Feeding and Nutrition :: My Turtle is a Piggy

[kris10powell]

My turtle, Olivia, is eating every living thing we put in the tank. She is less than 3 inches and can consume 15 tadpoles in less than an hour. That was after 8 baby guppies and a rather expensive male. It seems as though she got her first taste of fish and is addicted. She is still eating pellets but how many fish is too much and how often should I allow her to eat them. I have tried the veggies and a couple different fruits 2 times this week but like the rest of the family she is not a health nut

[missibsu]

It's important to understand that the veggies are needed and that you can't give up on them. I wouldn't be encouraged to eat my veggies either if I knew that I was just going to get fish if I refused...

What you need is some tough love. Cut back on the live foods. Those should be a treat. And, if you don't want the turt eating your expensive fish, get them out of that tank. Anything that goes into the tank is likely to become food.

Turtles should be fed once a day the amount that would fit in their head if it were hollow. I use that rule of thumb for my pellets and fish combined. So, if they have had fish that day, they get even less pellets. Veggies are offered daily. It took mine a few days of leaving veggies in the tank before they caught on. I had to pull some pieces out and replace them with fresh. Main thing is, don't get discouraged. You can also try soaking the veggies in tuna juice or mixing it with some canned cat food. Understand that because your turtle seems to be so hooked on live foods, that you probably aren't going to want to feed them at all until she eats her veggies. If she refuses the veggies, don't offer her the fish instead, because then you are just reinforcing the negative opinion of the veggies. It won't hurt her if she goes a couple of days without being fed.

What kind of veggies are you offering her? She might like some options more than others, so be sure to try a variety. Mine love anything red or orange. Carrots, tomatos, red leaf lettuce, red pepper. The list goes on.

Also, you can try some aquatic plants too...

[sQuirtle]

it took sQuirtle maybe 2 days until he started eating his romaine lettuce. he was too used to eating his pellets and knew that wen he saw pellets, it was food. wen he first saw lettuce, he didn't think it was food. so i kept telling him (yes i actually TOLD him like he's my baby lol) that i won't feed him anymore pellets unless he eats his veggies. so everytime he swam to the surface of the water looking at me for food i always pointed to his lettuce. he quickly caught on! now i just put a leaf in his tank and after 2 hours its all gone

[kris10powell]

Thanks for the advise. I am starting to realize that its not just the live fish; she is wanting to eat anytime you go near her. If one of us walks by the tank or even stop to say hello she is right there looking for food. I informed everyone in the house ( 4 adults and 3 kids) that under no circumstances should anyone feed the turtle without my consent. I gave pellets and some Bananas for breakfast then tonight I let her have some tomato and small amount of carrots. She ate each time without even blinking an eye. I dont think she will ever be a picky eater... We are going to try lettuce and 2 small tadpoles tomorrow. Again, thanks for the advise.

Kristen

[Wes_RES]

So Wes is like that too...

Without all the fish!

I feed him pellets... He'll literally try to bite the glass to get it (along with the dock and filter).

Same with the delicious, protein-ey, krill treats!

He'll also eat carrots, cucumber, and blueberries! (I fed one to him on accident... )

He won't eat radishes or lettuce.

Should I wait and try to feed it to him?

[missibsu]

Start trying to expand his range now. The sooner it is done, the easier it will be. The krill treats should be just that, a treat, and offered maybe one or two times a month max. There is a list of what to feed in the stickys at the top of this section. Check that list for some great places to start with greens.