How often do red eared sliders have to eat?

Answer 1

HAVE to eat: maybe once every month

SHOULD eat: every 2nd day depending on diet & qty.

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/trachemyscare.htm

Answer 2

RES and other turtles in the wild are foragers and eat and nibble all the time. Contrary to popular belief, even carnivorous turtles like snapping turtles, they will take in pletny of greens (aquatic plants).

Hatchling RES in the wild feed on insect larvae, insects, snails, various inverts and aquatic plants. They also yake in carrion when opportunity arises.

So, the qurestion is how much to feed in captivity. Most turtles in capitivity are overfed and obese. In serious cases where they are fed everyday, for as much as they can eat in 5 minutes, suggested by the turtle pellet instructions on the jar, these turtles have a lumpy shell (aka pyramiding). Pyramiding is a deformed turtle and hey often have shortened lives.

Now you know the dangers of overfeeding, it is best to feed moderately and not fall into the trap of the cute little begging turtle. Yes, they are beggers with a bottomless pitt and they never get full.

For hatchlings feed them one regular pellet a day or two regular pellets three times a week. There are baby pellets available from Reptomin. This suggestion is a generous amount already and less is better.

Between pellets, you should leave leafy greens (any aquatic plant or dandelions; these have the most calcium compared to the nutrition lacking iceberg lettuce and salad greens) for the turtle to nibble and munch on between meals. Turtles are like children and are not big fans of veggies, but the sooner they are intorduced to them, the sooner they will start gobbling it down. I litterally throw in handfuls of dandelion leaves for my cooters and RES which can never get enough.

Once a every two weeks, you can offer proteined foods (live or dead), insects (e.g. crickets, flies, etc.), worms (e.g. earth, meal, etc.), shrimp, crayfish, fish, bits of chicken, and pinkies for larger turtles. Do not feed too much of these proteined foods or pellets. Less is better... most RES I have seen are overfed and they do not need to be fed everyday.

Here is a caresheet: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Answer 3

Feeding Your Turtle
To ensure proper nutrition, strong growth and a healthy long-lived turtle, feed a varied diet to both adults and juveniles. Just remember that adults eat less animal protein and more vegetable matter. Juveniles must be fed every day; adults can be fed once every two to three days. Do not feed more than they can eat; the excess food will go to waste and foul the water. Feed a combination of the following foods:

Commercial diets (No more than 25% of total diet)
Trout Chow, commercial floating fish, reptile or turtle food (pellets, sticks or tablets). The pellets and sticks have the advantage of being formulated specifically for reptiles and don't decompose in the water as fast as other foods.

Animal Protein (No more than 25% of total diet)
Live feeder fish--do not feed defrosted frozen fish; they are deficient in thiamin and excess consumption will cause a thiamin deficiency in your turtle. Earthworms--buy them from a reptile or aquarium store; do not feed the ones from your yard as they may contain bacteria, parasites and pesticides against which your turtle has no immunity. Finely chopped raw lean beef, beef heart and cooked chicken are okay for treats, but are not appropriate as a major part of a balanced diet for whole prey eaters. Raw chicken and beef is too often riddled with Salmonella, E. coli and other food-borne organisms. High quality dog kibble can be offered occasionally as treats, too; like muscle meat, dog and cat foods are not appropriate when used as a significant portion of a turtle's diet.

Plant Matter (50% or more of total diet)
Offer leaves of dark leafy greens such as collard, mustard and dandelion greens. Offer shredded carrots (and carrot tops), squash and green beans. Thawed frozen mixed vegetables may be used occasionally, but care should be taken as some frozen green vegetables develop thiaminase which destroys that all-important B vitamin. Fruit can be offered raw; shred hard fruits like apples and melons, chopping soft fruits such as berries. To help keep their beak in trim, let them gnaw on pieces of cantaloupe with the (well washed) rind still attached. Check out the edible aquatic plants sold at aquarium stores, too. You can drop these into their enclosure for them to free feed upon.

Vitamin Supplements should be added twice a week. Use a good reptile or turtle multivitamin. Turtles must also be supplied with additional calcium; they often enjoy taking bites out of calcium blocks and gnawing on cuttlebone, so always have some available to them.