General Care Discussion :: finally eating veggies

[SquidSox]

After trying lots of veggies I have finally discovered which one each of my turtles likes.
Turtley enjoys romaine lettuce and the purple leaves that come in the spring mix we get at my work
Edgar also like romaine lettuce but also enjoys the leaves off of a broccoli stalk.

So July question is how much of the veg should the get each day and every other day when I do pellets should I do the same amount of veg as a regular day?

Turtley is a 1yro Cumberland slider about 5 inches maybe a bit larger
Edgar is roughly 6mo old and he's a Res just over 3 inches

[SquidSox]

my question*

[penelope]

Here is a link to the Nutrition page:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Now that Edgar broke down and is eating veggies, switching to healthier options should be fairly simple. "Should" being the operative word. It may take a little trial ad error, but I am sure you will succeed!

I give Penelope about 1/2 a tablespoon of pellets each day along with a ;loose' handful of greens - BUT her diet is based on vet instructions for Penelope's weight and age.

I want to say that younger RES eat/need more protein than older RES,
Hopefully someone can help you in that regard.

[steve]

Never be scared of offering fewer pellets. Also think of the variety you can use in it's place, even if its another pellet.

[SquidSox]

I was thinking of making some pellets and even a monthly treat with fresh veggies and fruit for the treats would a dehydrator be ok or does dehydrating them remove nutritional value??

[penelope]

Try the "jello shots" for a treat.
They are made from fresh veggies and fruit (uncooked, so no loss of nutrition) - you can swap out things and leave things out as well, for example I use dandelions instead of kale.
They even got a thumbs-up from my vet, provided I use dandelions
I knew she was amused when she told me tried them on her own turtles and gave the recipe to another patient.

[SquidSox]

Ok but what about making pellets should I dehydrate or bake? Which do you think would provide more of the nutrition.
My thought was to make a good veggie dough with the food processor then shape it and tightly wrap with some red leaf lettuce and put it in the dehydrator for a bit. Not so long that it's a rock bit long enough to make it solid in the middle and not pastey. But I could back them as well if that would work better

[SquidSox]

I figured it may trick them into eating it more often as it will have the pellet shape they are use to but provide the proper greens nutrition they need

[SquidSox]

I could even sun dry them if that would work better

[SquidSox]

Well...im working late tonight so i fed my turtles early and i just tire the red lettuce in the tank and Edgar seems more apt to eat it that way but i hate feeding in the tank do veggies dirty the tank as badly as pellets?

[penelope]

I never thought of making my own pellets. Let me know if turns out.
As for drying, maybe just do a quick Web search; I'm sure there is something about whether or not dehydrating reduces nutrients.
and
Veggies, as in lettuce - if they don't eat them just scoop them out at night or use a lettuce clip. I've never had pellets dirty my tank, it was the little "follow-up poop" that did it

If there are lots of pellets floating around getting messy and mushy, then just toss in a couple at a time. That way, if they don't eat them you aren't stuck with trying to fish them out.

[SquidSox]

I don't really feed them in the tank anymore I put them in large punch bowls cause I used to fees in the tank and anythey missed or even small pieces that came off as they were eating caused dirtyness in the subtrate which I now have none so it looks even more gross when it builds up so I don't like feeding in the tank also it males them think everytime I go near they tank they are getting fed

[penelope]

Hmmm...
Hate to say it, but if the stuff is hanging on the bottom of a bare-bottom tank, you may need to either a) adjust the position of your intake and outflow to get the water moving, or b) get a larger filter.
I didn't notice the difference until I got the cream of the crop filter....now I never see any signs of anything...
and
These little guys and gals will beg until the cows come home!
Good news is, now you know they recognize you as their keeper
When Penelope plays that game, I just go talk to her and don't give food...
She has a set dinner time...
Now, she only goes crazy at dinner time, whether I'm there are not...I guess they can tell time too
They are pretty smart like cookies

[SquidSox]

Well I haven't noticed since I got the submergible filter but I've also had it about a week been doing bare bottom for a bit over a month now burnt just got a bigger tank and better filtration plus a 150gal/hr power head for circulation