Feeding and Nutrition :: Confused about feeding

[davidthegreat]

So, I read that I should give my turtle 25% pellets, 25% live prey, and 50% vegetables.

But the pellets I buy say it is a complete and balanced diet for turtles, and that is contains vegetables and proteins. So, do I need to add vegetables or not?

What is the best food to use for baby turtles? Thanks!

[roo450]

my turtle wont eat any veg at all,as a baby he liked blood worms and shrimp,wouldnt eat pellets at all..now he eats anything and every thing

[Marcus.85]

Pet companies are full of sh*t. Pellets is not a complete diet, not even near.
Usually one uses pellets just to add some vitamins to the diet, or just to settle their appetite in low-feeding days.

[Seroster]

Pellets are basically the "staple" of a turtles diet, kinda like eating a sandwich every day for lunch. It doesn't have everything you need, but it's relatively well-rounded and provides the core things you need in a meal.

Other foods are for basically the same things as humans, like eating your veggies and taking vitamins. They're there to improve your quality of life, giving you a well-rounded diet and making sure you get everything you need to stay healthy.

When they're young, pellets every day is normal. After they get a bit older though, that much protein actually becomes a negative factor, so it's better to give them the pellets every other day, and veggies every day.

As for live fish, I would think they were a nice addition to a turtle's diet, especially at a young age, but I've yet to give mine anything other than vegatables & pellets, just cause I'm too lazy to get live fish.

[LilTurtSquirt]

[marisa]

I use Reptomin Baby for small hatchlings.

And yes, introducing babies to plant matter (veggies and or aquatic plants) when they're small is a good thing to do. It's good for variety and gets them used to nibbling on plants, which become more important as RES get older.

I would give any prey, live or otherwise, as an occasional treat.

[worldpeace]

That is very true: getting them used to veggies when they're young is a must. I just rescued a 2 year old female RES who has never been exposed to any veggies or plants and therefore I'm having a great deal of trouble trying to get her to eat some "greens". On the other side, my little guy Charlie who's about 7 months old, eats a lettuce leaf as big as my hand about 2 or 3 times a week (I'm not going to mention his appetite for blueberries and grapes).

[gwennie]

I voted for Wardley's because I actually recognize that brand XD Really, most pellets are pretty much the same - read the ingredients to see exactly what they have in them.

You should definitely be offering veggies - the sooner you do it, the easier it is to get them to eat them when they're older and shouldn't be eating as much protein ^^