Feeding and Nutrition :: My turtle ate so fast, is this going to be a problem?

[RESCHIU]

Ever since about 3 weeks ago, my turtle started to eat his floating sticks very fast, I mean as soon as I put the stick in, he would bite it and swallow almost in one gulp. It seems as if he didn't even chew it more than once. I'm just worried if this will effect his digestive system? Now I usually use one of my hands to distract him while I break a food stick in water on the other side so that the food will become softer. But other than that, do you have any suggestion?

[jenaero]

Mine have always done exactly that. Chalk it up to him being a pig because that's all mine are. Mine have swallowed large fish whole without a problem so don't worry.

[cam722]

Yep, same here. Mine just gulp down the reptomin sticks. Although for some odd reason they "chew" the zoomed food, which are tiny little balls. I've never seen a fish bitten in half so I'm assuming those go down whole too

[marisa]

You'd know if there was a problem--your turtle would begin to choke. When my RES was smaller, he once grabbed a chunk of white chicken meat that was too big for him to get down. I had to hold him upside down and shake him like a salt shaker before he let the piece go. It fell in the tank and when I put him back in, he grabbed the piece again and got it down the second time.

[cam722]

marisa, that made me laugh out loud. I can just see the poor thing upside down and being "shaken like a salt shaker". Thanks for the laugh

[fric]

Believe it or not ... my ol' fric was very glutionious one time and I saw him eat way beyond his means ... like before I knew exactly just how much to feed him ... and guess what ... he actually vomitted ... yes ... I saw it.
I had no idea turtles were compable of doing this ... fric

[fric]

Believe it or not ... my ol' fric was very glutinious one time and I saw him eat way beyond his means ... like before I knew exactly just how much to feed him ... and guess what ... he actually vomitted ... yes ... I saw it.
I had no idea turtles were compable of doing this ... fric

[fric]

sorry group ... was trying to correct spelling errors and made it look worse ... oops.... I don't do this enough to get it down .......

[fishandcandy]

Mine tried to eat a chunk of chicken that was kind a triangle shape - skinny at one end and then fat the other end. He ate the skinny end first and the fat end was too big for his mouth. (At least it looked like that to me.) I had to pull it out of his mouth with my fingers.
He doesn't really chew his sticks or the little carrot strips I give him.
If you're still worried about it, you could try wetting the sticks before you put them in the tank.

[RESCHIU]

Wow ok, I guess it really is fine(if I eat that fast I'd choked already), now I break the stick into 3 just in case. Well I guess having him eating like that is a good sign. By the way, sometimes I noticed my turtle tries to bite his own hand(he didn't hurt himself or anything), but I'm just worried sometimes that he would hurt himself one day, is it normal that turtle do that? do they do it because they are bored?

[marisa]

Perhaps he has a bit of dead skin on it or a slight cut? I doubt he'd bite it to the point he'd hurt himself. (It would be good to keep an eye on the behavior just in case it escalates.)