Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been reading some of the other posts and I see a lot of people say that they give Reptomin pellets to their RES's "only as a treat." I don't give Reptomin to my RES that often but has there been any information that Reptomin is not a good turtle food? If that is the case, what brand of turtle pellets is recommended?

There is nothing wrong with Reptomin. I also read the post where the keeper said they had started using it as a treat rather than the staple of the turtles diet. I think that person was trying to reverse the effects of overfeeding and had started introducing veggies to the turtles diet. In any case, it is not a treat but should be used in conjunction with a variety of foods including whole or live foods and leafy greens to be sure your turtle is getting the nutrition it needs. Large turtles or those over 1year should not be fed more than every other day, with the exception of leafy greens which can be offered any time.

Hope that helps! Nancy

Nancy nailed it. Nothing is wrong with Repto-Min, its just that some people feed that, and only that. Thats when it becomes a problem. Turtles need more variety than that. Any pelleted food should not be used exclusively. You should work in live foods such as fish, crickets, earthworms, pinkies, ect. Also, in the wild, vegetation makes up a large part of a turtles diet. Romaine Lettuce, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, and a variety of aquatic plants such as Anacharis should be offered daily. Hope this clears up some things for you.
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 0.0.1 RES, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

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1 Dog ~Charmin~
1 RES ~Loquat~

i don't understand why everyone says it is bad to only feed reptomin. tell me, what would happen to your turtle if you only fed him reptomin? nothing. sure, feeding a variety may be less "boring" to your turtle, but nothing bad will happen to him if you only feed reptomin.

Actually, there is plenty wrong with feeding only reptomin. It is very high in protein, which leads to shell deformities and kidney failure. Feeding it as a supplement to a mainly veggie diet is the best thing you can do.
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I fed my turts purely reptomin and it made their shells start to pyramid. It's easy to just throw reptomin in the tank and prob cheaper than always buying veggies, but if you want to give these guys what they really need nutritionally, you won't do that.
walnut
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1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Hehe...I see Reptomin as too rich and making a turtle's body function like a machine (like giving super-unleaded fuel to a car all the time). It'll help them grow but not necessarily improve on holistic health.

In the wild, RES and many other aquatics would skim the surface for bits and pieces of floating vegetation, algae, dead bugs, etc...and then supplement with carrion, invertebrates, and occasionally catch something live. I think Reptomin focuses on the best parts of a food...it's like humans eating nothing but super-protein-rich supplements packed with vitamins and minerals all rolled into a bar. I prefer a hamburger today, salad tomorrow, rice krispies, some beer, water, a sushi there, some cola, etc...I personally think variety builds stronger immune systems so the body can handle many random types of food when ingested. Makes me wonder why my grandma's dogs, who were fed nothing but rice and leftover table scraps (bones, fish, fruits, fried chicken, crackers), still managed to live to 13 years much like many dogs who live off formulated diets.

i think i was the one or one of the ones that said i only feed it as a treat. as far as i know reptomin is one of the best pelleted food out there...i am at this point only feeding it as a treat bc my turts are only a year old and up to this point i was ONLY feeding them reptomin and veggies as a treat...so i'm just kinda reversing the effects of that...when my turts start to get used to veggies and eat them consistantly then i will put reptomin back in their "diet" but right now...if i fed it as more than a treat they kinda shy away from the veggies...
sorry for confusing you!!
walnut
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1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish