Feeding and Nutrition :: Veggie Amount vs. Protein/Pellets

[holidae]

I've noticed many sites give the rule of thumb to feed the turtles pellets about the size of their head. Does this apply to vegetation as well? Such as red ear lettuce. Intuitively I would think they could eat much more lettuce than they should say, pellets.

My turtles will eat far more red ear lettuce, if I let them, than pellets. Is it healthy to let them eat lots of vegetation or should I set a time limit?



Thanks!

[SpotsMama]

You are correct in that the rule of thumb applies to protein rich foods like pellets, shrimp and the like. The veggies should be given in addition to the head-full amount of pellets.

Turtles can have all the green leafy vegetables and aquatic plants they want (except of course for spinich which isn't good for turtles). The only limit would be if the turtle eats so much that he gets the runs, then you should cut back.

On plant food that contains sugar lettuce - for instance carrots, berries, and tomatoes - feed less often than the green leafies. A few servings a week would be fine.

[holidae]

Thanks so much for the reply. Now onto my next quest: acquiring dandelion greens, you should have seen the look on my neighbors face picking his dandelions! jk Still a tough commodity to come by!

[SpotsMama]

I hear some people can get it at healthy stores like Whole Foods. I don't believe I've seen it in the stores around here. Heaven knows there are dandielions in our yard - but I'm afraid of chemicals so don't feed them to Spot.

[kgielda]

I got dandielion greens in my local food store. Problem was that the bundle was huge and it all wilted in a few days. Anyone know how to keep it fresh?