Okay, so there are about a thousand different takes on the question of feeding. I have had my turtle for about a year...am guessing he is maybe a year and a few months. Right now, he is 2 and 3/4 inches (he was about an inch smaller a year ago). He gets fed every other day...3 or 4 little round reptomin like pellets, a small pinch of shrimp, and dark green romaine lettuce when I have it for him to snack on. I read on the food bottle the other day that he should eat as much as he can in ten minutes, so I tried it. He ate about 20 pieces before he even slowed down and that was only in 5 minutes. He would have kept eating if I let him!! So this makes me wonder if all this time I have been starving my turtle. I really don't want to overfeed him, but there just aren't any clearcut "this is what a turtle should have" guidelines out there. Maybe someone can give me a better idea. Thanks a bunch!
Jennifer
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Feeding questions
Replies (4)
turtles will eat even if they are so full they cannot swallow. i have seen my RES eat so many worms that the last one he got he couldn't swallow...about an inch hung out of his mouth as he wandered/swam around. i say let him fill his gut. however, after 20 pellets, i would have quit feeding him too. find a comfortable middle ground on portion size.
I agree that you shouldn't go crazy when feeding them but I don't think that 5 pellets was sufficient for them. I feed my three res a palm full of pellets every other day because they are adults. I substitute with veggies on off days.
I`ve heard of two general guides for portion size. The first is to feed your turtle an amount equivalent to the size of it`s head, not including the neck. The second, for turtles over 1 year of age, let your turtle go hungry for two days. Then weight or measure a good amount of its favorite food. Feed the turtle until its eagerness subsides and it starts to eat more slowly/selectively. Stop feeding it and calculate how much it ate. In future feedings, feed it half of this amount. Up to one year, feed daily; after one year every other day. There is no limit on veggies, and they should be offered daily. Personally, I try to follow the first guide. Hope this helps.
Thanks to all of you. I think I will try and figure out what size his head is in relation to pellets. Thanks again!!
