Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my turtles are a little over 4 years old. i tried to feed them some veggies like carrots and other greens like romaine leaves or just plain lettuce. am i tryin to feed em greens too early? because i want them to start eating healthier food other than the reptomin ive been feeding them. if its not too early, what's a good way to help them adapt to greens?

Plain lettuce isn't very good to feed RES. It has absolutely no nutritional value. I would try different leafy greens like dandelion greens, bok choy and i know my turts LOVE collard greens. You could also try water plants like anarchis, water lily, etc. Eventually they will "get hungry enough" and eat them. Stay away from the protein for a while. If they think they can get that, then they'll "hold out" for a bit. Once they start eating the greens, then slowly put the protein back in every few days. Hope this helps....
-----
~walnut~
Turtle Pics
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

4 years definitely is NOT too early to be feeding them greens... and actually they should have started eating "some" greens around their first year. my turtles are about 2 yrs old and they LOVE dandelion leaves... i only feed them protein every other day or so. mostly they get slices of carrots, dandelion greens and collard greens. i also tried cucumber skin, and they seemed to eat it, but didnt really seem to enjoy it much. i try to vary their diet so that they can get a taste of everything! but it's definitely not early... i think your turtles are just holding out because they 'know'/think that you will give them protein if they dont eat the greens right away. i had to leave the greens in the water for awhile before they'd even look at it. but eventually they tried it and havent stopped since! i hope this helps you out best wishes!
-----
~ Evie

Pets:
0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.1 Snail {Gary}

where do i get dandelion greens? ive never heard of this kind of food before, but it seems like RES like those. do they sell these at a pet stores?

You can get dandelion greens at most big name grocery stores. Look in the lettuce section where they sell fresh herbs and stuff. They are usually in with those. You can also use ones from your lawn, but you need to make sure that there have never been any type of pesticides used on them. Sometimes the dandelions you will find in your yard are more "bitter" than the ones you get in the store and might not be to your RES's liking. Depends on their tastes i guess
-----
~walnut~
Turtle Pics
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

they really sell dandelion greens in grocery stores?? i NEVER knew there... i have ALWAYS picked mine fresh from my yard... my tutles LOVE them... plus they like carrots and lettuce too. i just cant believe tehy sell dandelion greens in the stores... i am astonished! are there any fruits that RES will eat? i have tried grapes and such... but havent had any luck yet! thanks for any info
-----
~ Evie

Pets:
0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.1 Snail {Gary}

yea watabout fruits? i got plenty of those in my fridge.

I occasionally give my turts pieces of mango, banana, and grapes. The just love um to death and gobble them right up. Especially the mango, they go crazy for it!
-----
3 Dobermin Pinschers
4 African Grey Parrots
1 Lesser Sulfer-Crested Cockatoo
3 Cockatiels
1 Male Iguana
1 Female RES
1 Juvi YBS
1 Juvi Northern Red-Belly Slider
1 Flying Fox
1 Pleco.
Dozens of Platies

Becareful of too much banana. It has a lot of phosphorus (sp?) in it which is not goog for turts...i believe it interacts with their ability to absorb the vitamin D they need...
-----
~walnut~
Turtle Pics
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

Right, I try to limit the amount of banana i give them. I only give it to them on rare occasions. It has too much oxalic acid which prevents the absorbtion of calcium. Thanks for your concern.
-----
3 Dobermin Pinschers
4 African Grey Parrots
1 Lesser Sulfer-Crested Cockatoo
3 Cockatiels
1 Male Iguana
1 Female RES
1 Juvi YBS
1 Juvi Northern Red-Belly Slider
1 Flying Fox
1 Pleco.
Dozens of Platies

i've been giving romaine lettuce and carrots....she'll only eat the lettuce
-----
0.0.1 Red Eared Slider

Yes. Romaine doesn't offer as many nutrients as some other greens (dandelion, collard, etc.) but it is a perfectly good "filler" food. I leave some in my turtles' tank every day.

Nancy