Feeding and Nutrition :: shouldn't she be eating veggies and fruits?

[khayos]

I've offered a lot of variety since I got her but she only wants crickets, meal worms, and rosy reds. I *think* she nibbled on some cuttle one. I wasn't breaking it off at first until I found this thread though.

No idea how old she is.

[Turtle Mummy 101]

Just keep offering your RES variety and eventually she'll come round. Patience is key, just keep trying

[TheComputerGremlin]

Crickets, meal worms, and rosy reds? Does she eat pellets at all?

It sounds like you are overfeeding the protein. Your turtle should get about a "head-sized" amount of protein ONCE PER MONTH. Otherwise, your turtle should be getting turtle pellets, they provide protein as well as necessary vitamins and minerals.

Turtles who have been spoiled tend to be picky and refuse other foods. I think you need to try some tough love and stop feeding crickets and rosie reds for the next week or two and only feed pellets. Meal worms should be avoided altogether as they are fatty. Just to warn you, there are serious issues if she starts pyramiding on the shell. Shell pyramiding is permanent and non-reversible, can cause organ strain, and eventual failure, as well as a drastically shortened lifespan.

Is your turtle more than 4"? If so, they get a "head-sized" amount of pellets every other day. If they are under 4", they get fed daily. To give you an idea, I feed my 6.5" turtle ~8 pellets daily, or 1/2 "head-sized" amount. That's all she gets in terms of proteins.

Younger/smaller turtles don't tend to like veggies, but just keep giving them and trying out various ones. My turtle does have her favorites and things she just won't eat. She eats strawberries, blue berries, mango slices, apple slices, grapes, carrots, peas, green beans, and a variety of lettuce. She does not like tomatoes, watermelon, or bell peppers. You just keep trying things and see what happens. A good "gateway food" are carrots cut into slivers (to resemble worms) or dark, leafy greens like green leaf lettuce.

[marisa]

How big is she and how long have you had her? If, whenever she refused the foods she was offered, she was allowed to have the foods she wanted, she's gotten used to having her way. It's easy for them to wait out their keepers (for days, even) to be able to eat the foods they prefer.

It would be good to cut back on those foods she wants and keep offering the others. BTW, mealworms on a regular basis are not a good food choice (I know turtles love them because they're smelly)---they have little nutrition and can literally suck calcium out of the system.

[Moose]

Crickets, meal worms, and rosy reds? Does she eat pellets at all?

It sounds like you are overfeeding the protein. Your turtle should get about a "head-sized" amount of protein ONCE PER MONTH. Otherwise, your turtle should be getting turtle pellets, they provide protein as well as necessary vitamins and minerals.

Turtles who have been spoiled tend to be picky and refuse other foods. I think you need to try some tough love and stop feeding crickets and rosie reds for the next week or two and only feed pellets. Meal worms should be avoided altogether as they are fatty. Just to warn you, there are serious issues if she starts pyramiding on the shell. Shell pyramiding is permanent and non-reversible, can cause organ strain, and eventual failure, as well as a drastically shortened lifespan.

Is your turtle more than 4"? If so, they get a "head-sized" amount of pellets every other day. If they are under 4", they get fed daily. To give you an idea, I feed my 6.5" turtle ~8 pellets daily, or 1/2 "head-sized" amount. That's all she gets in terms of proteins.

Younger/smaller turtles don't tend to like veggies, but just keep giving them and trying out various ones. My turtle does have her favorites and things she just won't eat. She eats strawberries, blue berries, mango slices, apple slices, grapes, carrots, peas, green beans, and a variety of lettuce. She does not like tomatoes, watermelon, or bell peppers. You just keep trying things and see what happens. A good "gateway food" are carrots cut into slivers (to resemble worms) or dark, leafy greens like green leaf lettuce.

wow gremlin I am very impressed with your turtles diet variety.