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how many pallets can fit into your turtles head?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:32 am
by 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?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:37 am
by 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.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:47 am
by 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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:00 pm
by 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...

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:25 pm
by 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.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:02 pm
by 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.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:27 pm
by fishandcandy
missibsu - what brand do you use?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:38 pm
by missibsu
zoo med
a square plastic container with a blue lid.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:54 pm
by sarah
I heard that Wardleys wasn't a very good brand?
I don't know how true that is but I switched to ReptoMin.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:16 pm
by 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.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:30 pm
by 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?

PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 10:16 pm
by cam722
It won't make her fat but it could give her diarrhea.. if you notice any changes, cut back a bit.

PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:20 pm
by 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...

PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:41 pm
by 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...

PostPosted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:32 pm
by 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