Feeding and Nutrition :: New Baby Turtle

[ill_motions]

I have never had a Turtle before and I want too make sure I get it on a good Eating regimend so It isnt stuck on one kind of food. He really seems too like the blood worms I sometimes feed the fish every other day. I tried giving some reptomin baby pellets but he really doesnt like them at all. I have gotten him to nip at it but he swallows a very small amount and spits the rest out. I even tried soaking the pellets in the blood worms frozen juice if you will too add flavor and it seemed to trick him in to eating a bit but he still spit out a good amount. I also started offering red leaf lettuce, he has some ferns to munch on and a sword plant. Its also hard to get the pellets near him without him freaking out majorly. So I haven't really seen him eat any sort of pellet yet.

there is also kind of a brownish area on his shell. was wondering if it was too big of a problem? I will put up some pictures in a few days.

any tips would be appriciated on raising baby turtles

Thanks

[steve]

I take it that its a hatchling? You can try different brands (they have assorted shapes and colors) and see if that would have any effect. You can drop the pellets in the water or leave them on the basking area for him to grab. If the turtle is in a new home, its reasonably understandable that it will be skittish.

If he is healthy, then you can gradually reduce the amount of blood worms and increase the pellet ratio. Some people have had good luck with the tough love approach and its worth the effort to try.

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. Try some live foods as well (cut up an earthworm, try some small crickets).

Are you buying frozen bloodworms in cubes? If you are, look for San Francisco Bay Brand Aquatic Turtle Diet (a blister pack of cubes that contain your turtle's beloved bloodworms as well as bits of anachris, carrots, pollock, and added nutrients. Every hatchling (and older turtle) I've tried them on has liked them. Cut a cube into quarters so it's easy for your turtle to eat. They are messy, though, so either feed in a separate feeding container or be prepared to do more frequent cleaning. These are mean to be a part of your turtles overall diet.

[ill_motions]

San Francisco Bay Brand Aquatic Turtle Diet I have petco, petsmart. any of those store carry it?.. Ill have to try the tough love thing, I usually give my aquarium blood worms once a week and I drop them in there late at night for my glass cat fish every other day, he goes right for em tho big pig. I actually wait till night for my cat fish so the more greedy fish and turle don't get to em first. prolly in a couple months im gunna get a bigger tank for the turtle, hopfully he wont eat my cat fish.

[marisa]

Where I am, Petsmart carries it.