Feeding and Nutrition :: how to get turts to eat veggie

[slabv]

I have 2 red ear sliders, and one of them just won't go near veggies. after trying many methods (including the jello shots), i finally found a way~ I chopped variety of veggies into fine pieces and sun dried/dehydrated them, then soak the pieces in tuna juice before feeding. So far it's working like a charm. I'm a little worried about losing nutritional value from the dehydrating process though.

[worldpeace]

I think that by drying them you should only be loosing the water, not any nutrients. But don't take my word for it.

[blackforces get you]

it takes them a while to get use to it. my turtles wont touch the stuff unless it smells like fish or pellets. and if it doesn't taste like ti either they wont touch it at all

i fed them grapes and they seemed to like it and played with it like it was a ball but then they stopped nipping at it and wont eat them anymore

[worldpeace]

Mine is just 1.5 inches long and he eats carrots and dandelion leaves. He's not really crazy about them but when he's hungry and I'm not around to be begged for food he just munches on them. What is weird is that he doesn't like tuna. From what I see here on the forum, almost every turtle loves tuna.

Every turtle is different and has it's own preferences in food, habitat and everything else. You have to find what he likes and what works for you and just go with it. If for now that's the only way they eat veggies, than I would be happy. But make sure you still offer raw ones because you never know...maybe one day you'll see that carrot disappear;)

[Aethelbera]

It's essentially like tea. The nutrients will stay there in the dried out material BUT these will be lost if they oxidize or are left in a bright area. If you want to keep dried vegetation, put it in a dark/tinted and well sealed bottle and it will keep its nutrients for much longer.

[novroz]

My Kame hated veggie too because I gave her too much meat (Chicken, shrimp, and fish)...but after knowing the danger of giving her too much high protein food...I started giving her veggie which she hated so much.

In order for her to start eating it I had to ignore her plea (damn hard to do coz she was so adorable when begging) and kept giving her veggie for 3 days without adding pellets to her menu.

She left the veggie untouched...but on third day she bit a bit of it...days later she started eating the whole leaf...now she has no objection to veggie at all. She loves ipoema aquatica so much....maybe you should try that.

[gwennie]

3 days is a breeze - turtles can go much longer on their food strikes before they give in to eating veggies.

Eventually they will eat the veggies when they're hungry - you just can't give in.

[novroz]

Eventually they will eat the veggies when they're hungry - you just can't give in.

Hear hear....

this is the hardest part...but it's for their sake....so as Japanese would said GAMBATTE