Feeding and Nutrition :: Wanted to make sure this was right...

[tauc87]

My mom just bought me a RES this past Saturday. She's a female and shes about 2 inches long or less (I'm guessing she's still a baby?) The lady that sold her to my mom said I should feel her 2 turtle pellets a day. Is she right? Is that enough? I don't wanna' starve Greeny. I'm going to start feeding her lettuce, more healthy stuff... I don't like the idea of pellets... I don't know why. What can I feed her? I've been reading a lot on RES's but I would love to hear more. Thanks!

[ice]

2 doesnt seem like enough, unless shes really small. since she's young, feed her the amount of pellets that would fit in her head if it was hollow, not including her neck.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

I would only feed two if she was around an inch long, at 2 inches she could probably eat 3. Pellets are actually very good for them, in addition to other healthy foods like vegetables, it should be ok..

By the way, you cant know if your turtle is a girl or a boy yet..not until he/she is around 4 inches.

Do you have all the basic requirements? UVB/UVA lighting, water heater, filter, basking area? Etc..

[DavidY]

Hi and welcome to the forum! At 2 inches your turtle is most likely still just a baby. They're really cute at that age! There's a lot of good information on this website. Here's the link to the nutrition section...http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Generally the rule of thumb for feeding babies is to give her enough pellets that would fit inside the space of her head (not including the neck) if it were hollow. Do this once a day and add some vegetables (Red or Green Leaf Lettuce, Romaine, Dandelion leaves, etc) every day. Remove any uneaten pellets before they disintegrate or get sucked up by the filter and remove uneaten lettuce by the end of the day. A good variety of food and veggies is beneficial. The nutrition link above will list a good variety of foods to choose from.

Also make sure to read the section on Basic Care and especially what's mentioned here...http://www.redearslider.com/startup.html. You want to make sure you have everything you need to keep your turtle healthy and happy.

Feel free to ask anymore questions after you've had a chance to read the info on the web site!

[tauc87]

Hmm... That's makes sense... She has a small head lol she's tiny.



Haha I thought she was a girl because I read this http://www.redearslider.com/determining_sex.html and it looks just like the female.

Right now I only have a little tank with a light. I'm in the process of buying her all she needs. I've cleaned the water like 3 times already (I used bottled water)

Thank you everyone for your help. Please keep posting more lol I can use any help

[DavidY]

Aww that's a cute turtle! At that small age, make sure to keep her out of cold drafts like airconditioners as they can catch pneumonia really easily. Also, it might be a good idea to not handle her too much at first as she is probably really stressed about being moved around so much. It usually takes a new turtle a couple of weeks to settle down in their new home. Have you seen her eat yet?

[tauc87]

I haven't seen her eat but I wanted to make sure she did eat so I put 1 pellet on one of the rocks I bought her at Petsmart and when I got home it was gone.

What are all the things she REALLY needs? The most important things.

[DavidY]

Well, all the things listed in that link are the most important things. I assume you have a tank with water in it to keep her in? For a 2" turtle you should have at least a 20gal long tank filled 3/4 of the way with water. You also need to have a heater to keep the water temperature around 78 degrees, a basking dock or ramp of some kind for the turtle to climb all the way out of the water to dry off, a regular light bulb and a UVB light bulb over the basking platform so the turtle can warm up and dry off (the UVB light is so the turtle can grow healthy bones and shell). The temperature on the basking platform should be between 88 to 90 degrees. You will need a good thermometer to make sure the water and basking temperatures are correct. These are more important with baby turtles since they are much more delicate than adults. A good water filter will also keep the water cleaner since turtles are very messy animals. If you don't have a good filter, you will need to do more water changes more often.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

UVB/UVA lights, water heater, filter, a 20 gallon tank (bigger is better, its 10 gallons per inch of your turtle, when it is an adult, it will need a 120 gallon tank) thermometers.

Without those items mentioned above your turtle will get ill and live a crappy life, in lamens terms.