General Care Discussion :: turtle care and vacations

[Joel and Dana]

We are headed on vacation for about 4 or 5 days, in a few weeks, and was wondering how it was recommended to keep these little guys well fed and protected? Our redeared sliders are about 10 months old, we have two, and eat as much as we will provide. We are concerned about them over-feeding if we just leave food in thier tanks. Any suggestions?

[sonyj]

If you do not have family or neighbors that could stop by every other day, I would feed both their pellets and veggies the day you leave and then upon returning. That would just leave 2-3 days in the middle without food. Turtles in the wild can go much longer than this without food. And since your turtles are at the age they should be eating every other day anyways this shouldn't be a big adjustment for them.

I wouldn't leave food in the tank unless it was an aquatic plant or maybe a couple of feeders (rosies or guppies). Also, be sure to have the tank/filter cleaned and working properly before going and all their lights (UVB and UVA/Heat) on timers if you don't already.

There have been posts about automatic fish feeders being used while people are gone but I'm not sure how they work not ever having used one.

[steve]

You mentioned that they are approximately 6 inches long and 4 inches wide and about 10 months old? Are they both like that? Are you measuring the shell length?


First, that is a serious case of over feeding. You really need to cut back because of the likely health issues that come from over feeding. If your measurements are accurate, your turtles are already overfed and at risk of certain ailments - most notably shell deformities and liver and intestinal damage.

Next, they would currently require a tank approximately 120 gallons, possibly more depending on their sex.

I would suggest you try to get someone to try to feed them on the 2nd or 3rd day... preferably a small portion.

[Joel and Dana]

Your replies have been very helpful thanks. Question, though... Steve you mentioned that our turtles are currently overfed.. is there anything we can do to remedy that besides feeding them less and also feeding every other day? I said they were 6 inches and they are actually a bit smaller than that, more like 5 1/2" measuring only the shell. How large should they be at approx 10-12 months?

[Joel and Dana]

I forgot to answer your question, "are they both that size?" yes, both are about the same size within about 1/4"

[marisa]

More like a shell length of about 3 inches at about a year, perhaps a tad more. Many keepers overfeed, with the result being that many captive turts are more like 4 inches at a year. At 10 months, if your turtles are the size you say, they've really grown too much in their young lives (not good, as it can cause a host of health problems, both internally and with the shell).

When you're measuring them, are you sure you're not including the curve of the shell?

How much are you feeding them at feeding time?

[missibsu]

To add to what Marisa said, 3 inches or a little more at a year. After a year, the ideal growth is about 1 inch.

Are you offering veggies? What kinds of things are you feeding your turt? Some foods are considered treats. I think you mentioned in another post that you have goldfish in your tank. Goldfish are considered junk food and shouldn't be offered at all. They have no nutritional value and can carry parasites. If you aren't offering veggies yet, best to get started asap. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is to get them to eat them. Check the nutrition page for a recommended feeding list.

[Joel and Dana]

We feed occasional veggies but mostly pellets. we have only fed them live fish twice, they are not a daily or weekly event. We started on the pellets partly because that is what we got with them and that is all they would eat for a long time. My son feeds them and I am pretty sure it is about a tablespoon amount of pellets each night. We had been told that until the first year they needed to be fed nightly and then weaned to every other night... I am assuming from the posts that that information is incorrect? Ok so, it was recommended that we feed them this Wardley Reptile Premium Sticks and veggies. so that is what we have been doing.

As far as measuring their size, we are not measuring the curve. The pet store told us they were only a couple of months when we got them in October so we are assuming they are around 10 months old.

I will measure them again to make certain of size, but we measured them twice today.

Thanks again for your insights. they are most welcome

[missibsu]

The information you received on cutting back was absolutely correct...they got it right for once! Wow! Pet stores are notorious for giving out wrong information. That trasition can take place anytime after 6 months.

The pellets should be given in the amount that would fit inside the head if it were hollow. I don't use that kind of food, so I have no idea if a tablespoon is more than that or not. That amount does not include the neck area.

The sooner the turt adapts to veggies the better. The longer you wait, the harder the transition becomes. For the list on what to feed, go to the feeding and nutrition section. It may take awhile for the turt to completely accept the veggies as a meal. There are some things that my turts would rather eat than others, but variety is good.

[marisa]

Actually, sliders will grow their fastest in the first three years of life, and then growth slows down. (Unless they're being overfed.)