baby painted turtle???

Question

so i'm unsure of what to do. i have a baby painted turtle that i have had for around 2 months roughly. i dont know what to feed him. normally right now we feed him really often. whenever he follows our finger along the glass and bites at it through the glass we feed him or if he just looks like he is hungry, which is often. so we feed him these mini mini worms that we got recommended by a pet shop guy like 2 or 3 times daily (just a pinch each time) and then we give him an earthworm that we find in our backyard or from the bait shop if we have it on hand probably 4 worms a day. we put turtle pellets in there but he doesnt eat them as much as the worms, so all they do is stink up the place. any suggestions? and i already tried looking this up and no he has no bulging or anything but im just worried because i was told that he can have a deformed shell if he grows too big too fast. thanx so much in advance!!! :)

Answer 1

The first question is basic cares. Turtles will not eat well if their habitat is not right.

Is the tank big enough, at least 10 gallons, but 20 would be better for a baby?

Is the water warm enough, between 75-80F?

Is the water very clean, no odor, well-filtered?

Is the tank well-lit, but allows cooler shady areas?

Is there a good, safe non-rock basking surface, warmed during the day to about 90F?

Once the cares are solid, the diet is fairly simple.


1. The DAILY serving size is about 1/2 teaspoon, or as it grows, about the size of its head. (This seems small, but turtles will quickly get too fat given a chance!)

2. About 50% of the diet should be good quality pellets- Mazuri and ReptoMin are good- don't use anything cheaper!

3. The rest of the diet for a baby is things like small crickets, bloodworms, and small earthworms. The 'bugs' can get bigger as the baby grows, and when it is a few years old you can add some dark leafy greens to the mix.

Answer 2

You really should only feed him once a day. Baby turtles are almost completely carnivorous. I would suggest only feeding him the pellets for a little while. Shake a small amount into the tank. He will get hungry and attempt to eat them. I would suggest feeding him the mini worms as more of a treat.

Answer 3

O.K, O.K, just calm down because I have had 3 Painted turtles. u r doing everything right but the turtle pellets, no, a turtle his age should be eating just meat like the worms. u need to give him 1 big earthworm a day so that he can eat what he wants and save the rest for later in the day.
This turtle will start eating plants and pellets in 5 years and not much earlier. GOOD LUCK!
Sincerely,
Tess

Answer 4

Baby turtles require a lot more protein than adults. I am a volunteer for Reptile Rescue and my passion is turtles. I am housing 18 aquatics right now. To entice mine to eat turtles pellets I mix about 2 parts pellets with 1 part brine shrimp. The smell lures the turtles and with their limited visual acuity the accidentally eat the pellets.

Answer 5

Speaking from experience: Brine Shrimp - but the frozen kind at a pet store, do not use dried as it has virtually no nutrients.

When it get's big enough start feeding it one live goldfish per day, then increase quantity as it gets bigger. Just drop the fish in the water - the turtle will catch it.

Answer 6

I would stop feeding him the worms and get ZooMed Turtle food and feed him once a day. The turtle food is a great all natural food and is a balance diet!!! Do you have lights on it? You should have a basking spot lamp and a uvb bulb on him

Answer 7

Your doing fine, keep feeding him the worms and pellets!