Feeding and Nutrition :: RES without food

[nianne]

Am planning to go on vacation for 15 days. How many days can my RES stay without being feed?

[kmichael55]

If you can't find anyone to come over and feed him, you could put feeder fish in his tank so that he can feed himself when he gets hungry, and also buy aquatic plants for him to munch on. 15 days is kind of a long time to go unsupervised though, I would be too concerned about my turtles. You should try to find a friend or neighbor who wouldn't mind stopping over and taking care of them.

[greek]

i also think 15 days are too many..

[jenaero]

I'd be more concerned about the filter/heater/lamps malfunctioning while you're gone. Are your lights on a timer? If so, I'd get someone to stop in every couple of days to check on them.

[SpotsMama]

i agree with eveyone else's comment.

Also, there are some automatic fish feeders that release a certain amount of food on a daily basis. That might help.

Best if you could get whoever comes in to check the filter et al to do the feeding. You could measure out the appropriate quantity for a feeding.

But if you are going to depend on someone else, be sure they are dependable!

[steve]

I replied to your cross-post, but you should read this link: www.redearslider.com/left_alone.html

[nianne]

Thanks everyone,

I live in Bangkok and i inherited my RES from a friend who left for Canada. Since it is already a hot climate she did not have any UB light or lamp for him. He seems to be thriving in the tank without all this and just a normal filter.

Was also wondering if giving him pieces of bread (whole wheat) are ok. Have also being giving him cornflakes. He seems to enjoy both as a snack, apart from his normal pellets in the morning.

Thanks guys.

[marisa]

I'd skip both--look at the ingredients of his pellets. Many brands contain fillers like wheat and corn already, so he really doesn't need more of that. Try more vegetable matter (leafy greens---look at the list on what to feed) and some foods like crickets and worms (not mealworms, though) to add more variety to his diet. Look at the thread started by asdf0019 for more opinions on leaving your turtle while you're away.