Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeding turtle gutloaded crickets

[Ozzyy]

my 6 week old hatchling res, paco, wouldn eat any thing in his cage unless it moved. he nibbles pellets and uses the anachris i put in there for him as a "bed". one day i put a cricket in my lizards cage to feed him. he refuse it. i saw paco staring at the lizard (he has some infatuation with it to the point wear he swims to the side of his tank closes to the lizards cage) so i put the cricket in pacos tank.... he chased it down and ate it. i was wondering..... he nibbles veggies but doesnt eat them... would it be possibe to gut load the crickets with veggies and then feed them to paco?

ps. can dried tomato seed be part of a staple diet

[turtledudee]

crickets =YES
tomato seed= idk

i wouldn't replace the pellets with the crickets though.
crickets are considered treats for my turtle, but it is safe for them to eat 'em.

[missibsu]

I have no clue what crickets are gut loaded with, but I would venture to say that even veggies isn't a fair substitute for the real thing. Best thing is to get them used to eating their veggies, and understand that it is a process and may take awhile.

[Pokey's Grandpa]

Um, I have an unrelated question but why is your turtle Dribble down the street in a pond?

[SpotsMama]

The crickets I buy are gut-loaded with calcium, which is a good thing.

[Ozzyy]

um.... he escaped ... i know he is in that pond cause he as a distinct red ear shape on his head sortof an 8 shape. when he escaped i was devestaded and one day i went fishind and bam there was dribblein the water... he seemed to be doing fine in the wild because he had been gone for atleast 2 years

[Ozzyy]

oh what animals have calcium in them i am in a tight siotuation with money at the moment.

[missibsu]

Snails are a good source of calcium. There are small little snails called cornucopia snails (amongst other names). You can't buy them in petstores because they are considered a pest. They come in on fresh water plants. My local petsmart gives them to me if I ask for them. You can try that as a free option for calcium.

Cuttlebone can be had for about a buck. And it is also a great source of calcium.

[marisa]

Some of the leafy green veggies likes dandelions and aquatic plants like duckweed also contain calcium.

[Ozzyy]

is it ok to try the tough love method on a hatchling?

[missibsu]

You mean in terms of offering veggies? I don't know that I would just yet. If he really is just 5 weeks (is that how old he is, or how long you have had him?) he may not eat the veggies yet. Keep offering them, but offer the pellets too. Just leave a leaf of lettuce float and replace as needed when it gets old.

[Ozzyy]

oh ok... he reall enjoys eating live crickets.... i never new they swam..... ive also notice he prefers his foood to be in "motion" when he eats it.

[Ozzyy]

oh and hes about 6 weeks old.. ive had him for five

[marisa]

Hatchlings are attracted to the movement of live food as well as foods that have strong smells.

[Ozzyy]

i put in a worm... i went downstairs to feed the dogs and bam i see paco with a worm in his mouth