Feeding and Nutrition :: He's hungry?!?!

[mat012]

Hi, I am new to the forum and to RES. We just took in a found RES about 1.5in in size. Initially he wouldnt eat (about two days). But once I bought him crickets he has taken off and will now eat the reptomin pellets and cabbage.
Here's my question: At first I was feeding him three- four small crickets a day. I cut back a cricket and added two reptomin pellets. Today I put two crickets and two pellets. The little guy eats it all up (he waits for me to leave to eat but when I check back within 30 min or so everything is gone). He has also been eating one of the live plants in the tank and the entire water treatment "turtle" that I put in the tank. I want to be cautious and not overfeed him, but he seem voracious. Any comments and suggestions? Are RES more dog-like (will eat what you feed them all at once) or cat-like (they pace themselves and eat frequently throughout the day)? If my little RES is a "dog" then he can just wait. I the thought of leaving him hungry though. I know this has been dealt with a few times, so thanks for helping out a newbie!

Melissa

[imderanged]

i know my turtle would eat until he blew up if i let him. from what i understand most turtles are like that. accually i found out on this forum that i was over feeding, i'm kinda new at this too, but i'm learning alot from the people on here. i don't think crickets are suposed to be a staple of the diet like that, just a treat. But you can give him the amount of pellet that would fill in his head if it were hollow once a day and you can give him veggies.

[mat012]

Thanks for the reply. Glad to know that he may gorge and that I need to set limits. I am weaning him off the crickets. I've only had him 1 1/2 weeks and after putting carrots, another type of pellet, beef heart (a bad suggestion from a pet store employee - this stuff was foul!), and shrimp treats, I was panicking because he wasnt eating. Bought a thermometer thinking that the water could be too cold. Frankly I think I could have relaxed. The crickets seemed to do it though. He ate them right away and they got his appetite going. My son loves to feed him the crickets (he's 6!) but I am not a big fan of having them around. So veggies and pellets are good for me. Just wanted to make sure he wasnt too hungry.

The site and the forum are great - thanks!

Melissa

[Chrisbarnett]

Yeah, definitely only give crix about once a month as a treat. They are too high in protein to be a staple food and will eventually cause shell pyramiding from to much calcium.


But your cutting back so that is good. But yes, the amount of pellets that would fit in the turtles head if it were hollow, Not including the neck, once a day with veggies.

Also I suggest you get a cuttlebone(for birds to keep their beak healthy, but are a great source of calcium for turtles) and remove the hard backing, cut a chunk off and throw it in the tank for the turt to nibble on as it feels the need. However, It may not nibble on it for quite a while, but they do have a taste for it that will develop when they get older. But keep offering it anyway because sometimes turtles will eat it at a much younger age.

RES are the best beggars, just because they look hungry doesn't mean they are.

Oh yeah, And those turtle shaped blocks don't do much for your water and aren't necessary. Some turtles that eat them get diahrrea.

Hope it helps.
Chris

[Nettle]

P.S. Those water treatment turtles aren't actually proven to do anything.

For more info on nutrition, here's a link to the main site:

http://redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Good luck!

[Azfar]

Hi Mat.. my Totto n Totto also have a BIG APPETITE.. When I feed them, they always want more and more.. until I dunno when to stop.. are they full enough or not.. But I wanna know, how long RES can live without food ?? Is it ok if I don't feed them for one day ??

[Nettle]

If your turtle is an adult they should get fed pellets every other day anyway. I'd say to be safe turts can live up to a week (depending on size) without food. It's not ok to feed them once a week, though.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Azfar - RES can live without food for a week, even possibly 2 months, but that's under really bad conditions. If your turtle is less than a year old or smaller than 4", you should feed a head-sized amount of pellets each day and try out any veggies they'll eat. If the turtle is over a year old, a head-sized amount of pellets every other day and preferably veggies on the off days. It's okay if you miss a feeding, like if you're going camping for the weekend, throw in a feeder fish or two and go camping without any worries. But if you are trying to conserve costs or forgetful, I would recommend a different pet. If you are apt to forget, get a weekly pillbox (I found them at Walmart for like 96 cents) and put in the number of pellets for the day, that way if you forget, you can walk by and say, Oh, it's Monday and I haven't fed him yet.

[Azfar]

One more thing I wanna know.. is it ok if the turtle eat their own poops?? Its so gross... yucKs~! and i tot they will throw out if they know dat its not real food.. but they don't.. so

[TheComputerGremlin]

Yes, they eat it. Yeah, it's gross, but their swimming around in their own waste anyhow, which is why we don't give turtles kisses. They are natural foragers, so their waste just is another thing to eat. You can try to grab it with a net to prevent it, but it won't hurt them. They just get extra nutrients the second time around.