Turtle food....???

Question

I recently bought two turtles for the kids and I have never owned any turtles before. I have tried feeding them the turtle pellet food, but they won't eat it. What else do turtles eat that I may try? Thanks.

The turtles are small painted turtles and they are in a 10 gallon fish tank with about 2 inches of water and rocks that they can climb up on.

Answer 1

If you change the habitat a little they should start to eat nicely. To be happy, turtles need a few basics:

1. Room to grow and play. We prefer to see about 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle shell length- 2 1.5" turtles would prefer about 30 gallons of water to live in. Remember- these guys do not come from tiny puddles.

2. Warm, clean water. Aim for water temps of 75-80 degrees F. You probably need a good in-water heater for this but low water temps are the #1 reason turtles do not eat or thrive. As far as filtration goes, aim for a filter about 3 times bigger than a fish tank would need and change about 1/4th of the water weekly. If the tank smells like turtles, it needs cleaning.

3. Good light. Turtles worship the sun. A well-lit, warm (90 degrees F) basking site is great, and a good UVB light makes it even better!

4. Good diet. Start with good quality pellets and supplement them with worms, shrimp, krill, bugs, etc. while the turtles are small, then add some dark leafy greens as they get bigger.

You can find tons of help for all aspects of keeping turtles at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 2

First of all, as long as they have a place to get out of the water and bask, you should probably increase the water depth. Painted turtles are omnivores so contrary to what some are saying they will not be healthy on meat alone. However you can try worms, crickets, or even pieces of hot dog. They should eventually rely on the pellets though but as long as they aren't eating the pellets try the worms or hotdogs. They will also eat some aquatic plants. If you have a lake nearby with aquatic plants in it you should try picking some leaves and placing them in the aquarium. I did this for my common snapping turtle and after 3 different aquatic plants i found one he ate and liked (it was a green to reddish football shaped leaf that floated atop the water). Also, I just remembered. You need a basking lamp that provides UVB light. That could stimulate your turtles to eat. It will also help them metabolize and digest their food. Also turtles dont feel hunger so you have to be careful not to starve or overfeed them.

Answer 3

I had a friend that fed her turtles moist dog food, they loved and lived VERY long and healthy lives. Feed them vegetables and try some mealworms or crickets. I had a turtle that loved roly-polys or pillbugs (whatever you call them). Just be sure not to feed them iceberg lettuce. There is something in it that is addictive to them and they will eventually only want to eat the iceberg lettuce and there are almost no nutrients in it, it will make them malnourished and sick, maybe even die. I learned this after talking to a breeder because my brother's turtle died and she said that might have been the problem. If you don't feed storebought food b e sure to buy some vitamins from the pet store to sprinkle on the food. You might also try giving the turtle a few days to adjust. He may eat when he gets used to his environment and gets hungry enough. Many fish won't eat for a couple of days after they are moved to a new environment.

Answer 4

depending on the type and size of the turtle they can eat: seamonkeys, small goldfish and freeze-dried shrimp. Those are all acceptable options for sea turtles.

You can always try bring them to the pet store, an associate would be able to help you.

Answer 5

I have a turtle and he won't eat pellets either i talked to my local petco store and they said to try small gold fish.

Answer 6

they eat night crawlers take these alive and let the worms wiggle on the turtles nose if they dont eat them turtles eat apples and lettuce they might not eat this stuff in front of you so put it in and just keep an eye on it so you can judge what they are eating i lived in illinois and had about 20 box turtles at once and not one of them would eat that turtle food i dont know why they even make it

Answer 7

What kind of turtles are they and what type of enclosure are they in? If they dont have the right environment, they wont eat.

Answer 8

this web site has tons of great info on turtles

WWW.TURTLESALE.COM