Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was doing a thorough inspection of my two RES the other day and noticed that one has become exceedingly fat (when he pulls his back legs in, his fat billows out). My other RES is fine. I think turtle dad may have snuck him lots of extra food before we got the second RES (and I caught turtle dad in the act). Turtle dad is a sucker for beggers.

I've had the fat one (Lil' Dude) for a year and I've had the other one (Lazarus) for about six months.

I feed them in separate containers, and I feed them both what they can eat in fifteen minutes. Should I cut back a little on how much I feed the overweight one? Or will his diet eventually even out.

Is turtle dad's calling him "fat butt" giving him a complex and low self esteem, thus causing him to overeat?

Thanks,
Concerned Turtle Mom

I would cut the chunky guy down to 3 feedings a week. Do they eat any greens or just pellets ?? Or???

I would not leave this to resolve itself and if your turtle is young it is not healthy for him to have so much excess fat (it will effect his growth and development)

I know it will make you feel bad to cut him down to every other day but I would do that for his own good.

Steve

He already eats every other day. I felt he was at the designated size that it would be okay. He's had this schedule for about two months.

His diet includes Reptomin and the occassional fruit or insect treat. They have veggies when I have time to deal with the filter (more often than treats). I'm trying to find a better way for them to have veggies all the time. They stick to my filter intake and either stop it from filtering (which burns up the motor) or harber insect growth inside the filter itself (that was gross). Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Go for the everyother day feeding for him them. He's storing it faster than he burns it.

Why don't you feed them the veggies in their separate feed containers as well?

They do clog up things something awful otherwise. Just toss the greens in the feeding tub and walk away for a while and let them munch away. I do this sort of thing with mine when I first get up in the morning and then just pull them out before I leave for work a few hours later. They demolish most of it by then anyhow and none gets in the tank this way. Course you still do have the droppings things to deal with I guess but alot of that will go into the feed tubs as well.

can you get anacharis, elodea, duckweed, salvinia, water hyacinth or water lettuce? these make much better foods (and are usually preffered by the turtles to grocery store greens) and can be left in the tank...if you skip a few more feedings and these water plants are left in there you'll not need to worry.