Feeding and Nutrition :: share your turtle's meal plan

[pixiedust]

i just thought it would be helpful for relatively new turtle owners like me to have a thread like this where we could share our meal plans for our turtles.

so how 'bout it? what is your turtle's meal plan?

[KalinaBallerina]

Nice idea!

I kind of have it easy with greens - the reptile shop near me sells "salad" which I buy pre-mixed (it contains collard greens, carrots, dandilion greens, spinach greens, romaine lettuce and something else...) and shredded and dusted with calcium dust. It's $1.89 for a pint, and that lasts me easily 10 - 12 days. Toni LOVES the stuff - i think when it's shredded it makes it easier for her to eat, but she certainly makes a big mess of it, which is why I feed her in a separate container. I offer "salad" every day.

Every other day, I feed about 8 - 10 pellets (Reptomin). I got an entire plastic bag full of different kinds of pellets when I adopted Toni from the rescue because they are trying to get rid of their pellets - people donate them to the rescue. So, I poured all varieties of pellets together (Reptomin, NutraMax, ExoTerra and Mazuri) to make a pellet "mix" so that she has variety.

I also have between 8 - 12 aquatic plants in the tank at any given time - so she munches on the anarchis or others if she gets hungry. There are 8 feeder fish in the tank - so, they're there if she aquires that hunting instinct some day. Until then, the fish clean her shell!! I float cuttlebone in the water - she doesn't seem to know what to do with it yet.

Monthly, I'll give something as a treat - perhaps a few peeled grapes (which my previous Turtle LOVED) or some shrimp treat/mealworms.

[jenaero]

Monday - 1 large earthworm each

Tuesday - red leaf/green leaf lettuce or dandelion when available

Wednesday - 3 freeze dried crickets each

Thursday - same as tuesday

Friday - pellets

Saturday and Sunday are veggie days as well.

When they're out of the tank for cleaning I'll give them shredded carrots, yellow peppers or whatever else I have on hand.

Occasionally I'll give them whatever the box turtles didnt eat that day(silkworms, hornworms, butterworms)

[Starchick]

My turtles get pellets every day. I know it's supposed to be what would fit in their head every other day, but they beg and I feel bad not feeding daily, so I just cut the amount in half and feed every day. They also get some kind of leafy greens every day, usually dark romaine or green leaf lettuce, and a bit of some other kind of vegetable, like carrots or peppers. That's their normal diet, but once in a while I'll treat them with bloodworms or tuna, or give anacharis instead of lettuce.

[DavidY]

For veggies, which they get very day, I buy the bagged salads at the grocery store. I usually get one back of Romaine lettuce and another of "Field Greens" which is a variety of different leafy greens (romaine, endive, raddichio, and some shredded carrots). I give them as much as they'll finish within the first 9 hours of lights on (the last 3 hours are for digestions ).
Once in a while I'll give them some bell pepper, green bean, a slice of strawberry or other veggie/fruity treat (still experimenting to find what they like).

For pellets I switch between Reptomin and ZooMed, every other day, or half the amount daily like Starchick does, depending on how much they beg (and how weak my resolve is).

Maybe once a week, I'll give them a couple of gut-loaded live crickets too. They go crazy over those since they're easier to catch than the minnows are. Oh yea, there's a healthy school of rosy reds living in there with them!

[Turtle addict]

Sunday-
water turtles- greens
tortoises- weeds from yard
Monday-
water turtles-pellets- just a few each
tortoises-hay
Tuesday-
water turtles- fruit- a few bites
Tortoises- pumpkin and squash
Wednesday-
water turtles- greens
tortoises- weeds from yard
Thursday-
Water turtles- pellets
tortoises- greens
Friday-
Everyone gets veggies
Saturday-
Water turtles- mixed meats- seafood, chicken, liver all cooked
Tortoises- Hay

Once a month we get feeder minnows and they each get two. And crickets are bought weekly but noone but the japanese and box will eat them.

The woods get the same as the water turtles, the baby boxies get fed daily and are now on a diet of greens, cuttlebone, seafood,and fruits all mixed in the blender every other day with worms the other days.

There are a few species specific ones who get things changed a bit...with the russian getting more variety of fruit, the woods get worms etc.

Greens- bagged organic from grocery store- romiane, green leaf, red leaf, leafy herbs, escarole, endive. we change it weekly.
Pellets I use only mazuri, unless the turtle is under 2 inches then they get reptomin sticks broken in half.
Fruit I use fresh only and cut it into bite size pieces- banana, apple, grapes, berries, whatever I can find. All organic
Veggies- I try to mix frozen with fresh, changes weekly but carrots, peas, corn, squashes, green beans.
Worms are normally earth,and wax.

[DavidY]

woo, that must be a lot of work. But it's 37 times more fun, right? I wish I could hang out at your place!

[Turtle addict]

LOL! I have it down...the food is cut and everything once a week and then put into a bag to pass out. Takes me about 15 minutes in the mornings to feed them all.

[SpotsMama]

Spot gets pellets every day. Like with Starchick's turtles, he gets half a head full every day. He gets something green every day - leaf lettuce, anacharis, romaine. About once a month, when he's been very good, he gets a small shrimp.

It's hilarious to see him with a shrimp. He runs like mad with it - back and forth. It appears that he's trying to get it away from the other turtles (other turtles????) before they get it.

Maybe once a month he gets a couple of freeze dried gut loaded crickets. Sometimes he gets a couple of blueberries or an apple peal. There's always cuttlebone in his tank.

[KalinaBallerina]

SpotsMama - Toni does the "running" thing with food also! If I give her a strawberry (which she does seem to enjoy), she will tear around the tank holding it in her mouth for at least 8 - 10 minutes before even attempting to eat it! We call it the "battering ram" turtle move because she runs into everything when she's doing this because she can't see around the food!

[DavidY]

rofl! That's too funny! Aw man, turtles are so cute! Gotta love these little guys.

[Tertule]

So one head of lettuce is good to give to a turtle?

[DavidY]

She means enough pellets to fit inside a turtle's head. That's a general rule of thumb for how much pellets to feed a RES every other day. That's a rough guide, no scientific data for that one, lol!

[Tertule]

Here's an idea then David, if they can make flintstone's vitamins in the shape of people why can't the turtle food makers make turtle pellets in the shape of the appropriate aged turtle's head?

And do you really think a turtle can fit it's head in it's stomach?

I said it because it was punny, lol.

[DavidY]

lol!