Feeding and Nutrition :: HELP! CAN'T GET MY HATCHLING TO EAT VARIETY!

Turtle diets and eating habits discussed here.

Post Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 1:00 am   HELP! CAN'T GET MY HATCHLING TO EAT VARIETY!

:shock:

Sooooo I don't want to be made feel bad. This is my first time having a RES. I found him at Lake Texoma on vacation May 3rd, 2020 and I named him Tex :) He was barely the size of a quarter and now he is 3.5 inches. I have the perfect set up for the guy. :D He is happy, healthy and growing so fast! So when I first got him I fed him pellets for like 2 months. Then I was told by a reptile specialist that I called, that the pellets don't have a ton of protein for them to grow so I switched to mealworms and dried shrimp. But once I did that he just wouldn't eat anything else! He stopped having interest in the pellets and I could never get him to eat any veggies. So now that I am starting to see the edges of his shell barely start to curl up I did some research. He really needs to switch up his diet! What do I do? How do I get him to eat anything else without feeling really bad like I'm starving him and then caving and just feeding him mealworms again?
He is sooo stubborn and I have no idea how to break this terrible habit I created for him. I feel like a bad mom :(
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:10 pm   Re: HELP! CAN'T GET MY HATCHLING TO EAT VARIETY!

Just keep offering the pellets and you should add some veggies. He'll eventually take it, give it a week or so. Remember to not feed too many, that he needs a basking area/lamp and UVB too.
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:40 pm   Re: HELP! CAN'T GET MY HATCHLING TO EAT VARIETY!

Okay! What kinds of veggies do you suggest for a hatchling? And should I feed him everyday?
He has the coolest basking spot and a head and UVB lamp as well. Also a heater to keep his temp of water between 75-82.
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:34 pm   Re: HELP! CAN'T GET MY HATCHLING TO EAT VARIETY!

Usually red leaf and carrots are good to start with. You might want to get a veggie clip to help encourage him. Its a plastic clip with a suction cup, roughly $2 in the fish section of a pet store. You can also try some aquatic plants, they would last in the tank if he doesn't eat them.

Here's a good veggie list to start with: http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html
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