How much food should a 3 inch turtle eat per day?

Question

My grandson has a baby River Cooter. When we got him, he did not eat for quite a while. Now he comes to the front of the tank any time someone stands there. If we put food in, he always eats -- sometimes 4 times a day. Is it possible to overfeed and how would we know?

Also -- what can we feed him in addition to the commercial pellets?

Answer 1

To be 100 por cent sure...you must go to an especialist of reptils!
Turtles need uva( 12 HS), calcium, vitamin A...
...If you give all this , your turtle will eat a lot...COUSE IT´S NOT ILL.
Sick Turtles do not eat...couse they are weak...and then died...
Go to a vet to be sure ...

Answer 2

It is WAY TOO easy to overfeed a turtle.

A serving should be about the size of its head (or up to 2 or 3 times bigger). Young turtles get fed daily, older turtles get it every other day and adults about every 3 days.

A decent diet for the young turtle would be a mixture of things. About 25-40% canbe commercial pellets (good quality only, please). The rest can be a mix of 'fish food', like live, frozen/thawed, or dried/preserved small fish, worms, bugs, shrimp, snails, etc. As it gets older, add a little dark leafy green veggies.