Feeding and Nutrition :: Need help about nutrition.

[Ramesh]

Dear Steve , Penelope and all
I am Ramesh and I am not new to this site. I recently got two baby RES which will be slightly bigger than a quarter $. I had a detailed look at them and examined before bringing them home with the little amount of knowledge I have and found them active and free from any RI or swollen eye etc symptoms. They are doing well now and I offer them turtle pellets of zoomed and also turtle treats once a while . I read about what to feed to them in this site. I live in india and most the leaves you mentioned are not available like turnip leaves , lettuce etc . I am trying to get some aqua plants hope fully I find some. I am concerned about a good diet for them. I have zoo med's Reptivite with D3 . I gave them a little of that as I thought they wouldn't have got proper vitamins so far. They are eating ok. I am using ground water( from a bore well) as the tap water here contains chlorine. I am using some water clarifier just in case there is any problem with the water. I am giving them cuttle bone and I saw them eating it. I am planning to give a boiled prawn as it has A vitamin . Also I want to know if I need to give cod liver oil with food.
Here now it is very hot summer around 40 c out side temp. I kept heater and doesnt turn on . I could not get UVB light so I keep them in a tub with little water and place them in the morning sun for about 30 mins. I want to take a good care of them and don't want to do any mistake. Pl let me know if I need to change any thing I am doing .
Thanks so much

[steve]

Would you be able to find carrots, mustard greens, dandelions leaves and kale? You can use a variety of those. Depending on how much UVB or natural light your turtles get, you do not need to add a D3 supplement. Same as with the cod liver oil. Maybe use it lightly twice a week or once a month but feel free to skip it. I would also add a another pellet into the diet.

For your water, I would add carbon for your filter. It does a great job removing impurities in the water and is relatively inexpensive. You can probably remove the heater.

[Ramesh]

Dear Steve
Thanks for the reply . I forgot to mention in my previous post that I have a upper filter( kind of a hanging filter) . I have added ceramic rings and activated carbon to it. Did you mean leaves of carrot ? I will have to look for those . I just have got the aquatic plants that look like Amazon sword. I think they are amazon sword but their name here is different. I got them from an aquarist. One of my turtle kept eating it. The other one is a kind of lethargic from today afternoon. I gave him turtle treat and he ate a little bit. I am already worried , as I lost two res recently. We have a large variety of leafy vegetables available here but I am not sure what to give .
Thanks once again.
Ramesh

[steve]

I mean the actually carrot, though the leaves should be OK. Either way, I would use it less often than other types of vegetables.

[Ramesh]

Dear Steve
I am looking for dandelion and other leaves if I won't get any of them , I will give carrots. One of my RES suddenly became lethargic. yesterday he ate a little bit but from yesterday noon he is not moving at all. He is still alive . Today I tried to give him prawn he didn't eat. The other one happily ate. I have separated the one who is not moving into another small tank.i felt that his eyes are swollen very little but they are not shut , he is not rubbing his eyes at all. And no symptoms of RI. No loop side swimming, no bubbles , no mucus, no sneezing no open mouth breathing . Just not moving at all . I tried to look for this problem but I could not find info about what the problem could be. No turtle vet here . No one knows to treat them. I had earlier experience about vet not being available.
Do you think he will recover? As you know much about RES , pl tell me what the problem would be. So that I will try to do the best I can.
Thanks

[steve]

I would even try growing your own vegetables if it's difficult. As to what's wrong with your turtles... you might want to start a new topic and answer some of the questions that are linked in my signature. Have you tried the cod liver oil?