Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if it is ok to feed adult boxies a pelleted food like repto-min or any other type of turtle food? I'm not saying only feed them the pellet but added to their regular veggies and fruits?

Valerie, one of the Kingsnake forum hosts has a website with a bulk recipe for feeding large quantities of turtles (I think that he does some rehabbing, etc.), and he uses different pellet foods as the protein, and has great success with it.
I'm including a link so that you can read for yourself.
I personally feed Reptomin ( mixed with fruits greens and veggies) occasionally, when in a pinch, but I don't find it to be very cost effective, and I'm always wary of the preservative issue.
Regards,
Stephanie
Link

I give my easterns their mixed veggie/fruit meal with some pelleted pond fish food mixed on top 2 days a week and they all love it. One female even goes into the pond to eat those floating on the water on the days I don't feed it to them. I have been doing this since I have had them(4 years) and all are thriving.
Phil

Thanks, I'm wanting to find a pellets that will help with adding protein for her diet. Since it is now winter('im not hibernating her) I can't go outside and find earthworms for her to eat or other bugs. I have tried feeding cooked chiken breat and dog and cat foods and she likes them but i would rather not be feeding her animal protiens(i think i read somewhere its bad).

I was thinking untill i can get a worm compost going i would find a pellet. Plus using the pellets will be convient(i will still feed the veggies though).

My parents don't like the idea of having bugs in teh house so its hard to be able to feed her proteins.

Animal protein is not bad for turtles, its the fat content of canned dog and cat foods that you have to watch for. There are people on this forum who are longtime keepers who feed it to their turtles regularly, but are mindful to use a "senior" formula which has less fat than regular kinds. If I remember correctly, you want 3% fat content or less.

Yes i use the reduced fat dog and cat foods. But i remember reading a post on here that said you shouldn't feed your turtle chicken breast because its not the "right" kind of protien and you should be feeding worms or bugs instead. Which makes sense since they would eat bugs in the wild and are unlikely to come across a chicken breast but what do you do if you can feed worms or bugs?

So chicken breast, reduced fat cat and dog food(i dont' feed this often) and pellets will be ok for the protein part?

Wild box turtles probably DO eat baby birds that have fallen from the nest, baby rodents they may find, small snakes, minnows, carrion, etc., as they become available. I have seen one of mine stalk a mourning dove on a couple of occasions. They are opportunistic omnivores. I don't see how chicken breast could be considered the 'wrong' kind of protein, other than it possibly being full of chemicals.
I occasionally buy a whole organic chicken and boil it and chop the meat and feed it to mine as part of a varied, balanced diet.

Thanks, I dont' know why someone posted that it was bad either. I don't feed her chicken breast fromt eh soter i get organic chickens from my uncles farm. SO i know its not full of chemicals.