Feeding and Nutrition :: Still not eating veggies

[Bernie]

After nearly a week of not feeding her, my RES still won't touch the lettuce I put in her tank. She does nibble on carrots, but she's always been good about that.

I have to feed her something. What should I do?

[jenaero]

If it was me, I'd go back to her usual diet and try again in a few days.

[SpotsMama]

How old is she? It's very typical for younger turtles to turn up their noses at veggies most of the time. My Spot wouldn't eat them for a long time - except for fresh basil, which he's always loved. He also ate anacharis when he was relatively young. Now that he's 5, he really loves all his veggies.

I wouldn't deprive your turtle of her pellets too long. Go ahead and let her have her pellets and also continue to offer her veggies. One of these days she'll see the light. Also, offer her a variety of delicious (to a turtle) veggies to see what her preferences are. Anacharis, fresh basil, red and green leaf lettuce, sweet potato (a favorite of many turtles), blueberries, carrot peels, bell pepper, tomato - these are some of their favorite things.

[Bernie]

I've had her for 2 years so I'm guessing she's about 3. She seems to be spoiled on pellets. Now that she's getting older I'm really trying to get her to eat her veggies.

Could it be she just likes food that is orange? (carrots, goldfish)

[megcornell]

One of my turtles is definitely addicted to carrots while the other isn't too crazy about them. If it seems like your turtle likes red/orange things why not try some red leaf lettuce to see if that will attract her?

[Bernie]

I haven't had any luck with that so far. Perhaps I should add fins to the lettuce. But that seems like an awful lot of work.

[industrial_girl_2000]

How about trying some anacharis plants? Turtles just LOVE those & make a gigantic mess, but at least they eat it!

Also, it took me a little over a week to entice my BIG picky girl to eat veggies, but here is how I did it:

Chop up the lettuce finely & add some tuna to the chopped lettuce. Mix with baby spoon. You can add carrots to this if you like. Feed your turtle with the baby spoon so you don't get bitten. It's kinda like a meat-stew for turtles! Over the course of the next few feedings, start to add a little less of the tuna to the mixture, till all you have is plain lettuce. Feel free to add a small piece of fruit as a "dessert" (like a blueberry). Over the course of 3-4 feedings (I feed her every 2nd day), I had my big turtle completely converted to loving lettuce & she would eat it freely!

Chances are, your turtle is just not used to the veggie texture.

[amsude]

I was told that RES only eat in water. I just drop veggies in and if he eats then he eats. I was also told not to worry about it that pellets are made with everything a turtle needs to live. We tried not feeding him for a week so he would eat minnows never worked. I figure one day he will decide it is time. He did eat one of the goldfish we got. He hasn't touched the other two.

AmSuDe

[octpusgirl8]

RES need water to swallow. Pellets are good, but they have too much protien to be a complete diet. They need to be supplemented with plenty of fresh veggies. Minnows and other high protien foods are good treats but aren't neccesary. If your RES won't eat veggies yet, hold out on the pellets for a few days. That lettuce will start to look pretty tasty after a couple days without pellets! It might take a little time, but eventually he/she'll start eating veggies like a good little turtle.

[amsude]

Ok I will try that any certain type of lettuce or just any dark green lettuce. I saw carrots are given to. You just drop them in there and they nibble on them like they do with the turtle bone

[marisa]

A lot of turtles are attracted to red leaf lettuce. Green leaf or romaine is OK too. No iceberg lettuce (no nutrition). You can soak the leaves or pieces in the water from canned tuna (marinade it over night) to give it a nice fishy smell.

[octpusgirl8]

When giving carrots, most people cut them into thin pieces or shred them. I use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips. Carrot was the first vegetable my turtle would try, now he eats like a champ. Just don't give carrot all the time, as it has a relatively high amount of sugar. Sweet potato is another veggie a lot of turtles seem to enjoy, but like carrot it shouldn't be an everday food. Sweet potato has to be steamed or boiled to soften it up a little bit. Try for a wide variety of vegetables.