Feeding and Nutrition :: How much food?

[ataraxiamb]

Sorry to start another topic.

I limited Bill's diet because he was shedding as a result of what I think was a growth spurt. I was definitely overfeeding (going by the instructions on the pellet bottle).

Now I've got him with a regular supply of either hornwort or red leaf lettuce, and supplement with pellets (the ball kind, not the sticks), as well as occasional blueberries, apples, and peas. I also give him a little piece of tuna every now and then (in water, not oil).

He's hard to measure, but about 3" on a good day. How many pellets, blueberries, apple pieces, etc. should I be feeding him on top of the lettuce/hornwort? I usually give him 1-2 pieces when I do the fruits and veggies once or twice a week.. (As in 1 or 2 blueberries on one day... not apples, blueberries, and peas on one day). Is this enough? How many pellets should he get on pellet days?

I've noticed now that the pellet intake has gone way down, he scurries down like a bottom feeder to eat his poop right after it comes out. Does this mean he's not getting enough to eat? I know his size must factor in to how much he needs.

[jenaero]

Personally, for turtles over a year old I feed them pellets 3 times a week (mon/wed/fri). The amount will vary depending on the size of your turtle. The general rule is to feed the amount the size of their heads at each feeding.

Red leaf lettuce is good, but I'd cut back on the fruits. Mine get blueberries about once a month, as it tends to help with shedding. I'd also skip the peas. I can't remember the source but I'm recalling reading something about them being either unhealthy or of very little nutritional value.

Eating their poop is normal. Gross, but I see it as a form of recycling.

[ataraxiamb]

I feed him pellets every other day. I'll cut that back a day. I was feeding him a lot less than the size of his head.

He LOVES the lettuce and hornwort. The lettuce he gets everday, and the fruits 1-2 times a month. I had a hornwort plant, but he devoured it in about a week. I'm going to get 2 more (one for the tank, and one to grow outside the tank in water so I can have my own source of hornwort).

I'll cut back on those fruits. He was getting blueberries every 2 weeks.

Thanks so much for the info!!

[steve]

If he poops right after, try to net it out before he gets to it. If you want to give pellets every day, just use a very small amount.

[ataraxiamb]

I haven't seen any poop in the last couple of days. But there's a bunch of brown hornwort root at the bottom of the tank, so it could be mixed in there. He's spent the last 3 hours chasing around and munching on lettuce, so I don't think I need to give pellets everyday.

He doesn't care for carrots. Would it be OK to feed him cauliflower?

[steve]

Cauliflower is not really a good thing, but is probably OK in a very small amount.

[mark_alexandre]

I had a hornwort plant, but he devoured it in about a week. I'm going to get 2 more (one for the tank, and one to grow outside the tank in water so I can have my own source of hornwort).



Thanks so much for the info!!

Where do you get your hornwort from?

[ataraxiamb]

@mark - I got it at one of the larger Petsmarts near the fish tanks.