Feeding and Nutrition :: fruits and veggies...

[seachelle]

I just learned from reading here yesterday that my turtles need veggies everyday and the occasional fruit. So, the only thing I had in my house yesterday was romaine lettuce (which they loved) and yellow bell peppers and cilantro. Can RES eat bell peppers, cilantro etc.? I didn't see either one listed on "what to feed" and "what not to feed" stickies. Is there any way the list can be extended or is there a general rule that can be applied when choosing veggies and fruit? TIA!

[jenaero]

I'm not sure about the cilantro but all my turts love red, green, yellow and orange peppers.

[marisa]

I think I'd skip the cilantro. Peppers are OK, and the red ones contain a good amount of beta carotene. They are fairly high in sugar, though.

[seachelle]

Thank you. Yeah, they don't like the cilantro anyway. The peppers they ate though. From reading about how hard it is to get them to eat their veggies, I'm rather proud of mine because they seem to love veggies. One more question though, if the peppers are high in sugar should they be occasional like the fruit, or no? Gosh, I never thought taking care of these guys would be so complicated. Not that I'm complaining, I adore the little guys. Its just that I wasn't expecting to own two turtles. Pets should never be bought for people unexpectedly. Lucky that this gift worked out well.

[marisa]

I feed red peppers more often than fruit, but much less than leafy greens like dandelions, red-leaf lettuce, chicory, etc.

[CARISUE71]

Has anyone tried sea weed? I bought some at the pet store the other day and he likes it. I can't get him to eat leaf lettuce. but he likes the sea weed.

[steve]

I don't know anything about seaweed, but kelp should be OK to use in small amounts.

[RESCHIU]

I'm not sure if this applies to turtle or not but I heard that raw cilantro sometimes give human worms, so I don't know if it would give turtle worms or not by feeding uncleaned one, so if you make sure it's clean, it should be ok ....anyway, just something I heard...

[vieniebebe]

Tnx for making another food suggestion.I gave Vien red bell peppers the other day,and she loved it.

[marisa]

Kelp is an ingredient in some turtle foods, and can be used to increase the iodine content in a diet that's lacking it, but I'd only use it as part of the overall diet, and not feed it like lettuce.