General Care Discussion :: Eating only leaves and not pellets?

[Encore]

I own some hatchlings, and I've been worrying about their diet because they've been living with me for a few weeks now, and I was thinking that they should've been used to their surroundings by now, but recently I've seen then eating leaves and biting the end of the leaf roots...

Is it ok if I just leave them to eat leaves?

[e-akers]

No, it's not.
It is good that they've taken to greens, but their diet needs to be a varied one.
Have you tried enticing them with something? Such as combining the pellets with tuna? That may do the trick.
By the way, what plant do you have with them that they are eating the leaves of?

[SpotsMama]

This is a first. Usually little turtles will eat their pellets but not their greens.

Here's some tips on enticing eating. And I agree with the post above - they will need more to their diet than just greens.

http://www.redearslider.com/entice_eating.html

[marisa]

What kind of leaves and roots are they biting? And what kind of pellets are you giving them (for small hatchlings, Reptomin Baby is good)? Try something live like pieces of an earthworm.

[Encore]

Sadly, I'm not really sure what kind of leaves they are. My dad just got it from somewhere and I decided to use it as decoration for the tank.

Btw I tried worms as well, they wouldn't eat them!!!

[Threepwood]

You might also try just withholding the leaves for a while and only offer pellets (wow, this is backwards ). If they're hungry, they should eventually eat them. Also, if the pellets seem a bit too big, break them up into smaller bits.

[steve]

Are all of your turtles doing this? Also, pay attention to what they are getting since there are definitely some foods that are not good for them.

[e-akers]

Quite honestly, I never put anything that my turtle will consume in her tank unless I can say for certain it won't hurt her. I'd recommend removing the leaves you have in there and opting at replacing them with plants you're knowledgable about. Your local greenhouse or nursery will carry aquatic pond plants at fairy inexpensive rates. You don't want your turtle eating something that could be potentially dangerous for him :]

[marisa]

What kind of worms? If you haven't tried it, cut up an earthworm.

[RunninWideOpen]

Be careful what you put in there. They will eat anything and everything......even things that could kill them.

I agree, take the greens out for now and give them something else. They may not go after it for a few days, but they'll get hungry enough to try it.

Have you tried any live foods? Try some worms. Earthworms, blood worms, whatever. all my turts LOVE phoenix worms....which are very high in calcium.

[SpotsMama]

Some turtles like some pellets better than others. Reptomin Baby pellets seem to be a top choice among hatchlings.

[Encore]

Ok, I've taken out the greens...I'll have to wait tomorrow to find out whether they'll eat the pellets.

By the way I'm not sure whether I can buy Reptomin Baby Pellets here (Hong Kong). I'll check them out soon.

[marisa]

If you can only find regular Reptomin, buy that and break it into little pieces for them. It contains a little less calcium than the Reptomin Baby, but it's still good for them (don't overfeed).

[Encore]

VICTORY!!!

My turtles finally ate the pellets I bought them!!!

[SpotsMama]

Congratulations to you all!!