Feeding and Nutrition :: Greedy catfish

[Billy Black]

I got my turtle yesterday.

So, I have a catfish in my tank, and he seems to absolutely love the ReptoMin Baby pellets that I've been trying to feed my turtle. He sucks them all down before the turtle even notices them. But the problem is that the turtle doesn't even seem to care about the food. He'll swim up to it and just knock it away while swimming.

Yesterday, within seconds of putting him in the tank, he ate the rosy red minnow I had in there, so he can't possibly be shy about eating.

Should I try feeding him in a separate container? He's still a baby, and seems extremely scared of me, so I'm not sure if that'll actually work.

[turtlesrock77]

I found that feeding in a seperate container worked to make my turtles eat the first few days. It seemed like they were thinking they had better things to do in the big tank then worry about eating. It might give him more time to eat it too, since the catfish is gobbling it up. Or, you might just want to give him a few days- keep offering the pellets and he'll eat them eventually.

[Billy Black]

How long should I leave him in the separate container? Just until he finishes eating? I don't want to rush him, but if he doesn't want to eat, I don't want to keep him in there all day.

And since he tends to hide in a corner when I get close to the tank, what's a good way of getting him out? I have a small fish net. Would that work, or should I just reach in there and grab him?

[Billy Black]

Also, is it safe to feed the catfish with the turtle food? It'd be easier to not have to buy separate foods, and the turtle food is rather cheap, so I wouldn't mind. But is reptile food ok for fish?

[missibsu]

If you cherish your catfish, remove him from the tank. Even though your turt is just a hatchling, he can chew pieces from your catfish, and it wouldn't be pleasant. He's already proven that he likes fish, and I have a feeling it could just be the beginning. It also solve your problem of him eating your turtle food.

[Billy Black]

I got my tank about two weeks ago when I was originally going to buy the turtle. After finding out that they are now completely illegal to sell in Virginia, I bought a couple fish so that the tank wouldn't be so empty. I bought a catfish and two rosy red minnows. The catfish quickly ate one of the minnows, but didn't touch the other one. The only important animal in my tank is the turtle, so if he decides to make the catfish his lunch, then that's ok with me.

Though my roommate has a small tank that he used to use. He seems to like the catfish, so I may hand it over to him.

It's just that my turtle looks so lonely in there. I wish there was something living that my turtle wouldn't eat...

[turtlesrock77]

So you found out for sure they are illegal in Virginia? That's good to know. Since I'm in VA too, I'll have to remember that.

I keep mine in the seperate tank for about 20 minutes.

Sorry, turtles eat everthing that moves.

[Billy Black]

Well, I still haven't seen anything official. At first it was just PetCo that told me that. Then I asked at PetSmart, and they told me the same thing. I sent an email to PetCo asking if it was a real law, but I didn't get a response.

But if the only two stores in my city that sell turtles believe it to be illegal, then it may as well be.

[CountryGirl68]

I searched around and have found only that it is illegal to sell turtles under 4" shell length - and this is a federal law. But I did find some people posting blogs that say it is illegal to purchase turtles. Northern Virginia Reptile Rescue has made a huge issue about it being illegal to purchase turtles smaller than 4". They quote the federal law but it appears to me they are misquoting it.

The federal law regarding turtles says: "The sale or commercial distribution of viable turtle eggs and small turtles (carapace length less than 4 inches) for use as pets is banned under 21 CFR 1240.62."

For Virginia, the only thing I've found is that it is illegal to remove turtles from the wild. I don't know why these pet stores are telling you this - maybe the got in trouble for selling small turtles and since they can't sell them anymore, they are giving you false information.

[Billy Black]

The day I went in to buy one, they actually had about 5-6 in stock, and they were all decent sized. None of them were under four inches.

It doesn't surprise me, though. Virginia has some of the most ridiculous laws.

[Billy Black]

I put him in a separate container today to feed him. I put some turtle food, a few small pieces of carrot, and a feeder fish. After an hour, he hasn't touched anything, and I left him alone in the room most of that time. What do I need to do?

[missibsu]

If you are trying to feed in a separate container, it is going to take some adjustment time. Pick a time that works daily and move him to feed. If he doesn't eat, put in back in the other tank. However, don't feed him right away, this just reinforces what you don't want. Just like adjusting to a new tank, he's going to have to adjust to the feeding container. Make sure your temps are accurate too.

[Billy Black]

I put him in the separate tank because I couldn't tell if he was eating or not. The little pieces of carrot sink down to the bottom and get lost between the rocks. The turtle food gets eaten by the catfish sometimes, and he hasn't eaten any fish since that first time. So it's hard to tell if he's eating anything at all.

I'm a little worried.

[flutterby]

Best suggestion is... Remove the catfish, then you'll know exactly what your turtle is eating. Depending on the size of your turtle carrot pieces have to be thin and all the turtles I've been around were more interested in Radiccio or other lettuces.

[DanielRES1180]

Also, chuck the rocks. I found out my 3.5'' turtle swallowed a stone half the size of his head one day. Maybe you can filter the separate container so you can keep the turtle in there for an extended period of time.