Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeding question, new RES owner

[RetroTurtle]

HI all,

New to the site here, the information I've read so far is very helpful. We just purchased our first RES last night. The tank is 40 gallons, and we have 1 filter going so far with a turtle dock for her, and the lamp on the side of the aquarium.

I got the recommended pellet food; it's a gourmet mix of pellets, cranberries, and some tiny freeze dried shrimp I believe. The pet store, Petco, said they feed their turtles every day but this site and the directions on the bottle say every other day. I did feed her this morning but I was running late for work so I didn't get to see if she ate anything yet. Is it better to feed and then wait for them to eat?

Also, she spent all of last evening and night in the water, occasionally popping her head to the surface. I assume it takes them some time to get used to their new environment before they start using the dock?

Also, will they normally eat right away when you feed them?

Thanks all!!

Matt

[steve]

Hi Matt, how big is the turtle? And what are the water temperatures? Basking, eating and all that other turtle stuff depends on their habitat conditions.

[RetroTurtle]

She's about 4" but I'll measure tonight when I get home for sure. Water temps as of last night was about 73 degrees, but now I'm reading that it needs to be at least 75. The lamp should heat up the water some I would imagine but I'm thinking we may need a tank heater too.

The habitat is in the dining room, about 3 ft. to the right of a window.

[jenaero]

I've been using that same food recently and all my girls love it. Give her some more time to settle in. It's totally normal for a turtle to take a few days or even a week to get comfortable enough in a new environment to start eating. Put the food in and then watch from a distance. Hovering will probably keep her from coming up to the surface.

A tank heater isn't a bad idea either. 73 I would say is fine, but might as well bump it up a bit if you can. That will help stimulate her appetite as well.

[RetroTurtle]

Thanks Jenaero! I've been pricing tank heaters at Petco here this afternoon, they seem pretty reasonable so it's probably a good idea to have one anyway especially since it's winter and the water is likely to stay cooler around this time of year, even inside.

I did notice that when I looked at the cage from the other room, that's when she had her head popped out of the water.

Also noticed she tends to hang out under the dock, I'm guessing because everything is still new. She does swim around though in the tank pretty good.

[RetroTurtle]

Picked up a tank heater at Petco last night, seems to be working fine but we'll test the water again tonight and see how it's holding up.

I'm wondering if feeding in the morning isn't the best time, but rather in the evening when I'm home. I don't know that she's eaten anything since we brought her home 2 days ago. She's active and swimming around, but doesn't go on her dock yet. I read that it can take some time before they start eating normally but I'm thinking of putting her on an evening schedule so I can see for sure if she's munching on the pellets and stuff.

[steve]

I like to feed veggies in the morning and give some pellets at night. If you only feed one time a day, try to do it in the morning so they can bask afterwards. They will also learn when you feed them, so try to be consistent when they get their meals.

[RetroTurtle]

Once she actually starts basking that would probably be a good idea..LOL.

If you feed them carrots for example, baby carrots, I assume you cut them up into smaller pieces and then just drop them in the water?

[steve]

Yea, I slice them up. Sometimes as sticks or as discs... doesn't really matter.