General Care Discussion :: do i feed once or twice a day?

[speedylover]

okay...speedy has been with me for 6 months he is 4 in
obama for like 3 months is 2 &1/2 in
i've been feeding them pellets or a vegetable
twice a day..is that ok?

[SpotsMama]

Here's everything you need to know about feeding your turtle:

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

Read every bit of it and then come back with your questions.

On your specific question in this post, it doesn't matter so much whether you feed your turtles once a day or twice, just so you don't feed too much in total. The rule for turtles under 4" is to feed them as much in pellets as would fit in their head (just the head, not including the neck) if it were hollow every day. If you want to break this up into two small servings that's fine, just so the total doesn't go over the headful-per-day amount.

When the turtle is over 4", you cut back to 1/2 headfull a day. Again, you can break this up into several small servings if you (and your turtle!) wish. Or, you can feed him every other day, a headfull at a time.

My turtle is over 4" so he's only entitled to a 1/2 headfull a day.

On the veggies, they can have about all they want of lettuce (green or red leafy type). On things like carrots, bell peppers, blueberries, steamed sweet potato, tomato, etc, a couple of servings a week is about right. Once a month or so they can have a high protein treat like a few minnows or some freeze dried crickets.

[speedylover]

spotsmama.
ok so the rule is one headful a day under 4"
no matter how much servings but one headful a day..ok i get
that part..but about the veggies?my questions is the veggies instead
of the pellets or give them their regular meal of pellets
and a litttle extra of some veggies or a treat a few times a week?
or is it like half the headful of pellets & half veggies? you know what i mean?
or no pellets & just veggies?

[SpotsMama]

The veggies are in addition to the pellets. For example, if the turtle is under 4", he/she gets a headfull of pellets every day. In addition, he/she may have a lettuce leaf every day. In addition to that, he she may get a couple of blueberries or a little piece of carrot or something (mix it up - variety is good) a couple of times a week.

On the days when the turtle gets high protein treat like minnows, shrimp, crickets, boiled chicken, you can skip the pellets since pellets are also high protein.

He/she can have cuttleone in the tank all the time for between meals snacking.

[queenjane]

RE: Cuttlebone...

Tank attacks it and will eat the entire thing in .0003 seconds if I leave it in there, ao I've been giving it to her after meals, and only in little head-sized chunks. Otherwise, she'll absolutely gorge herself on it!

Is this normal?

[SpotsMama]

I'd say it's unusual. Turtles are different in how much they like cuttlebone - some eat a lot more and some less. Generally, the thinking is that when their bodies need calcium, then they eat more of it. Your turtle may be at the extreme end of the bell curve. Most turtles self-regulate the amount they eat. But if yours always wolfs it down like that, then I think you are right to control the amount like you're doing. Being female, she's going to need more than the males, but as in all things, moderation is the goal.

[joeybsmooth]

RE: Cuttlebone...

Tank attacks it and will eat the entire thing in .0003 seconds if I leave it in there, ao I've been giving it to her after meals, and only in little head-sized chunks. Otherwise, she'll absolutely gorge herself on it!

Is this normal?

Maybe I am getting you mixed up. Didn't you say your turt did not eat it at all at one point. Did she do a full reversal?