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Hi! At what size are the RES's considered adult, and should be switched to their adult (less protein, more plant matter) diet? is it when they reach sexual maturity, or later? Thanks!

Since their growth rate depends on how much they are fed and not time, I'd say after 3.5 or 4" is fine and a good time to switch to adult diets. They won't be sexual mature at that size, but will probably mate anyway.

OK, so to clarify, the turtle that you would find in pet stores should be on mostly veggies/plants, and not pellets/animal protein?

At least in a transition but veggies should be a part of the diet.

What ratio of protein to plant matter would you suggest for a RES of that size? And at what size should you be radically cutting back on the protein to avoid health issues? Or am I putting too much emphasis on the size/ protein intake? I'm having a hard time getting a definitive answer from online sources as to what specific diet for what size turtle. Sorry for all the questions, and thank you for your answers!!

Veggie portions vary. You will need to judge it for yourself... currently my adult female is getting the amount on the right.. sometimes a little less, sometimes more. I'm sure some keepers use a lot more, a few probably use less.



Shell health is a good indicator of diet, especially with younger turtles still growing. Can you post a picture of your turtle and the amount of pellets it gets?

That picture deserves to be pinned--I always run into RES owners who ask for an "exact visual" on how much plant matter to offer.

Yea, I just made this because I needed someone to take over for me for a couple of weeks

How does it compare to your feedings?

steve wrote:Yea, I just made this because I needed someone to take over for me for a couple of weeks

How does it compare to your feedings?

I usually just tear off (and wash) the top half of a full leaf every day. My female will get that half, and then I tear off roughly the same amount for my male as your picture shows. He gets bored of it at times, so I have to be careful about how much I offer per feeding. My female, on the other hand, can't get enough of it--if she begs strongly enough after that first half, I will give her a pinch more. They get vegetables every day. I used to do pellets every other day, but I've since begun to offer smaller pellet amounts every day. I think it's more natural.

My turtles warmed up to greens a few months ago, so when they finally started I went a little overboard...Since then, it's amazing how much more energetic they have become.

My feeding regimen is about 1/3 of her head of pellets daily and lettuce that mostly rotates between red and green leaf with the occasional romaine. I size the lettuce to a bit larger than her shell. Maybe once a week or so, the veggie is duckweed, which is a larger amount than the lettuce.

She'd eat more if I offered it.

Steve, how does your lettuce compare to the size of your turtle?

ljapa - I'd estimate that the lettuce (without stem) ranges a little more than half the carapace to about 2/3

Jeremiah - the attitudes of your male and female are similar to mine. My male RES will usually skip lettuce over the winter.

Hi! Sorry, I haven't responded, been busy. So , I don't have a turtle yet. What I'm trying to do is figure out what I will be feeding it when I do get it. It will be the legal size, so 4" long shell. I just don't want to overdo the protein intake, that is my main concern. I realize that RES's differ from each other as far as growth rate vs age, and that it will be a bit of trial and error as far as diet goes. I just need to get a ballpark idea about how much or little protein I will need to be giving a 4" turtle.

Daily... about 1/3 of the amount that would fit into his head, if it were hollow.

I rescued my turtle when he was about 3". I've been feeding him pellets, mealworms, crickets, dandelions (once a month on average) and carrots. He's 5" now and is stil sticking to the same diet. I can't get him to eat greens at all. He looks perfect though, well to me . His shell is in great condition and he is very active. I feed him every other day, as per a turtle website I read, and if anyone has any suggestions on how to get him to eat greens or anything else, please let me know. I let a leaf of romaine lettuce or Kale float in his tank all day, then in the morning replace it with a new leaf. He doesn't even nibble.

I'd skip mealworms. What methods have you tried to feed him greens?