I'm going away on vacation for a week, so i needed a way to feed my turtles while i was gone. I found this automatic feeder in the petstore that i thought would work well. I decided to hook it up to test it to make sure it would be enogh food sice i have two turtles. While i was testing it a lot of the food fell in the water and desinagrated. i scooped all that food out and put it in a bowl. Yesterday when i went to check my turtles, i noticed a sour smell and looked in the bowl. there were about twenty maggots crawling around inside! i flushed them down the toilet. How did they get there? I'm very clean and i have never had any bug or rodent problems before. Could they have been inside the can of food?
2006-07-15 02:47:43 · 13 answers · asked by kayte950 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, a housefly deposited the eggs there and they grew into maggots.
2006-07-15 02:52:58 · answer #1 · answered by eggman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are always little flies around tanks. Where there's water, there will be flies. SO, they likely laid the eggs in there.
It is impossible for the maggots to be inside the turtle food. It was laid by a fly for sure.
As for feeding, turtles do not need to be fed everyday. This is the biggest error and msidirection in the pet industry. Reptiles do not require food for daily heat like mammals do. We need food to create heat. Reptile acquire heat from external sources (cold blooded).
Turtles should be fed (pellets and protein) three times a week and in between meals plenty of leafy greens. Turtles are foragers and a healthy turtle can go for weeks and months without eating. I would make sure your lights are on timers and make sure your filters are cleaned and hooked up (no leaks). Return the fish feeder and feed your turtles before you leave and put a few pieces of romaine lettuce in the tank for them to munch on. If they are healthy, they will be OK for one week. I gaurantee it.
2006-07-15 06:40:36 · answer #2 · answered by wu_gwei21 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well i think you can sue that canned food company for tutles you bought as the maggots might have been there in the food and with an exposure to air, it will come out from the egg? If not there is an air problem in your country that is extremely dirty. hey don't get me wrong i am stating facts. Well to solve your these problem, can you put your turtles to someone you trust such as your best friend or... if not maybe give it to the SpCA and ask them if they can take care of your pets and when you come back from the vacation, you would bring them back.
Good luck...
St
2006-07-15 05:25:18 · answer #3 · answered by changed preferences... 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well one answer is to hang a fly strip, answer to your question as far as food goes I would simply feed them really well for the week prior to leaving and leave them without any food during that week, they will be fine as long as they are healthy, just make sure their water supply is good. One week with food for most turtles is not a big deal at all unless it is a tiny hatchling and even then it should be okay if it is normally well fed and healthy.
2006-07-15 12:04:20 · answer #4 · answered by enviroman2222 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There might be flies in your house that got in when you opened the door to your house. They then probably breeded, and the female laid her eggs in the water. Then the lava, which are maggots, hatched in the bowl. If that's not te case, I'd contact the store u bought the food at, because they might be selling contamiated food.
2006-07-15 02:54:06 · answer #5 · answered by FootballFan1012 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a friend/relative who can feed your turtles for you while you are out ? Give them a little bit of money for their time.
If you have your turtles in a glass fish tank you should get them a screen that fits on the top to keep bugs out.
2006-07-15 02:52:54 · answer #6 · answered by StarGirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most likely fruit fly or common housefly maggots. their drawn to many reptile enclosures by fecal smell and food. just flush down the toilet and clean out the cage. change food and water daily to prevent infestation.
2006-07-15 03:36:55 · answer #7 · answered by the shug 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Amy. If your nephew wants a pet turtle, you should take him to the local pet store and purchase one that was captive-bred. Catching a wild animal, and then forcing them to live in small quarters and fed things that they probably wouldn't be eating in the wild......it's just cruel. You shouldn't teach your nephew that it's acceptable.
2016-03-27 06:16:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
maggotts are the result of "flies" eggs--and as you know they land on anything that even remotely "smells"--especially meat, but also many other things. Get rid of any flies, and you will have solved the problem
2006-07-15 02:53:04 · answer #9 · answered by keith B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some bugs will not hurt you maggots are one of them but they will not hurt you because they grow after they get out of the can
2006-07-15 02:53:40 · answer #10 · answered by Ratt_a_tatt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋