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New Feeding Regimen

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:00 am
by TNTurtles
Ok so im kinda tired of having poop and uneaten pellets all along the bottom of the tank so I thought i would try something new. Let me know if any of this is bad for them.
I have a small little tupperware container type bowl for their feeding bowl (cuz they are so little). I put warm water in there so they wont get too cold and enough that they can still walk around. I then put the amnt of pellets that would fit in her head at one time, add a couple lettuce leaves, and carrots. I then leave her in there for 30 min to an hour, keeping an eye on her to see if she is finished eating. Ill then dump that food, water and poo out and get fresh water. Ill then do the same thing for the other turtle. Is warm water ok or do i need to put some kind of light over it to keep them extra warm?
I'm trying to get them to eat lettuce and veggies so I did put some lettuce leaves in their tank just in case they want to snack during the day. I'm hoping it will encourage them to eat lettuce instead of extra pellets left on the dock. Hope im not doing anything that will make them sick in any way.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:32 am
by jenaero
Sounds ok, but you don't really need to leave them in there for an hour. The water may get too cool. Use water from the tank so it's the same temp and do about 20min each. If they haven't eaten in 20 min, they're not going to.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:37 am
by TNTurtles
ok i will try that tomorrow. Should i leave the cuttlebone in the tank or try it during feeding time in the bowl?

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:59 am
by jenaero
Just leave it in the tank. They'll eat it when they need to.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:31 pm
by steve
Not all turtles will poop soon after they've eaten, so don't expect it. You'll still get cleaner water from feeding in a separate container.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:57 pm
by missibsu
You mentioned leaving food on the dock...are you placing their food there? If you are, that could be why they aren't eating all of it. Your turts need to be in the water when they eat.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:29 pm
by TNTurtles
Well i place the food on the dock right next to the ramp and he grabs a piece and walks 2 steps into the water to eat it. If i put it in the water it gets grabbed up by the filter. When i say extra food on the dock i mean that when they are done eating there are a few scattered pieces here and there that somehow either got dragged to the other end by their feet or just wasn't eaten right off. They will nibble on this during the day rather than eating veggies, thats why i figured if there was no extra they might try the veggies.