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I have an 11 year old turtle who has never tried veggies until today, i havent actually handfed her/him before either.

I gave her/him some carrots, in small pieces, and il ltry lettuce tomorrow.

The problem is that i can only make her/him in them in the aquarium, Id like her/him to eat them outside since they rot very easily if i let them lay in there.

Any tricks to make her calm down and eat instead of running away? ( i carried her with both hands under her legs, and put her down on a towel with all the food on )

I am worried that im making her/him stressed, though i knew it wouldnt work on the first try.

try having a separate tank or plastic container with some water in it. you should not feed a turtle with no water because their digestive system requires water while eating to work. just use a medium sized plastic container and take a bit of water from the main tank and feed him in that. no food will rot in your tank, and you can ensure hes/shes getting her veges! also, try making the turtle jello shots, its loaded with good veges and my turtle loves it!

they do not produce saliva so they need water in order to eat. you can try putting them in a seperate container with water in it and feed that way.

and about the hand feeding, i would not suggest it. it seems fun and cool at first but after you get bit enough times you will wish you didnt even try it in the first place

RES don't have saliva glands. So you have to feed them in water.

Get some aquatic plants in the tank, they 'll be fine if your turtles don't eat them. And try veggie clips, it'll keep the veggies in the same spot.

i tried feeding her in a separate tank today, and it worked great though she was a bit anxious a while after.
thanks a lot for the good tips ;'D though i wont be able to try that jelly thing. i dont think the gelatine they sell here is very good to feed a turtle, and most of the ingredients arent available lol


how do veggie clips work and where do i get them? o.o

veggie clips are just like a normal clip but they are either magnetic or suction cupped to the side of the tank and u simply clip veggies onto it

Thank you, Ashley! I had tried for so long to make that point, but gave up because people seemed fixated on the saliva explanation. Many aquatics have reduced saliva glands (some none), but it is the fixed tongues that are the main reason why they need water to eat (to help push the food down).

Good point. How would they have mucus when sick if no saliva?