Feeding and Nutrition :: how many pallets can fit into your turtles head?

[mkeric1]

my turtle's head looks huge.
it's a year old.
i think it can fit at least 15 pallets.
wardley or reptomin
what do u guys think?
how many pallets a day for one year old?

[missibsu]

The head does not include the neck area that bulges out when they come up for air. Mine have little pellets and they get 2...or 3 if I am being nice, but it is a rare treat. Yours are also at an age that you should begin to cut back on feeding...once every other day and feed veggies between. The sooner you get started on veggies, the better.

[mkeric1]

she does eat veggies every day.i give her a catlebone every other day.
2 or 3 pallets a day?
that's nothing!
how big are your turtles?
i need some input!
all she does 24/7 is beg for food.
on the feeding instructions on the back of wardley it says give them as
much as they can consume in 20 minutes.
flowers could eat 100 pallets in 20 minutes.
please help.
and also with veggies she eats everything that i put in there.
how much veggies is enough?
i give her a peace of chicken every ten days or so,it seeems to me
that she could eat the whole chicken she loves it so much.

my everyday schedule is 10 pallets every day split into morning and
afternoon and veggies at 7pm.
is that too much?
please help

[fishandcandy]

I feed 10 - 15 pellets (a head full) over 2 days. So, 5 - 7 a day. Plus veggies all-you-can eat style. Give her all the veggies she wants.
My RES is 2 1/2 inches long and his head is normal sized. Don't know how big your turt is...

[marisa]

The instructions on most containers are way off base. If you've fed your turtle a reasonable amount and s/he still begs, you have to learn to say no. It's better to leave a turtle slightly hungry than feed to the point of the turtle satiated.

[missibsu]

My turts are just shy of 4 inches. They each get two/three pellets every other day. You say that is nothing, but I am using a different brand than you are. The chicken should be a rare treat, maybe just once a month. A high protein diet will lead to pyramiding and other health problems. It can also shorten the life expectancy of your turtle. A fat turtle stresses the internal organs. I don't think you want that.

[fishandcandy]

missibsu - what brand do you use?

[missibsu]

zoo med
a square plastic container with a blue lid.

[sarah]

I heard that Wardleys wasn't a very good brand?
I don't know how true that is but I switched to ReptoMin.

[marisa]

I've read that Wardley's should be supplemented because it lacks some of the other nutrients that other pellets contain (if the ingredients have been changed recently, I don't know about it). As part of an overall diet, it would be OK. I wouldn't use it as the sole pellet, though.

[TNTurtles]

kind of a side note but im so happy right now, my 2 month old RES just ate her first bit of lettuce tonight and she is eating happily all that is in the tank. So are you sure i can give her all she wants? It wont make her too fat?

[cam722]

It won't make her fat but it could give her diarrhea.. if you notice any changes, cut back a bit.

[marisa]

Too much of any food will add weight over time. Lettuce has so few calories, though, that it would take way more than your turtle could eat to produce even the slightest difference. What kind of lettuce are you feeding? Variety is good--if your turtle gets only/mainly lettuce, he may be less apt to try new veggies when you try to introduce them...

[steve]

For me, the biggest knock against too much veggies is diarrhea and vomiting.

On a separate note, there are people who also warn of the increased ingestion of pesticides. Turtles will consumer a greater quantity of veggies compared to their size than we do, but there is no evidence that it's harmful. Just be careful and wash them thoroughly...

[Pugness]

quick question, what exactly does turtle diarrhea look like?? sometimes my turtle poops out something that looks like a big brown rock and sometimes its just a bunch of what looks like broken up fish poop