Feeding and Nutrition :: My turds are being difficult eaters!

[ahzahel]

update: Found veggie clips, and in the process of trying those jello shots in one of the stickies. Both are yielding great results! Thanks so much for your help :3

I've always fed my turtles (three, two females, one male) separately from their tank.

I've fed them only pellets up until recently because everything I've tried yielded no results. I've seen other people suggest a "tough love" method to get their turtles to eat their veggies and I'm on day 3 of that attempt.

I've been using carrots and romaine lettuce.
I know carrots are not to be given as often as every day, however I want them to realize that things that sink are also food, and since carrots are bright and always in the house, I decided to use them as part of this tough love regimen. Once they accept them, I'll lessen the degree of exposure.

They've finally started paying attention to the carrot bits, I cut them small about the size of Reptomin pellets, but also fatter chunks so they don't think all foods are bite-size, but not enough for me to start celebrating a success. One girl ate one or two, maybe even three little bits. The other girl basically ignores them.
The male takes a bite when/if they float initially and ignores them when they sink.

First, I cut the lettuce into bite size pieces, and that has been yielding no results when in their separate feeding area. However, as an act of desperation, I placed some little bits in their tank. Lo and behold, one turtle ate all of them! So then I placed some carrot bits that sunk to the bottom, and they went after them, but they didn't eat them.

Today, I tried using a clump of lettuce because maybe a bigger catch would attract them. Not at all.
However, when I placed the lettuce in their tank, they all went to feast on it! They took bites here and there, and then ignored it to go chew on a neutralizer/calcium block I placed in the tank.

Now, the reason I have that block in the tank is because there has been a bit of an aggression problem lately, which I believe is due to restricted space. After attaining the means to upgrade, I now have an enormous tank to put them in, but the filter is currently being shipped to me and so to alleviate the biting of limbs, I am using the block to distract them. So far, it has been lessening the bitings that I've been observing.

The moment I dropped the block in, it was a feeding frenzy. I thought I was watching shark week. They were biting chunks off that they couldn't swallow and losing them beneath the river rock and continued to attack it.
Next day, everything returned to normalcy with the occasional venture to take a bite out of it.

Now, a couple of questions:
Most importantly, will the "Neutralizer" (Wardley, link) hurt the turtles, especially at the rate they love to chomp on it?

What can I use as a substitute for this product, preferably one that doesn't float.

Is placing the lettuce in the tank a good idea, or am I "giving in?"


How can I have them eat the veggies in their normal feeding area?
They have no problem scarfing down pellets in their feeding bowl.

[untsmurf]

I suggest holding the veggies for them instead of just dropping them in. This way they learn to like the veggies and are willing to chase them when you just drop them in. If they still don't eat them after trying this method, try different veggies. Some animals just don't like certain foods.

I've heard that you aren't really supposed to use the little white turtles. A water conditioner can be used to neutralize chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals present in tap water. In order to get the calcium in there diet, just try some cuttlebone.

If you still can get them to eat their veggies trying using the ice cube recipe in the other thread.

[SpotsMama]

I'd use cuttlebone rather than the Wardley block. I don't know what's in the Wardley block - maybe just calcium - but if it's raising ph, then it may have something in it that's not good for turtles to eat. I gather it's not meant to be eaten but just disolved in the tank. And actually, slightly acid (lower) ph is better for a turtle tank because it inhibits the growth of fungus, which is a common problem for turtles. Cuttlebone on the other hand is very widely used and is completely safe- even good - for a turtle to eat.

Cuttlebone floats BUT you can anchor it to the side of the tank with a veggie clip. Some turtles prefer it that way because the cuttlebone does scoot away when they try to bite it.

I don't see a problem with putting lettuce in the tank. Most people do that so their turtles can snack on it during the day. Just be sure and remove any that's uneaten after a day so it doesn't spoil.

Some turtles love fresh basil and steamed sweet potato above all else. You might be able to get your turtles to eat veggies in their normal feeding area if you start by offering them such tempting veggies.

[ahzahel]

I had already planned to buy gelatin to try that ice cube thing tomorrow! It looks excellent, and the fact that it sinks may trick these silly guys. =w=

I'll also be sure to try basil and the sweet potato.

Is there any place besides pet stores where I could find "veggie clips?"
Or perhaps something I could use instead of veggie clips?
The pet stores in my area, quite frankly, suck, and aren't well stocked at all. I'll hit up the stores that I know, but I'm prepared to find nothing.

Thanks for taking the time to address my questions, and I will take your suggestions to heart!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Veggie clips are just any clip that has a suction cup on it. You should be able to find them in the office section of any store. If you buy one from the office section, I'd recommend trying to keep most of the clip out of the water and just leave whatever's clipped to it hanging down into the water.

My turtle loves carrot strips, I just use a potato peeler and peel strips to put in. They kind of resemble worms, I think, so it piques their interest.

Cuttlebone is found in the pet stores by the birds, you can buy a lot of it for a few bucks. The neutralizer isn't for eating, so if you need to use it, I'd recommend finding a small cage or plastic container with holes in it that you can put it in and put the whole thing in the tank, that way the turtles don't eat it. It tends to upset their tummies and turtle throw up is pretty gross ...

Also, try some fruits, like blueberries. Veggies aren't the only good thing to feed. If you freeze the blueberries and then thaw them, when they are put in the tank, they will sink. So if your turtles like the floating blueberries, you can make them sink.

[SpotsMama]

Here's a link to a vegi clip:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCatalo ... =0&offset=

and another:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4446

I'd be leary of using anything in an aquarium that wasn't meant to be in water. The metal parts would probably rust.

Ahzahel, were you looking for the vegi clips in the reptile section of the pet store? They are usually found in the fish section.

[ahzahel]

Okay, so I did find the veggie clips in the pet store, but I don't feel bad about calling them crappy-- they didn't have the cuttle bone!
Still, I know where to get my hands on some and will do so promptly.

I clipped some red leaf lettuce on, and it worked amazingly. At first I thought they were just destroying it, but they were actually eating it. It made me so happy.

I also prepared the jello ice cubies packed with lots of veggies and some fruits according to the food lists available on this website. Before I froze them, I tested them out with my turds, and it was an enormous success.

It feels great to do something right!
Now I just need to restrain myself from overfeeding. They look so cute when they're munching away, or when they've got their mouths wide open for food near your fingers.