you buy besides guppies?

Am I doing this wrong (posting) since I don't get replies??? I got one or two at the beginning but not anymore. Can someone give me some guidance?

Thank you.

[steve]

Look for "feeder fish" in your local pet store. Gold fish are more likely to carry parasites, but all live fish have the potential to carry them. Considering how fish are kept in these stores, its best to limit their use -- or avoid them.

[BiteyBits]

Guppies or rosey red minnows are the most commonly used. For parasite concerns: the best way to be certain is to breed your own or set up a quarantine tank and keep feeders in there for a few weeks and watch them for illness before feeding them to your turtles.

[DrexelTanker0712]

yea, pet store feeder fish (goldfish/guppies/rosyreds) are pretty "dirty"

it's hard to tell someone to set up a breeder tank, but i've always had a tank for my guppies to breed, I basically just throw them in there and let them multiply. it takes a little while, so feeder fish definately shouldn't be the main source of food.

but at the very lesat, i would look at the condition of the feeder fish and the condition of the store before buying them