Feeding and Nutrition :: Young (2inch) RES Diet?

[Bladedvixen]

I have a little guy with about a 2'' Carapace. here is a list of what he gets every day:

Reptomin (3 or 4 sticks)
T-Rex aquatic turtle dry formula "Juvenile sized pellets" (2-3 kibbles)
Bloodworms (about the volume of half a pea)
cuttlebone flakes
leafy greens (red lettuce, dandylions, kale)

All ingredients (total size about the size of an average toothbrush head) are placed into an icecube tray and covered in water and frozen

each morning his daily "cube" is thawed and placed into his feeding tub (everything is melted before he goes into the tub). He goes straight for the reptomin and bloodworms. I have yet to see him eat any of the veggies (fresh or previously frozen). I am aware that babies have a more "meat thirsty" diet than adults, but he either will not touch the veggies or grab them and immediately spit them back out.

is what he is eating right now alright, should there be any need for concern?

[SpotsMama]

Your plight is not uncommon. Little turtles aren't typically as interested in their veggies. When they grow up that changes and then a large part - if not most - of their diet will consist of plant materials.

Just keep offering and one of these days they will figure out how good the veggies are. Offer different things and see if you don't find something he likes. Mine would eat fresh basil long before he'd touch anything else. Turtles are also particularly fond of a little bit of steamed sweet potato - you might try that.

His staple vegetable should be green leafy stuff - red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, turnip greens, romaine. My thinking is that previously frozen green leafies are not going to be very appetizing. Why don't you try fresh instead, especially where green leafies are concerned.

[Bladedvixen]

Thanks! This go around Ive included some carrots, squash, radishes, and zuchinis in his little blocks to see if there is any change.

Here is a picture of his little turtle blocks right after hydrating so everything is floating to the top. It is not a high quality picture but everything is visible

[TheComputerGremlin]

Please take no offense to your feeding method, as I mean none, but the idea of frozen food is terribly unappealing to me. I drop pellets in the tank daily and my turtle eagerly grabs them up. I also drop cuttlebone in and he grabs it. He's also been eating veggies since he was about 6 months old, eager to eat them up too. All of this is placed fresh into his tank. The veggies sometimes take him an hour to eat, he doesn't immediately eat them all up. I understand why many people prefer to feed in a separate tub, but you can't possible expect your turtle to eat ALL that food in a short amount of time.