Feeding and Nutrition :: How I've Been Feeding Scooter.

[Kamoodle]

For the nearly two years I've owned Scooter, she had tried quite a few things I gave her over time like carrots, zucchini, pellets, mealworms, shrimp, and cuttlebones. Speaking of which, I need to go to the store and buy some more for her. It seemed at first she was more of a vegetarian because she just loved carrots. However, over time, mealworms ended up becoming her favorite food and now it seems she won't eat anything else. I did look at that gelatin recipe and might give that a shot for both her and the new baby turtle to nibble on. I was thinking about those ball treats I've seen at Petsmart as well as fruit in a bag which is really for tortoises. I can try to supply more food for Scooter to eat if it will work for her but yeah, mealworms are really her favorite. Am I okay with how it is going for her or should I delve deeper into finding a bigger variety of foods for her to try out? I don't mind doing that. However, we are at a pretty tight budget until I can start working at my new job soon.

I will also do the same for the new baby once it settles in enough with the pieces of shrimp and pellets I've given it so far. I find feeding the new baby turtle to be quite a challenge compared to when I fed Scooter as a baby because this one is much smaller and most of the regular food I have for Scooter is too big for the baby. I don't mind mushing up the shrimp or the pellets to help it eat (btw, it did eat since yesterday).

[steve]

Mealworms contain a lot of phosphorus and are only good as a rare treat, she should not be getting them that often. Shrimp are also not very nutritious. Stick to a couple of good pellet brands for them as their staples.

[Kamoodle]

Earlier today, I found the time to buy more cuttlebones and these floating treats containing clams. For the baby, I've been able to chip off tiny pieces of these treats, soak them in water enough for them to be easily eaten, and drop them in front of it where it will quickly swim toward it in attempts to bite it. It didn't care for pellets or carrots, for some reason, but it did enjoy a piece of zucchini last night.

In Scooter's case, after a few pellets, I gave her one of the ball treats as a whole. Since Scooter was still hungry, she was no doubt interested. When she dropped it on the bottom of the tank, at first, she didn't notice. Yet, next thing I knew, she attacked the sucker. What made me laugh hard was when she swam around again while holding on to the treat on the side of her mouth, making it like she isn't noticing it. Once it fell off her mouth, she continued to attack it. It was a fun sight to watch. I would've captured that on film if I wasn't so embarrassed her water is quite dirty at the moment.

I did read up on mosquito larvae after reading they are highly nutritious for turtles (well, fish really) and might give that a try. Since it rained recently and I have a ceramic pot that has been outside for a long time, gathering water, dead leaves, and sometimes bugs, I could experiment with that. I also looked for live water plants at the store but couldn't remember which ones our turtles can eat up (looked it up again a little while ago).

[Caphits]

Keep trying with pellets. Maybe don't give anything but pellets and lettuce for a while. If a turtle is hungry enough, they will eat pellets.

[michaelg]

I was thinking about those ball treats I've seen at Petsmart as well as fruit in a bag which is really for tortoises.

I would stay clear of fruits as a staple. Fruit is not normal in any aquatic turtle's diet. It should only be given sparingly. I feed my turtles fruit maybe once a month and that might be a blueberry each or a little bit of strawberry.

As RES get older, they tend more towards veggies. They eat more meat when they are little because it is higher in fat and protien which they need to grow quickly. I agree with caphits, I would stop with the mealworms and other meats. Stick to the pellets and veggies and Scooter will start eating them.

-Michael

[Kamoodle]

I'll make Scooter eat more of that stuff then and much less of my 10 bucks I spend for those mealworms.