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I just recenly bought my first RES. It is a female that is about 7 inches long. i have had it for about 3 or 4 weeks. i have found that she loves earthworms and really seems to enjoy the turtle pellets, but i am having trouble getting her to eat any vegetables. i have tried carrots(tops and shedded pcs), romine lettice, and a few other leafy things like mustard greens. I feed her in a seperate tank in water. Am i doing something wrong? I'm just worried she isn't getting the proper nutrition.

RES are picky. Sometimes they want the greens, and sometimes they don't.

Leave a piece of romaine lettuce in the tank and the turtle will graze on it throughout the day. It's okay if she doesn't take to it immediately. My turtles don't like greens all the time, so I also feed them grass pellets which they've developed a taste for. Gammarus pellets, and most reptomin foods come with many kinds of veggie nutrients already put in, and also come with calcium.

Sometimes turtles like to eat in privacy. So, when you give your turtle lettuce, step away from the tank and check back in a few hours to see if she ate any or not.

At her previous home, do you know what she was being fed specifically? There might be a specific veggie you haven't tried yet that she really likes.

Ive had good luck with the leaf lettuce. Red, and green. Also, carrot strips. Sometimes I dry them out, so that they are smaller, and therefore easier to eat.

You can add aquatic plants to the tank to see if there is any interest. You can also try using a veggie clip to keep it in the same location.

Caphits wrote:Ive had good luck with the leaf lettuce. Red, and green. Also, carrot strips. Sometimes I dry them out, so that they are smaller, and therefore easier to eat.

Lol, I just fed mine some carrot strips, and they actually tried to eat it this time. It's a first. I think my male, Hurricane, is having a blast chasing the carrots around too.

I agree on the privacy issue. My turtle is a lot younger, but I find that whatever I put in (pellets aside) he waits until I'm not in eyesight to start eating it lolll.

Red leaf lettuce Hank took to right away - so that'd be my suggestion if you haven't tried it yet. I found him using the remaining lettuce midday as a lilly pad hahah.

Good luck, be persistent!

koreyleigh wrote:I agree on the privacy issue. My turtle is a lot younger, but I find that whatever I put in (pellets aside) he waits until I'm not in eyesight to start eating it lolll.

Red leaf lettuce Hank took to right away - so that'd be my suggestion if you haven't tried it yet. I found him using the remaining lettuce midday as a lilly pad hahah.

Good luck, be persistent!

I know they both eat it, but Hurricane will only chew on it if I'm near the tank, and not actually swallow any lettuce. That lettuce always disappears way too fast for Typhoon to eat it all without vomiting or dying, so I know Hurricane has some throughout the day. He's super sneaky about it.

Typhoon hides under the lettuce too, or drags it in the tunnel to eat privately.