Feeding and Nutrition :: Fishies are Friends

[fluffytheturtle]

Anyone else find this happen: You buy some rosy reds and put about 15 in the pond/tank and the turtle eats all but 5 of them. Then a month later you buy 15 more and the turtle leaves 10!

I heard that the RES and the fish become "friends" and they won't eat the few that they leave to live. I think they may develop a certain smell overtime or something (just a theory).

But does anyone else notice their turt won't eat certain fishies or leaves a couple behind for like months and months?

[missibsu]

I have several guppies floating around in the tank, but I added a couple more the other day from my breeder tank, and the turts went nuts. It was like all of the sudden they had fish to chase. So I understand.

[steve]

Friends? No. Fish that have places to hide and ones that a quick will survive longer in your pond. If Fluffy continually fails at catching them, then she might also give up... at least for awhile. Basically, if the right opportunity arises, Fluffy will snatch one up.

[marisa]

I think turtles can become "sick of" a food if there's an overabundance of it. Take it away for a while and then reintroduce it, and it's like a "new" food to them.

[Jessica313]

yes!! my turtle used to go NUTS when i gave him fish.. he used to eat 10 of them in one night.... then, the last time i bought him fish it was a month and a half ago.. i only got 5 that time and there are still 2 in there. he hasnt touched them or even chased them.. its like he doesnt care about them at all anymore when he used to go nuts for them... i cant believe the fish are even still alive haha

[Janaijah]

I got my turtle from a relative at least six months ago and gave him 6 guppies.
He or she didnt eat any of them.
I got him or her 3 more a week later and he became friends with them so for six months he hasnt ate.
What should I do ????

[ZooKeeper]

Tilly eats feeder fish, and the last time I gave her some I also moved a Zebra Danio from my aquarium, that had become aggressive, to her tank. I couldn't bring myself to flush a live fish but he was really mean to my other fish. So I put him in her tank and over time she ate all (7) minnows but left the mean fish! He is still alive! She either ignores him or enjoys his company. It is so strange. Maybe he's just too mean to die!

[Ty]

Right now my current minions are to young to make friends. However, a few years ago I had 2 babies that were placed in a tank with a few small fish. A 1.5 inch bass, a 1.5 inch catfish, and a 1.5 inch little bluegill. Over the time I had the little guys they never attempted to eat the fish they had grown up with. Anything new introduced into the tank was fare game. Not sure what that was all about, but I've also noticed how they will sometimes learn which fish are not food.