Feeding and Nutrition :: cod liver oil?

Turtle diets and eating habits discussed here.

Post Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 12:13 am   cod liver oil?

i am trying to give my baby RES some variety of foods.. and i have cod liveroil..so if i mix a little bit of it with his turtle food, will it be okay since he isnt sick and doesnt really need it? and also... the cod liver oil is orange flavour :roll: and im not sure thats good for her..
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Post Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:08 am   

If you wanted to offer it as a supplement, I would do it rarely. As you mentioned, it is probably unnecessary and I would skip any artificially flavored kind.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 5:28 am   

I would definitely skip the artificial flavors. And there is no need to offer it unless your turtle is sick, and in fact it could be harmful to a healthy turtle.

Cod liver oil is a rich source of Vitamin A. VitA is fat-soluble, not water-soluble, so excess does not flush out of the body with urine; instead, it stays in the tissues and can build up, causing Vitamin A Toxicity. Unless your turtle has a Vitamin A deficiency, supplementing it in such large doses is not necessary and can actually be hamrful.
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:24 pm   

If you want your turtle, especially when s/he's bigger, to get Vitamin A safely, offer foods that are high in beta carotene (pumpkin, dandelions, carrots, squash, foods of that nature), which your turtle can convert to Vit A as needed. Hatchlings might not be interested in these foods at first, but it never hurts to offer them (in pieces that can be easily eaten). A reputable pellet will also have Vit. A added.
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