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am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:58 pm
by 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.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:19 pm
by steve
Sounds like it's enough, though I would eliminate the krill from a daily diet.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:32 pm
by squirt!
alright, the krill is probably whats causing the fast growth then. how often would you recommend feeding it? weekly? and in what quantity?
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:46 pm
by steve
You can skip it entirely, though I'd say once a month if you want to use what you have.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:58 pm
by squirt!
thanks for all your help!
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:47 pm
by marisa
It would be good to start including veggies in this diet, especially leafy greens.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:18 am
by 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?
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Wed Aug 11, 2010 2:34 pm
by steve
There is no hard rule... you might want to experiment in quantity and variety.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:48 pm
by 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.
Re: am i overfeeding or underfeeding?

Posted:
Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:02 pm
by 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
