i have a turtle and wondering about lettuce?

Question

i have a baby turtle and i have heard that you should give them lettuce through the day if they get hungry and they have said not to give them iceburg lettuce and give them romaine lettuce. what is romaine lettuce?

Answer 1

You shouldn't give any reptile any kind of lettuce, because they have very poor nutritional value. What kind of turtle is it and I can tell you what to feed it instead.

Answer 2

1.) Lettuce of ANY kind is not the right food for a baby water turtle. They should have a good quality pellet food supplemented with things like earthworms and bloodworms. (Also- AVOID hamburger, or fatty foods like hot dogs or bologna. Organ meat like beef heart is OK, as is some cooked chicken).

2.) There are a lot of kinds of lettuce. In general, the lighter greed 'head' lettuces are not as good as the darker green lettuces and greens. Romaine is just one type of lettuce. Other good types are endive and escarole.

3.) Here is a good site that can help you with most species of pet turtles. They even have a good discussion group. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 3

It is very important to vary the diet of the turtle to assure its overall health. Do not feed it just one sort of food! You can feed your turtle a variety of life foods, fruits and vegetables, one commercial food, and vitamin supplements.
*Turtles of all ages must be provided with vegetables & fruits as a staple food item, because they contain fiber, essential vitamins, nutrients and trace elements that your turtle requires to stay healthy.
*When you feed your bigger turtle, you want to give them a variety of food. Some of the vegetables they might not eat. Feed them a couple pellets, and greens. They may not eat them at first. put a leave of romaine lettuce on top of you tank water and let it float for a couple hours. Most of the water plants, they will eat. Feed every third day and just toss in leaf on none eating days.
*Your baby will need more meat like fish, crickets, earthworms, mealworms. You should feed enough to fill the neck area up or what they can eat in ten minutes. Maybe feed fish and the next day crickets or a half and half mixture. Then the third day, pellets.

SOME DO'S...

VEGETABLES
• Romaine Lettuce
• Mustard leaves
• Leaves of Radish
• Collard Greens
• Carrot
• Beetroot
• Turnip Greens
• Sweet Potato [cooked - boiled/ steamed/baked]
• Beans
• Peas
• Pumpkin
• Squashes
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FRUITS
• Papaya
• Mango
• Water Melon ( Feed rarely)
• Cantaloupe/Common Melon
• Grapes (remove skin so its easier for them to pick at )
• Pear
• Strawberry
• Figs

WATER PLANTS
• Anacharis
• Water Lily
• Duckweed
• Water Hyacinth
• Hornwort
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LIVE PREY
• Feeder Fish ( guppies, rosey reds)
• earthworms
• mealworms
• crickets
• apple snails or other water snails
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE COMPREHENSIVE INFO!

Getting Calcium • Cuttle bone
• Calcium Dusting ( you can crush cuttle bone for this)
• Calcium blocks

Getting Vitamin A
• Green leafy vegetables
• Carrot
• Squash
• Cod liver oil


SOME DON'TS...

Empty foods like lettuce and celery provide very little useful nutrition or fiber. They are fillers, a way to add variety but not nutrition.

Oxalic acid blocks the absorption of calcium . These foods cause the turtle to become calcium deficient even if a good source of calcium is provided. Example: You feed a calcium supplement on spinach. The oxalic acid in the spinach will prevent the turtle from absorbing the calcium. Even if you feed only now and then, you are still blocking the turtles ability to absorb calcium. Which is vital to turtle shells. The rhubarb the turtle ate a month ago is still blocking the absorption of calcium months later.
Food high in oxalic acid:
• Spinach
• Chard
• Beets
• Rhubarb
*Beet Greens
For a more comprehensive look, click on the link provided by INGRID here

These foods should be used sparingly because they can contribute to gout if overused. Read sparingly as once every 3-6 months
High purine foods:
• Peas
• Beans
• Mushrooms

In excessive amounts these plants contribute to kidney disease and goiter . These should be used rarely. However, the addition of kelp to the diet may reverse the goitrogenic effect of the brassicas.
• Cabbage
• Brussel sprouts
• Broccoli
• Bok-choi
• Kohlrabi (brassica family)
• Turnips
• Soybeans
• Radishes
• Rapeseed
• Mustard

*Raw meat will cause obesity in the turtle and it also does not provide the turtle with the nutrients it needs so much.

*Raw chicken can contain salmonella !

*Frozen fish inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients and might cause long-term problems .

*High levels of protein put an abnormal stress on the kidneys and has been implicated in shell deformities such as pyramiding .
Use meat as part of a varied diet sparingly !

Answer 4

Vitamin D3 and Calcium rich foods Butter lettuce. I keep it floating in there for them to nibble on between meals. Freeze dried or frozen bloodworms. Available at fish stores. High in protein, don't
feed all the time.Fish Gum Drops or other frozen veggie cubes for fish. These cubes contain a variety
of vegetables chopped to a good size for baby turtles. Thaw them, then feed the
one cube to the turtle. You can get veggie cubes at fish stores. Net or filter
leftovers after a few hours.

Answer 5

Romaine lettuce is the really green one ...that we use to make ceasar salad with !!
I have raised many turtles ....never gave them lettuce ...not a good idea .. stick to their turtle food pellets that u buy in the store ...it has everything for their health !! sometimes they like a little raw ground beef !!!

Answer 6

I have a young painted turtle and an older RES. I float spinach leaves (in produce section with the bagged lettuce) in the tank sometimes, and they love it!

♥

Answer 7

go to the grocery store and you will find romaine, its in a long head like chinese cabbage but it will be labeled. iceburg lettuce has no food value to it at all,

Answer 8

All dark, green, leafy veggies are good like romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, carrot tops etc, also yams, squash sweet potatoes. All can be found at your local grocery store. You can also feed some fruits as treats, they tend to like mangoes, papyas, cantalopes, melons (except watermelon)

Answer 9

baby turtles, no matter what kind, are not going to eat fruits and vegetables...just about all of them are carniverous at first meaning feed them pellets, flies, worms, moths and other bugs
your can try to slice bologna, weiners or chicken into thin strips
and see if they will eat it. they should like the smell of it

Answer 10

they law says that a turtle under 4in carapace is illegal who sold you one smaller ?