Question:i have three slider turtles and they are ALWAYS hungry. I feed them feeder fish (small goldfish) and between the three they can eat about 40 a day if gave them that many.. i feed them fish about 3 times a week...but i still think that's alot. Should i be giving them less and is that normal. They are always hungry and when they don't have fish they start digging through the rocks..
can anyone help. i don't want to overfeed them but i don't wnat them to starve either.. and pellets don't do anything for them.. they don't like them..
thanks!
Answers:
This actually completely depends on how fast you want them to grow. Being that you are only feeding them feeder fish, they may still be hungry because they aren't getting the proper nutrition. They need more than just live bait. To ensure proper nutrition, strong growth and a healthy long-lived turtle, feed a varied diet to both adults and juveniles. Just remember that adults eat less animal protein and more vegetable matter. Juveniles must be fed every day; adults can be fed once every two to three days. Do not feed more than they can eat; the excess food will go to waste and foul the water. Feed a combination of the following foods:
Commercial diets (No more than 25% of total diet)
Trout Chow, commercial floating fish, reptile or turtle food (pellets, sticks or tablets). The pellets and sticks have the advantage of being formulated specifically for reptiles and don't decompose in the water as fast as other foods.
Animal Protein (No more than 25% of total diet)
Live feeder fish--do not feed defrosted frozen fish; they are deficient in thiamin and excess consumption will cause a thiamin deficiency in your turtle. Earthworms--buy them from a reptile or aquarium store; do not feed the ones from your yard as they may contain bacteria, parasites and pesticides against which your turtle has no immunity. Finely chopped raw lean beef, beef heart and cooked chicken are okay for treats, but are not appropriate as a major part of a balanced diet for whole prey eaters. Raw chicken and beef is too often riddled with Salmonella, E. coli and other food-borne organisms. High quality dog kibble can be offered occasionally as treats, too; like muscle meat, dog and cat foods are not appropriate when used as a significant portion of a turtle's diet.
Plant Matter (50% or more of total diet)
Offer leaves of dark leafy greens such as collard, mustard and dandelion greens. Offer shredded carrots (and carrot tops), squash and green beans. Thawed frozen mixed vegetables may be used occasionally, but care should be taken as some frozen green vegetables develop thiaminase which destroys that all-important B vitamin. Fruit can be offered raw; shred hard fruits like apples and melons, chopping soft fruits such as berries. To help keep their beak in trim, let them gnaw on pieces of cantaloupe with the (well washed) rind still attached. Check out the edible aquatic plants sold at aquarium stores, too. You can drop these into their enclosure for them to free feed upon.
Vitamin Supplements should be added twice a week. Use a good reptile or turtle multivitamin. Turtles must also be supplied with additional calcium; they often enjoy taking bites out of calcium blocks and gnawing on cuttlebone, so always have some available to them.
I have a painted turtle and a soft shelled and we feed them pellets with a combination of blood worms and shrimp. A little bit every day. Hope that helped.
ask yur local petstore they will no all the answers
Feeder goldfish are high in fat & low in nutrition. Stop using them.
Baby aquatics do best on earthworms, insects, bait-shop minnows, and a small amount of pellets. As they grow older, they'll transition to an omnivorous diet.
feed them fruits
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