How do I feed Tuna to a baby red ear turtle?? out the can?? oil or water based tuna or does it matter?? HELP?

Answer 1

You can give Tuna to him occasionally as a treat. (Just a pinch though, not the entire can) Also if you have a picky eater it entices them to eat. I would put him in a different container to feed him the tuna though...Messy

If you need a list of things for them to eat and a schedule just let me know...Romaine lettuce is a fav for my guys & they float on the leaf!!

And what is up with that one comment....for her to find a better owner...now that was rude and uncalled for.

I am an owner of a adult paint, baby yellow belly, baby RES and a baby map....so I grew up with turts and they are a joy!!

Answer 2

I have heard that canned tuna can cause problems for some creatures due some key nutrients being lost in the canning process. If there is a pet shop near you, it would probably be better to get some turtle food from there.

I assume you are referring to a red-eared slider (a freshwater turtle)?

I kept baby painted turtles for a while (they were about the size of quarters). With painted turtles, they needed the food to be in the water in order to eat (I suspect that will help with your red-ear as well). They didn't seem to have any trouble swimming up to a floating turtle food pellet and taking a big chomp out of it.

If you do decide to use tuna as a temporary measure, thawed frozen tuna or fresh tuna would be much better than canned. If you use canned, however, I think the water-based tuna would be better so you don't get a lot of oil floating on the surface of your turtle's water. You could just drop little pieces in to see if they are interested in it.

Answer 3

You should NOT be feeding tuna to a red ear slider. There is too much protein anyway. The only time you would be using tuna water (not tuna in oil) is to soak pellets to entice eating-it isn't necessary at all.

The proper diet for a turtle is the number of pellets that would fit in its head if it was hollow every other day with fresh romaine lettuce and the occasional piece of carrot every other day. Also offer cuttle/turtle bone with the hard side removed with a knive..

I disagree with perpetual_lotus and actually will say that they are wrong. Avoid fruits-too much acid, and avoid meat, shrimp, and fish-too much protein. A half dozen feederfish and maybe one raspberry per month is enough treats for a month.

I'll mention that you need a large tank/rubber maid stock tank (ten gallons per inch of shell), a submersible heater, a great filter, a dock, a heat bulb (a regular household bulb is fine, no need for a reptile heat bulb), a UVB bulb (5%), and two clamp lamps a foot from the basking area.

What do you mean by plain lettuce, Madkins007? Iceberg isn't good but if you are suggesting romaine and red/green isn't good? It's a staple. You posted the redearslider link which I'm a member of so I don't think you are suggesting romaine is bad because that would contradict posting the link...just curious.
Good luck.

Answer 4

1. A little water-based tuna is not a big deal, but not very nutritional for the turtle. Things like mackeral or salmon would be better nutritionally- but all of this is REALLY messy. The left over food and the wastes the turtle makes from it will really stink things up.

2. This kind of question usually comes from someone looking for either more variety in the turtle's diet, or trying to find something cheaper, or looking for something they can use in a pinch.

There are other and better solutions. Good turtle chow is an option, and can sit on a shelf for a long time. When you cook chicken or organ meat, you can use some for your turtles. You can find bugs and worms in your yard (if you don't use chemicals on it) to offer them.

Remember, however, that BABY sliders are meat-eaters. They will eat fruits or veggies if offered, but they need the high-energy of meat to grow and thrive properly.

When they get older and slower, and grow more slowly, they will want more and more vegetation in their diet- but never plain lettuce, and rarely fruit.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com and http://www.redearslider.com for more info.

Answer 5

i don't think caned food is good for turtles. i can give you tips on how my red eared slider grew up on. you should start out with pellets. since it is a baby let the pellets soak a little bit as it grows it can eat it hard. try some fruits and veggies. lay off of the veggies for now let it have some if it grows a little more. you can just feed it fruit now. worms dried shrimp meal worms and maybe dog food are good for now. dog food has a lot of protein in it. my turtle's vet said it is a good idea to feed it dog food. take this advice. just by doing that my turtle has grown so much over the years. Best wishes!

Answer 6

Use water based tuna only and feed straight out of the can.

Answer 7

You dont..too many preservatives.


cut up tomato, banana, and bake a piece of skinnless boneless chicken for him

for a treat: dandylion leaves with strawberries.

fresh fruits and veggies, chicken (never beef), the occassional turtle food from the store,

the list goes on and on but dont feed him canned tuna ....its gross...

red eared sliders are difficult to care for and expensive. I suggest you find a better owner for him.

do you have a heater? a uv lamp? a spot heat lamp? a water filter? a hanging or floating doc? do you clean the water every few days with a 25percent exchange?

if not...then you arent caring for him

Answer 8

Small bugs artwork super. I fed mine crimson worms for a jointly as. have self assurance it or no longer i individually began to feed them Cat nutrition! it somewhat is severe in protein and a nicely balanced and nutritional weight-alleviation plan! I feed my turtles that familiar!

Answer 9

as a treat only, not every day meals. water, no oil.

Answer 10

Please go to http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for a complete list of safe foods and RES care!