my 2 turtles are ALWAYS HUNGRY!?!!!?

Question

whenever i am in my room where my tank is....they always come up against the tank and rattle repeatedly at me as if they want me to feed them....

i already feed them 3-4 times a day with about 10 pellets (combined) each time. (so thats 30 pellets each day for 2 turtles)

i have 2 RES'ses at 5'' each..........

it seems like they can eat 24/7!

any simliar experiences? thank you for your time!

Answer 1

Yes:) Water turtles will ALWAYS act as if they are hungry! Just like a dog when they know you have food. My first turtle got very spoiled by my mom in this manner. When I still lived at home, every day my mom would come home from work and my turtle would do her dance at the side of the tank for my mom, and no matter how much I told my mom I already fed her, she would always throw something in the tank! you can also feed your turtles some other things if they will accept it as supplements/treats. Like romaine lettuce, grapes, strawberries, feeder gold fish (a real treat!), even some cooked up chicken breast. But the pellets are great as a staple. I've always used Reptomin, but recently have been feeding another brand that they seem to love just as much that has all kinds of fruits and veggies in them besides the fish meal.
But don't worry, I think you are feeding them fine, especially as they are young still and probably still growing, but they really don't need to be fed all the time, as much as they'd like to be. :)

Answer 2

Congratulations! Your turtles have taught you to overfeed them! (Not bad for an animal with a brain the size of a peanut, huh?) Don't worry- a lot of keepers get taught that by their pets.

A DAILY serving for a turtle is an amount about the same size as its head (or up to double that, but no more.) Your turtles are big enough that we would generally only feed them about 3-4 times a WEEK, not daily, but the portion size is STILL only about the size of their head.

Part of the problem is pellets- try adding some other foods. For 5"ers, try:
- bits of cooked chicken or raw beef heart
- live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods' like shrimp, krill, worms, crickets, etc. If pet fish will eat it, so will turtles.
- dark leafy greens- not much of this, but older turtles need it in their diet.

The hard part is to totally IGNORE them when they beg. Seriously- they will stop begging after a while, and be healthier for it.

Answer 3

I raised a red ear slider for 5 years. Got her when she was the size of a half dollar. The behaviors you are describing are natural for turtles kept in tanks. Just because they seem to be climbing the walls doesn't mean they are hungry. You are currently feeding them too much and too often. Mine would get fed 1-2 times daily and I would put a small handful of pellets in. I would also periodically add in life gold fish. Try to get ones that are small enough to be swallowed to keep the mess down in the tank and clean it a couple days after all the fish are gone. You can also try changing their environment. Put some garden fencing up in your years and allow them to walk freely for 30-45 minutes in the shade/part sun. While outside you can try giving them different types of greens such as romaine lettuce, spinach and even things such as carrots, grapes, etc. (no iceberg) RES's normally like live food when younger and will each more vegetable material as they grow older. To avoid huge messes in your tank feed them outside the tank with those items. You could also purchase a children's pool and build a platform up in the middle do they can clime up to bask. Mine also loved to swim in the bathtub.

Answer 4

Well for starters, you only need to feed them once a day. RES are opportunistic feeders and wil eat when there's food in the tank. You are over-feeding them and they will become obese which does cause significant health problems. They can eat 24/7 if you let them. You need to feed them once a day and as much as they can eat in 10 minutes. RES do beg but you have to resist their begging as it will make them become obese.

Answer 5

hi! i very own a russian tortoise and that i will inform you dazzling off the bat, that the tank desires to be eighty levels and despite if it relatively is not the turtle would be chilly. my dad works at petco and he says that turtles do no longer nessessarily bask. i'm hoping that enables. yet in basic terms feed him as quickly as an afternoon, possibly supply him a snack..yet what does he do this makes you think of he's hungry??

Answer 6

We used to feed our turtle once a day, and he was just fine with that. he even grew to about the size of a CD. maybe just feed them twice a day at the same time, so they get used to consistency.

Answer 7

i had same problem. don't overfeed them. try feeding them only once a day. feed them at the same time every day and drop the pellets in the same place. over time, they should learn that it's not time to eat every time you pass the tank. good luck.

Answer 8

this is usual, turtles are opportunistic, they will eat whenever there is food, don't woory you don't need to feed them that often, they love to eat, but don't need nearly as much food as they will eat. Be careful, it is possable to over feed the turtles.

Answer 9

there not hungry and they can eat all day but they could die you shouldn't give them so much food because they go up against the glass there just seeing what you are