Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just received two baby softshells for my birthday (hooray!) and the man at the store told me to feed them freeze dried bloodworms and they have been eating those daily. I also bought some reptomin, but they haven't touched it even though I knew they were hungry. I also read somewhere that live minnows were good to feed them too, so I bought 6 of those today and the turtles are scared of them. How and what new food items should I introduce to these babies? Any suggestions would be great, they seem to be finicky eaters.

Thanks.

If you want them eating fish, then try guppies, they are quite small even as adults and make good food for baby turtles. Don't offer them turtle food from a can or whatever, until you are confident that they will eat it. Keep feeding them the bloodworms, but occasionally put a dozen guppies or so in. Don't handle them, and keep their enclosure clean and try offering them turtle sticks or pellets or whatever in a few months.
Michael
Michael's Place

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www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

Thanks so much for the advice. Yesterday, they seemed hungry so I dropped some Reptomin baby in their tank and they ate some, which made me very happy and I am going to buy them some guppies today and see how they respond to that. I have another question: Today the water in my softshell's tank is very bubbly (like tiny white bubbles everywhere) at the top and I am not sure what it is or why. Would you know anything about this?

Thank you.

The bubbles usually show up from fresh tap water, or if you have a filter in the tank, atleast in my experience. I do not know why they show up, but they won't harm the turtles.
Michael
Michael's Place

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www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

Other things I've fed my turtle when he was tinier were different kinds of live feeder insects such as crickets, wax worms, meal worms, and he really likes chunks of night crawler.

For some reason he's never liked fish, now he's got some "fishy friends" who've lived with him for over a year now instead (feeder whiteclouds - guppies not offered where I live)