Feeding and Nutrition :: few questions about feeding

[marisa]

You can start with feeding pellets every other day now (that head-size amount). On the days when they're getting other foods (worms, crickets, etc.) skip the pellets. You can offer some veggies daily, as well as some cuttlebone if they're eating it.

[RiverChubbs]

Ok good idea Thanks



Once again here is River when he was about 3 months old ....look down a little more to see what he looks like now.




Ok here is River Now...Wow what a differnce when you put them together like that. They really have grown to fast.

[RiverChubbs]

Here are the new pics taken a few days ago. They came out pretty good. I can't really tell if they are too fat (like having rolls or anything. I took them out again today to clean their tank real well and take out the gravel. I put in some pretty river rock...and I created a new basking area with easy ramps, I have not seen them go on it yet...but it has only been 4 hours.


Here they are pretty much dry with a rubber ducky, bracelet and if you look real hard, you can see a quarter to compare size.



Swimming along. I love this picture of them, you can really see their shell patterns







Do I look fat? n This is River tucked in



This is my 14 month old son looking at the Turties. It is going to break my heart to tell him he CAN NOT hold them, when he starts to ask. Hey, maybe he won't, his Dad is more of an animal watcher then toucher.



Here is River. If I had to pick. He is less scared of people contact (over Chubbs)



Here is Chubbs, he is more quick to run away, when I set him down, he also tries to bite me sometimes.



Here is Chubbs again. He/She got his/her name because When they were hatchlings, he was so much rounder/bigger than the other two...now you can hardly tell a difference.



Does anyone know why hatchlings shells are such a beautiful/brilliant green and as they get older it dulls or turns more of a brown? Just light exposure? Kind of like humans, when you're a baby your skin is new and babysoft and as you get older is gets touugher? Just the way Nature is? Who knows.




From Left: River, Verde (passed away ) and Chubbs

And a blurry Wecam shot of their new tank set up and basking area.



Thank you everyone, for any comments.

[Muirner]

So i have to ask, every day i feed my turtles:

Tetra Baby Shrimp
Tetra Fauna - ReptoMin Sticks, that i break up into 1/4 size or 1/2 size.
I put greens in there but they still turn away (i'll still offer)

The amount of shrimp i put in verys. I try to put in about what i'd think would fit in their head, but the thing is one of the turtles is overzelous, and i'm afraid the other one is shy. So one isnt shy to eat, the other one, idk when he eats. SO i try to feed one on one side of the tank, and the other on the other side (which means i leave food floating). Also 2 sticks of ReptoMin, broken up so it's about 6-8 small pellets... Any other ideas, my turtles are young, and i dont want the pyrmiding to happen.

[RiverChubbs]

Well I'd say if they are under 6 months feed them what they'll eat until they reach about 2.5-3 inches and then start worring about pyramding and try to get them to like something else. Shrimp is supposed to be a treat only (and so are crickets and peas like once a week for shrimp every other week for crickets and once a month for peas. Don't give them goldfish (I heard it is fatty) if they are too small they might not chase fish at all...but if you think they will try rosey red minnows or guppies (I have never seen guppies anywhere...but I have tried minnows (they loved em) hatchlings are very fragile so you have to pay special attention to what is going on. When My baby was sick (I took the more healthy ones out to feed them in a seperate container and fed him in the tank where he was comfortable. He never grew while they were twice his size...Try feeding them the sticks more than the shrimp and get a water plant called anacharis. It is the only plant my hatchlings would eat and it is very pretty and healthy for them. Good luck!

[missibsu]

If you are feeding them the treats, then they have no inclination to eat the greens. If you want them to eat the greens you are probably going to have to use tough love. Don't offer the treats, only the greens. Replenish with fresh as needed, but don't offer the treats again until they learn to eat their veggies.