Feeding and Nutrition :: Suggested feeding schedule for a hatchling?

[Iowaturtle]

Hello, I have had my hatchling western painted turtle and in the last month he's grown maybe a little more than a quarter inch. I feel like he's being over fed. Any tips on when and how much I should be feeding him on a daily basis? Right now it's either a minnow or eathworm per day, or he gets some dried shrimp and dried meal worms (I only do two meal worms max a week) he also eats red leaf and romain lettuce when I offer a small piece every other day.

His colors are kind of fading on his plasteron and I'm a little nervous that I'm really failing in some area. Please give any tips or advice and thank you

[steve]

Best way to tell if you're overfeeding a hatchling is the size of the growth seams. 1/4" is a little bit much, especially for a painted. Is he getting any pellets?

[Iowaturtle]

Seem about a 1/4 inch. He has been ignoring pellets but now that I'm cutting back in minnows he is starting to eat them

[Iowaturtle]

Notice I spelled plastron wrong... Total rookie here. Just wanna do things right though

[ljapa]

Steve is right, watch the growth seams. One thing I noticed when feeding a hatchling RES is the unevenness of the growth.

What I saw was a period of slow growth, where over feeding would lead to growth seams, followed by a ravenous growth spurt where I'd be feeding the same thing that seemed too much a week earlier and the turtle would look emaciated. The next week, the same food would be too much.

Advice I got during this period was too watch the skin between the neck and the front feet when swimming. If it is bulging out or even even, you are over feeding. Slightly concave and you are doing it right. Sinking in too much and you are under feeding.

But my experience was that there was quite the variance in terms of physiological response to food.

[Iowaturtle]

Well he does have a slight concave. (Also one of the reasons besides the long tail why I think that he's a male) I feel like I e done well cutting down the protein. He LOVES LOVES his lettuce and I realize I wasn't offering him enough. So I'm changing that. Otherwise thank you for your response. I just want him to be healthy.