Feeding and Nutrition :: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

[squirt!]

my res is 2 in, so his diet is based more on protein, right? everyday i feed him about half the size of his head in a pellet/krill mix and the rest lettuce.... which is on average about the same area as a 2 by 2 in square. too much? too little? im gradually trying to lower the amount of pellets/krill i give my turt because hes growing a little fast... but at the same time, im not sure how much 'tummy space' the lettuce im giving him takes up. he begs constantly and vigorously as any turtle would, but i cant tell if hes starving or just begging for extra food.

[steve]

Sounds like it's enough, though I would eliminate the krill from a daily diet.

[squirt!]

alright, the krill is probably whats causing the fast growth then. how often would you recommend feeding it? weekly? and in what quantity?

[steve]

You can skip it entirely, though I'd say once a month if you want to use what you have.

[squirt!]

thanks for all your help!

[marisa]

It would be good to start including veggies in this diet, especially leafy greens.

[squirt!]

ok, he eats red leaf lettuce so thats a start :p what fraction of his diet should be veggies? and im assuming we still follow the head-size rule, right?

[steve]

There is no hard rule... you might want to experiment in quantity and variety.

[marisa]

The head-size rule is basically for pellets (and I sometimes keep to it with other high protein foods as well). For lettuce, I'd try a medium-sized leaf for starters. If he eats it all and doesn't get diarrhea, then I'd pretty much use that as a guide. If you to find bits of undigested lettuce floating in the tank, then I'd offer less.

[squirt!]

thanks, that seems like a good guideline to follow. Ever since I''ve been feeding Squirt lettuce I've seen 'dark green lettuce scraps' floating around more so than actual waste... guess I better cut down