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i found this on another site

· Plant leaf, aquatic plant and salad material, assorted (freely available)
· Raw (whole) small fish (not frozen, very limited amounts occasionally)**
· Rehydrated low fat dried cat, dog and trout pellets (twice weekly for juveniles - no more than once weekly for adults)
· Zoophobas, crickets and waxworm larvae (limited amounts, occasionally)***
· Earthworms (occasionally)
· Tubifex and bloodworms (excellent for tempting hatchlings to begin feeding)
· Small snails and mollusks (occasionally)**
· Good quality proprietary foods (e.g., Reptomin) three times per week


which of these are true?

is it actually safe to use dog/cat dried pellets and earthworms?

I noticed that also myself. Alot of different reptile care websites say things such as earthworms (Daily) where some websites say earthworms (3-4 times a week) so its very hard to determine which is correct. I usually stick between the middle. So if it says fish(5-6 times a week) or (1-3 times a week) i usually stick in between when it comes to feeding so instead of both of those i try like (3-5 times a week) just to not under feed or overfeed but i totally understand where your coming from. Its very difficult to determine whats true or false. Therefore i would spend an extra $10 and purchase a care guide booklet from petco or petsmart who have books on care for aquatic turtles certainly on Red Ear Sliders. Atleast i can be certain the person who wrote the book and published it is almost very accurate when it comes to useful information on feeding and stuff....

JohnA wrote:I noticed that also myself. Alot of different reptile care websites say things such as earthworms (Daily) where some websites say earthworms (3-4 times a week) so its very hard to determine which is correct. I usually stick between the middle. So if it says fish(5-6 times a week) or (1-3 times a week) i usually stick in between when it comes to feeding so instead of both of those i try like (3-5 times a week) just to not under feed or overfeed but i totally understand where your coming from. Its very difficult to determine whats true or false. Therefore i would spend an extra $10 and purchase a care guide booklet from petco or petsmart who have books on care for aquatic turtles certainly on Red Ear Sliders. Atleast i can be certain the person who wrote the book and published it is almost very accurate when it comes to useful information on feeding and stuff....

well at pets smart they have these planflets that they give for free for res guppies anything just ask the guys working it has the same info as the book just simple sweet and gets to the point and its free

Yup, i have a couple of those laying around the house. Cant remember where extacly but i know grabbing a few. Also im sure you can go to the official Zoo Med website and maybe even read the useful information thats in the book stright off there site. Atleast thats what the back of my Zoo Med Turtle Care booklet says.

i know at turtle conservations they feed dog food to the large sea turtles

everything else ive known to be fed to pet turtles fine. i used to feed mine snails alot when i had a planted tank

For some reason I feel the need to shy away from feeding my turtles food that was made specifically for a different animal. ._."

hmmm im not exactly planning to use dog food but im extremely curious as to if its safe or not.

i do however believe its a good talking point and will be good for everyone on here to have some insite into the use of dog food as a turtle feed.

its just as protien packed as reptomin and other pellets.

just one uses more meat and turtle food uses fish products

hmm, then what about the fishy flavoured cat food? i know theres a lot of dried cat foods that are packed with fishy goodness.

That makes me wonder if it can be the other way around and you can feed cats turtle food.

I am going to say that based on my experience with cat and dog food, no, it is not safe for turtles.

First, there is such a variation between brands and second, each is optimized for that specific type of animal. My cats get Wellness dry food, and it is crazy high in protein. But it also contains vitamins and minerals specific for my cats. The same with my dog food. It contains specific additives for large breeds to help with their joints. I try to avoid letting the cats eat the dog food and vice versa, even though they steal from each other. A few morsels shouldn't hurt, but as a staple, I would never allow it.

And the cats are highly disinterested in eating turtle pellets! They stand under my feet like vultures when I'm feeding the turtle, and I've occasionally dropped a pellet or two, and they sniff it and walk far away!

I dunno, blulite, that list seems awfully high in protein ...

My vet recommended that I feed my turtle canned perscription cat food, because the one he was recommending is really high in calcium. Hasn't hurt him so far!