Feeding and Nutrition :: turtle will not eat vegitables

[kbruening]

I have three 6 month old red eared sliders. They do well eating fortified food pellets but will not eat any letuce, carrorts or any other vegitable. I read that vegitables should be 50% of a juviniles diet. Will they be ok just eating the food pellets until they develop an apetite for other food? Do they need calcium suppliments? What should their diet look like at 6 months?

[steve]

For things you can try that have generally worked for most people:

1) The jell-o shot recipe in this forum
2) Some freshwater aquatic plants
3) A veggie clip (which holds lettuce in place)
4) Letting lettuce soak in the water from canned tuna fish

Do they have calcium in their pellets? If yes, then you can probably skip supplements. Leaving a little cuttle bone might be a good idea as they can nibble on it when they want too. As for what their diet will look like in 6 months, that depends on how well they adjust to more veggies in their diet.

[kbruening]

Thanks for the tips. I also added krill which they devoured. I give them a few each every 2-3 days. Are apples and other fruites ok to give them? I don't think they are growing like they should. They are baby turtles I have had for about 5 months. two which I believe are males are about 2 inches and one, i think female is about 2.5 inches. I've seen 9 month old RES at about 4-5 inches. Is that normal

[steve]

A 9 month old RES that is 4 or 5 inches is too big. The size of your RES sounds fine. Krill is a treat, so limit the amount you give them. Fruits should also be limited, though banana, strawberry and blueberry are more popular offerings.

[Love of Animals]

You could try some tough love. Cut back on their pellets a bit. This way you don't starve them but leave them just a little hungry. Put some red leaf lettuce in their tank either by veggie clip or just let it float around. Change the lettuce once a day and do this for a couple of days. They might get hungry enough to give it a try. (I said red leaf lettuce because that's my turtles favorite. You can try other veggies though.)

[turtleguidebook]

What to feed a turtle is depending on the age and specie of your reptilian pet, because there are many variations on what they eat.
As far as I know turtles, especially the herbivorous species, enjoy a diet full of fruits and vegetables. Give your turtle bananas, strawberries and greens such as romaine lettuce, turnip greens, or dandelion greens.

[Love of Animals]

Fruits should be limited to treats since turtles do not process sugar very well. So while you you can feed them fruits, limit them like Steve said.