Other Turtle Discussion :: Funny Eating Habbits

[stephaniej]

Hello,
I just wanted to share the funny way my has learned to eat. My turtle is a Male albino RES and is 1yr old. Since he is albino, he has a hard time seeing his food. When he was a hatchling I noticed the feeder fish in his tank tend to eat his Jell-O shots before he can find them. I eventually started putting the Jell-O shots on his basking area(I know it says not to) and now his habit is to take a bite of the food and dive into the water to chew and swallow. It's fun to watch how he adapts to his disability.

Anyone else have a special needs turtle that has found funny ways around their disability?

[steve]

When my turtle couldn't see properly, he would only eat minnows. Since he couldn't finish them in one bite, he would usually choose to cripple them by going after their head first. It was pretty gruesome.

Why isn't it OK to put the Jell-O shots on his basking platform.

[stephaniej]

When my turtle couldn't see properly, he would only eat minnows. Since he couldn't finish them in one bite, he would usually choose to cripple them by going after their head first. It was pretty gruesome.

Why isn't it OK to put the Jell-O shots on his basking platform.

That sounds messy!! lol

I read somewhere that RES don't produce saliva and that putting food on the basking spot encourages them to nibble it. I figure that since he chomps in the water, he is fine. Also, he hasn't shown interest in nibbling the basking rock. He just sort of rubs his nose around until he bumps into the food, takes a chunk and dives.

[steve]

You're right they don't produce saliva. A few will try to eat out of water but most will grab a mouthful and take it back into the water. What about a feeding tub for the albino? Those jell-o treats can be pretty messy.

[xcristina]

You should be proud of him for getting used to doing that.
I usually do the same thing when my is very hungry and I want to give her a piece of lettuce or bell pepper, so as not to get completely splashed. The funniest thing is she doesn't even see them until I leave the room, because she'd just follow my fingers And after she finishes eating, she keeps getting up on the platform and turning her head towards me with the "whaaaaaaa...?? no more...??" look