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I have been reading several websites about RES care and am recieving conflicting information about what to feed them. Some say it is ok to catch wild bugs (worms, crickets) as long as they are not exposed to chemicals, while another says no because of parasites. One site says commercial food should only be 25% of the diet while another says it should be the main staple. One says feeder fish from a pet store are fine on occasion (but never indicates how often) while another says no to certain feeder fish (such as goldfish). One website says 'no' to shrimp while commercial pellets contain shrimp. How much and how often should I feed the turtle? Will feeding him as much as he can eat in 15 minutes (in a separate tub) once a day be too much? I think he is still pretty young....he's about 6" long. I got him from a coworker who got him at a pet store and she was going to release him into the wild. I couldn't let that happen, so I brought him home, but I am unprepared. I have pellots for now.

2006-08-25 15:44:26 · 7 answers · asked by redfernkitty 3 in Pets Reptiles

7 answers

Obviously there is no hard and fast rule. Keeping pets is more of an art than a science.

I recommend a simple diet: high quality pelleted food. Using high-quality food provides the turtle with the nutrients it needs. As you gain experience, you can supplement it with other things.

Common supplements are live or thawed/frozen fish foods- small fish, worms, bugs, crustaceans, etc.

Shellfish can carry a disease (Sub-Cutaneous Ulcretive Disease, SCUD) that can affect turtles if it gets under the scutes and can colonize there. This is not a big deal if the turtles are otherwise healthy and the cage is clean.

Portions are a big issue. I prefer the 1 to 2 times the size of the head scale instead of the 15 minute rule, but the idea is the same either way.

Frequency is one thing most agree on- babies are fed daily, young turtles every other day, and adults every three days. Oh- and the diet becomes more vegetarian as they get older.

One of the problems is that turtles are opportunisitic eaters- pigging out when food is available, and going without often. They can go for a long time without- but as keepers we aim for a more manageable, more effective schedule.

2006-08-27 15:30:10 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0 0

I had a RES. We fed him pellets and when he got about 10" when also had guppies in there with him. He lived a LOOOONG healthy life on pellets and guppies. Make sure he has plenty of water to swim in and some rocks above the water so he can bask in the "sun".

2006-08-25 15:56:41 · answer #2 · answered by I'm awesome! 3 · 0 0

I raise my RES outside but I feed them Reptomin sticks, earthworms, spiders, snails, ants, just about anything that walks around inside their enclosure is fair game. They also like fresh lettuce or spinach once a week or so. I also feed them live minnows or feeder goldfish depending on their size but I also fed them guppies when they were young. Make sure whatever you feed them that it is alive and not sprayed with chemicals or fertilizers.

2006-08-25 23:56:11 · answer #3 · answered by shyrock 2 · 0 1

Repto-min makes a great turtle food. Also most petshops sell crickets and a couple of occasional crickets should keep him happy. Also they like leaf lettuce broken up into about half dollar sized pieces.
Feed your turtle his food sticks (repto-min) daily, start by feeding him a couple and see how many he likes. Give him lettuce every couple of days and remove leftovers after a couple of hours. Same with crickets.

2006-08-25 15:52:33 · answer #4 · answered by justmeinNC 3 · 1 1

feed worms, bugs, flies, pieces of raw meat
feeder fish

2006-08-25 22:00:11 · answer #5 · answered by Loollea 6 · 0 1

Strangely enough it eats crickits,worm and lettuce belive me I had one.

2006-08-25 17:06:33 · answer #6 · answered by Abraham spicer 3 · 0 1

Turtle food is good for them , try some brine shrimp they love the stuff....................................................................................

2006-08-26 04:51:20 · answer #7 · answered by 8upcoaldigger69 3 · 0 0

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