General Care Discussion :: Care for Juvies

[Mickey]

My turtles are just over 1 year old so I guess they are considered juveniles. Despite their age, they haven't grown much. Should I lower the water temps to 76 and reduce their pellets to half the size of their head? Currently I give them pellets and veggies every day and fruit, tuna, & treats about 2 times a month at different times. Also I give them cuttlebone 2x a month. When should I switch over to adult care?

[jenaero]

I switched to adult care early (6 months) because someone I lived with was overfeeding them and they had pyramiding pretty early on. How big are your turtles? I'd say anything over 1 year should be on an adult diet, adult temps... unless yours are unusually small, or if they suffered neglect before you got them.

[Mickey]

Shirley is 3" and LaVar was a sickly baby and is about 1.5". LaVar had parasites when little and just never grew. He is a very picky eater and barely eats anything. Maybe that's why he's still little. Shirley has a healthy appetite and eats most things. I feed them in separate containers to make sure each gets a fair share. So should I start adults care since they have the age but not the size?

[steve]

At any point, it is important to be consistent with a good diet. You can gradually switch over the diet and temps.