Feeding and Nutrition :: Cantaloupe rind?

[Tenodera]

Doesn't beta carotene make red, yellow and orange colours more pronounced?

[PetriTheTurtle]

Do you know, is it alright for them to eat the rind too? Some sites seem to say it's good for keeping their beaks trim, but I'm nervous about her eating too much rind and getting sick!

[SpotsMama]

Petri, if I were you I'd just cut the fruit off the rind and throw the rind away. That way you won't have to worry. For keeping her beak trim, a cuttlebone works great.

And tenodera - yes, the beta carotene makes them orangey. Pretty, actually. I think the Mazuri I've been feeding Spot must have a lot of it because the yellow parts of his shell have gotten quite bright and orangey.

Incidently, a lot of beta carotene in your diet will make YOU turn orangey too! Try eating a lot of carrots for awhile and see what it does to the palms of your hands.

[steve]

The cantaloupe is a fruit, so it should not be offered often but is fine as an occasional treat.

[PetriTheTurtle]

SpotsMama,

I have had a hard time getting her to pay any attention to cuttlebone, no matter what I do. She used to love it, but now she won't touch it. I soaked some in the water from a can of tuna fish, and she took an interested in it but after taking one bit she spit out and won't go near it again. I was hoping that the cantaloupe rind would be a good alternative for her to trim her beak on, but she was eating way too much of it so I got nervous and took it out of the tank.

[marisa]

Keeping some rind on with the cantelope won't hurt. I keep some on mainly because if the cantelope is really ripe, having some rind with it helps keep the pieces together. How much rind were you giving with the cantelope?

Petritheturtle, sometimes turtles can get sick of foods like people do (I do anyway). My turtles will eat cuttlebone quickly sometimes and at other times they leave it and it sinks. You could stop offering it for a few days (I don't know how much you give or how often you give it). I don't think you have to worry about keeping the beak trim---it would take a little time for your turtle to have a problem, and if your turtle crunches on pellets or any other food at all, the beak is being used.

Since a lot of fruits that my turtles like (like cantelope) are/will coming into season, they get fruit (not a lot at a feeding) more often than just occasionally. I like to buy local and tend to feed what's in season while it's in season.