Feeding and Nutrition :: How do you know he's getting enough to eat?

[Silvermist464]

My turtle is 5 inches now. He's growing, slowly, but he's growing. I'm feeding him twice a day, three full sized reptomin pellets broken in half. But it still doesn't feel like enough. He knows his feeding times and goes crazy, but I know that doesn't mean he's hungry.

But, how do I know he's getting enough? I know someone with two "babies" (which they've had longer than me (and I've had my turtle for almost three years now) but they've both barely grown an inch while mine's grown about 3 inches...) and their turtles are so fat the skin between their arms and head bulges out when they go inside their shell. I've mentioned how overweight the turtles are, but I don't think they're listening... Anyway, when I look at my own turtle, the skin in sunken in quite a bit. Even when he's in his shell. He's pretty healthy. His shell is in good condition, he spends his time both basking and in the water. He's got a heater, he's got a filter, he's got a sand bottom, and he's got a decent basking area. His tank could be bigger, but it'll do for now.

But how do I know he's healthy with his weight...

[Jeremiah]

Do you have any pictures?

Yours is probably big enough to only be eating pellets every other day, the same amount that would fit into his head if it were chopped off and hollowed out. You can offer leafy greens like red leaf lettuce every day, though. As long as you stick to that schedule, that should be enough to keep him satisfied.

[steve]

It doesn't sound like he's getting enough though a 5" male sounds normal. There is no real measure of health/weight that I've seen, especially since it can vary greatly. Does he have anything else to eat?