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Hey guys, I bought my turtles in nov and since then ive been feeding them twice a day. once around morning time and around 9 in the evening. i was wondering at which point i should give them less for or do that thing when you feed them once every few days. Any info would be great. thanks

the rule of thumb is once everyday for hatchlings and once every other days for adults i think u want to feed them what would fit in their head if it was hollow. also for hatchlings a more protein and meat like diet is recommended but as they get older turts like a more vegetarian diet also check the stickys at the top of this section for ideas for a varied and complete diet

but at what age are they not hatchlings? and how do i know when to cut down the food?

I would say go by years, thats how ive been doing it. For the first year its twice a day(hatchling) For the second year its once a day(juvenile, For the third and beyond year every other day, possibly twice a week. This is commercial pellets at least. I leave guppies in the tank, and my big ones dont really eat greens but my RES and Map Turtle eat lots of greens so i usually put a few big giant pieces of lettuce and leave it in there for a few days. Oh and during the week I replace one of the pellet days with live crickets, or worms. Hope that helps man. Oh and whenever i feel like it i throw in some fine chopped carrots which is usually two - three times a week for the RES and Maps.

ok thanks for the input. ill make sure to remember this once it gets passed the 2 year. thanks again

I got my turts about a year ago as hatchlings. For the first 6 months or so they were fed once a day the amount that fits in the head. After 6 months they started being fed once every other day. Same bit with the pellets. They have always had plenty of veggies in the tank as well. The veggies should be offered as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the harder it is for them to adapt.

Keep in mind that as a young turtle, they will eat more meat and that means more protein, but you still don't want to feed them too much. Too much protein will lead to pyramiding, stress on internal organs and other health problems. Treats other than commerical pellets, should be offered once a month or so.

If you have a choice, you should feed them in the morning. Their metabolism increases when they are basking and they should be able to digest their food more efficiently.

I've had my turtles going on 3 years. I fed them once every day the first year and then after finding this site, I started feeding them once every other day with veggies in between. As missi said, you do not want to feed them a diet too high in protein ever, regardless of their age.

so is it really 6 months before you cut down to every other day feedings? everyone seems to be in agreeance to that.

Mine was a little after 6 months, but around that time is fine.

My RES are also 3 years old but I still give them pellets everyday but only about half the amount that would fit into their head.

I've fed most of my turts once a day until they were almost a year old---I just cut down a little on the portion size as they neared a year.

If you feed earlier in the day, they'll also have a chance to work off some calories swimming.

What about garden worms, would they be ok.

If the soil hasn't been treated with pesticides I would think they'd be OK. I dig worms for my turts sometimes and they love them.