Feeding and Nutrition :: Sprouts for RES

[Claynstone]

Has anyone any experience with using sprouts as a food for RES? I have this fantasy of being able to get a little sprout garden going along the back edge of my tank to get some constant greens. So far I haven't worked out all the details but simple hydroponics seems like a tool with real potential. The impediment is really just a matter of choosing what seeds to start with and a suitable growing medium. Tubes (perforated) of lucite filled with cotton, mineral wool or coir are what come to mind.
My 2 sliders are about 7" give or take. One prefers bloodworms to krill and both like the occasional rosyred but neither is real big on vegetables and will hang out under the pellet feeder waiting for it to do its thing rather than explore floating vegetation. I'm determined to change this for a healthier variety. They're healthy but seem to prefer the little bit of daylight that comes in through the window to their basking and UVB lights.

[penelope]

I guess it depends on the type of sprout. You can always try to grow the good ol' dandelion (they sell seeds online). A quick little comparison:

One ounce Alfalfa Sprouts has:
9mg calcium, 19.6 mg phosphorous, 43.4 IU Vitamin A and 1.1 grams protein

One ounce of dandelions has:
52.4 mg calcium, 18.5 mg phosphorous, 2845 IU Vitamin A, and 0.8 g protein

Sources:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2302/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2441/2

Alfalfa sprouts are lower in oxalate than dandelions, but the difference in calcium level is significant, so it is kind of a counterbalance.

Since the key to a good diet of a mature turtle is to avoid over reliance on one or two items, you are on the right track (they can easily become 'addicted; to meat or fish only diets). At 7" it sounds like its time for them to change their acquired taste

neither is real big on vegetables and will hang out under the pellet feeder waiting for it to do its thing rather than explore floating vegetation

Maybe do away with the auto-feeder so they get whatever you give them. If i had a choice between a candy dispenser or veggies, guess what I would choose?

A bit off topic, but

...seem to prefer the little bit of daylight that comes in through the window to their basking and UVB lights.

the light coming from the window may be fun for them, but the window blocks the UVB.

[Claynstone]

Thank you, Penelope. Dandilion sprouts sounds like a great bet. Of course, every decision spawns new questions. My neighbor's yard is practically wall to wall dandelions so that's real tempting but, because I know my neighbor, I shan't risk feeding those greens. So I need to decide what kind of dandelions to sprout.
There are many people from central Europe around here and there are now at least five varieties of Dandelions growing around the neighborhood. One variety produces huge leaves that look almost like Romaine lettuce and those seem to meet with tentative slider approval. Also, they seem to like carrots as long as they are julienned; Bigger pieces not so much. They also like Yams. I figure yams will be the occasional treat -- I can steal little slices from the Bunnies.
I also discovered that duckweed is fairly simple to propagate. So much to learn. Duck weed seems to come with pond snails that grow to 1/4 inch size within two weeks. They don't last long in the turtle tank, so I'm trying to use them to keep the algae down in the growing trays. Turtle appetites are outpacing the growth rate of the duck weed. Somewhere there's a balance.
The autofeeder makes the same sound if it's dropping none to 15 pellets. I currently have it dropping about 8 pellets 4 times a day (2x2) because of the way they compete for floating food. I've already figured out that if I gave them pellets equivalent to the size of their heads two things are likely: If they ate it all they would be huge in no time And, I'd have to clean the tank every other day. As it is I have enough shed scales saved up to build a small army of turtle replicas.

[steve]

Dandelions might have some bitter taste to it. I think you may be able to cut down on the pellets, though that depends on their size.