Feeding and Nutrition :: veggie help

[dilltap]

Hello, I recently acquired two sliders that are relatively old. One is around 8 and the other is around 6 or 7. The owner tells me that he never fed them veggies and has only fed them pellets their entire lives. The female turtle has an facial and shell deformity and only has one eye and a misshapen shell. They both seem very healthy and the female has in fact been laying eggs( in the water although). My question is I have tried throwing some veggies into the tank to see if they will eat it. They go after and chomp on the lettuce and dandelion greens but they do not seem to be able to or want to swallow the veggies. Can someone offer some advice? Thanks

[octpusgirl8]

Are you cutting them up before you put them in? They have to be cut into strips that are easy for them to bite. A vegetable peeler is great for making thin strips.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Often they are very messy, I'd guess my turtle *actually* eats about half of what he bites off and the rest is caught by the filter. They can be destructive little buggers. Shredded carrots are a great place to start, shred them into the type of strips you get in pre-made salads and drop them in the water and let them sink to the bottom. Blueberries (whole fresh) are also enjoyed by the turtles. Lettuce, I give about a half-shell-sized piece and he tears it up. Good for you for trying to transition them onto veggies. It may take some time before they get used to it, but eventually they'll be very happy. (I'm also curious to see your female and the deformities she has, please post photos in the photo section!)

[Nettle]

I don't cut them. Mine are more than content to tear off big chunks as they want. Mine don't always eat the lettuce either, they probably only eat half of what they tear off.

If it's hard veggies, like carrots, then yes you should cut them into strips.

For more info on nutrition, see the main site:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

[dilltap]

I have been tearing up some red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens into some pretty small pieces. Even the very small pieces, about the size of the fingernail on your index finger, she will spit out. She is still trying very hard to get to them though. Could it be because her lower jaw doesn't line up with her upper jaw?

[TheComputerGremlin]

I don't believe turtles "chew" their food, so as long as they can get it in and swallow it, they can eat it. Sometimes they just like to pull pieces off of lettuce and spit them out. It's possible that she is trying to eat the lettuce but doesn't like the taste, and keeps trying hoping it has a better taste the next time. Try a different lettuce or veggie and see if she reacts the same way.