Feeding and Nutrition :: Leafy Greens?

[MiLhOuSe]

How should I go about feeding my two RES lettuce? Should I hand-feed them, feed them with a spoon, or just drop it right in the tank? Sometimes if I just drop it in they will just push it away. What should I do??

[missibsu]

I just drop the lettuce by the whole leaf into the tank. Sometimes I cut out the stalks first, because they don't like those.

If you are having trouble getting them to eat greens, it may require some tough love. Try not feeding pellets for a couple of days, but make sure there is veggies for them to choose from. They'll get hungry enough to eat them.

I never had to go as far as the tough love. I left the lettuce in the tank a couple of days, replacing it as needed because it would wilt. It didn't take too long before they figured out they were supposed to eat it too!

[MiLhOuSe]

Missibsu, what would you say are your turtles favourites? Mine adore Romaine lettuce and carrots, when I thinly grate them? I've actually never tried putting whole leaves in, couldn't they shoke by taking a chink that's too big out of it? And how much lettuce should I feed it a day?

[sonyj]

I've always dropped whole leaves in and Koopa tears the chunks off as he wants ( when smaller, he'd use the lettuce as a floaty first though ). I usually rotate between green leaf and red leaf lettuces. Remember the darker the leafy green, the more vitamin A it contains. Also, try dandelion greens. I usually drop one to two large leaves in a day along with whatever other veggies I give for the day (rotating between carrots, zucchini, red bell peppers, tomato, sweet potato etc).

[missibsu]

Mine used to float on their lettuce too! Mine bite chunks out of it, but usually pretty small pieces. I have never worried about them choking on it.

[MiLhOuSe]

I Tried Dropping the whole lettuce (with the stalk cut out) in the tank, and Dribble and Jasmine loved it! I think Jasmine only ate it because she was jealous though. I have only experimented with carrots and lettuce so far, but today I'll try some bell peppers and red leaves.

[BullDog]

This is the first I'd heard about cutting the stalks out... I put some young lettuce in the tank, and Ralph ate all of it, but now that the lettuce is mature, he just eats around the stalk I thought he was just picky, but apparently, it's universal

[sonyj]

I don't cut the stalks out of mine unless it is very tough and a really mature leaf. Otherwise, Koopa always eats all of it. He usually saves the stalk for last and nibbles on it for the rest of the day.

[missibsu]

Mine have never eaten the stocks...unless it is the pieces from the core of the plant. I find it easier to cut them out then to have them dirtying the tank.

[marisa]

The big stalks on some lettuce, particularly romaine, are nothing but water and a waste (I've posted about this before). I remove as much of them as possible.

[reptilegrrl]

I feed collard greens, dandelions, and red and romaine lettuce. U just drop in a leaf. He wil take bites out of it and sometimes drag it under the wayer as he goes. He also eats anacharis, and water celery (leaves only). He used to love water hyacinth, but now he will only eat it if eveyrthing else he likes is gone. He will only eat hornwort if everything else is gone.

As far as non-leafies go, he also likes zucchini if it is peeled, likes carrots, and he loves red bell peppers.