Feeding and Nutrition :: vitamin A

[rayzherup]

what can i do to give my turt some vitamin A? special foods? something...?

[adam85491]

I believe carrots have a lot of vitamin A.

[RunninWideOpen]

I think Adams right, but hatchlings often won't eat carrots. They would have to be shredded to little bite size pieces. I think red leaf lettuce does?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Too much vitamin A is dangerous. A turtle can OD on it. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A, though they shouldnt be fed everyday (once or twice a week is fine). I heard red leaf and romaine lettuce has some vitamin A too..

That, or a supplement like Reptivite which has vitamin A along with other vitamins, which I use 3 times a week for my two 3 inch turtles is okay..

[DavidY]

The good thing about carrots and vegetables is that they provide the vitamin A in the form of beta carotene which the body will convert to vitamin A as needed. That way the turtle can't OD on it. Vitamin A in it's retinol form (from animal sources like liver) is toxic and can kill even a human if eaten too much. Interesting fact: One ounce of Polar Bear liver contains enough vitamin A to kill a person!

[RunninWideOpen]

Well I shan't be eating polar liver any time soon!

[marisa]

rayzherup, try foods that are orange/red/yellow, like pumpkin, cantelope, red bell peppers, in addition to carrots. All are high in beta carotene, a precursor to Vit A, which your turtle can make Vit A from without getting too much of it. Dandelions are also a good source, even though they're green.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Don't forget sweet potatos & yams! I boil a sweet potato, then divide up into various small containers for freezing. Thaw before feeding. This helps prevent waste!

Red Ear sliders are *southern* turtles, afterall!

[rayzherup]

I got some zoo med eye drops for turtles to maybe help clear his eyes... is it ok to give them to him? just one drop in each eye? I don't wanna OD him cuz it does contain vitamin A.

[stray_647]

I use zoo med eye drops. I usually give my turles a drop in each eye once a month. In the meantime you should try to expose your turts to veges as much as possible so that they get their main source of Vit A from veges.

[marisa]

If you read the directions, you'll see that using them once a week is OK for preventive maintenance. If your turtle has an eye problem, daily for a week. I think it says after a week if there's no improvement to consult a herp vet. The amount of Vit A in them is small, less than what's in an equal amount of cod liver oil.