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I've had my slider for about two weeks now and every morning I feel like feeding him. I've given him a grape twice so far and he tears it up. He gets pellets also and they seem to disappear but I don't know if there getting eaten or just dissolving. I also have a water lettuce plant in the tank. I don't take him out of his tank to feed him so how do you know if he is eating them? I guess what I'm asking is, is it ok to give him more grapes to assure he's full?

No three to high in sugar to be feeding alot and really should be fed rarely.

The pellets usually would make the water messy even with a really good filter if there not being eaten. Just stand back from the tank for a few mins so he cant see you and then come back and see if he is working on a pellet or try feeding him somthing seperate so you know for sure.

If the pellets and any trace of them is gone, they've probably been eaten. You should only give him grapes about 1-2 times a month.

Also, RES are very skilled at begging for food and this is the reason why a lot of people overfeed their turtles. If he looks starved to you it doesn't exactly mean that he really is. Make sure the amount of pellets you feed per day is equal(more or less) to the turtle's head without the neck.

As Painteds4life mentioned pellets make the water so messy even with a good filter.

I think you should try feeding them in a different tank so that you can make sure they are eating and keep your water clean for a longer period.

So your saying that if I feed him a grape and a head full of pellets yesturday I shouldn't feed him again untill tomorrow and only the pellets the size of his head? I got all that, except I'm one of those people who like to have my kids and pets to go to bed with a full tummy. I know he has the water lettuce in his tank if he gets hungry so it's just my feelings that keep getting in the way. I'll only feed him that grape only once every two weeks so he don't get use to it however it was fun watching him attack it. I was also wondering if I start feeding him earth worms, how often can I do that?

How big is he? Depending on the size of the worm, I give my RES and painteds an earthworm or two about every week - week and a half along with some plant matter. On the day they they get the earthworm they don't get pellets.

Along with the water plants, try some leafy greens like dandelions.

My slider is around 5" and really good. It seems that he's pretty normal compared to all the posts I've read.

Yeah, the occasional earthworm, rosie red minnow, or cricket won't hurt, esp. a 5" turtle. Think of it this way, your turtle's stomach is about the size of their head (not including any neck), so if you look at their head, you can tell that like 2-3 rosie red minnows will be stretching out the stomach (often causing turtle vomit). So look at the earthworm and decide if it looks like it would fit in the stomach or be too big. If it's too big, you can always cut it in half or something.

Just don't overdo things, esp. sweets (like grapes, blueberries, or strawberries) or proteins (like earthworms, crickets, fish, chicken, egg whites, or pellets). The excess protein is what causes pyramiding. If you follow the standard rules (a half-head full of pellets daily), you can give a small treat occasionally. If you are always giving treats, you'll see irreversible pyramiding.

Thank You, I'll be careful.