Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeding bowls??

[Tattoo]

How do I go about putting a feeding bowl in the tank? If I put on his dock won't it(food) get to hot? He won't eat dried shrimp and it is m aking a mess out of his tank when I feed him and he don't eat it. He likes grapes but he loves krickets. Sombody pease give me some ideas and pics on how to do a feeding bowl.

[jenaero]

I've never used a bowl. I put all food in the water. RES need to eat in the water anyway.

[marisa]

Get a dishpan with water the same temp as the tank--you don't need to fill it, just have the water high enough so he can grab the food and eat it. When it's feeding time take your turtle out of the tank and feed him in the dishpan. Put the food in the water. You can leave some veggies in the tank for him to nibble on when he feels like it. Leave him alone for about 20 minutes and see if he eats any of the food. Feeding him in a separate container will keep his tank cleaner.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Marisa, you took the words right out of my mouth!

I feed Sheba in a separate pan of water (as Marisa described) and it works out great for my BIG girl. The only time I just drop food in the tank is when I am feeding Sheba a piece of lettuce or some other kind of greens since those don't mess up the water.

[Tattoo]

how often and how much should I feed my Turbo? He is about 4" long.

[steve]

Start here: www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html and www.redearslider.com/pellets.html

[Tattoo]

Thanks for the info but I was wondering more about other veggies and krickets. How many krickets can I give him a day? With hin being 4" do you think he is over a year?

[megcornell]

Because so many factors can affect a turtle's growth it's really hard to accurately tell it's age based on it's size unless you know it's history. If the turtle was overfed it could have grown faster than normal or if it were starved it could be undersized for it's age. The rule of thumb is that on average a turtle grows about 4 inches the first year, and an inch every year after that until it is full grown.
As for crickets, they should be a rare treat like shrimp or other high protein foods. Gut loaded crickets are better as they;re healthier. You can feed them once a month or so. But they should not be a daily part of Turbo's diet. At his size he should be getting pellets every other day and lots of fresh veggies everyday.

[untsmurf]

I've had Mikey for two years and he is 4 and 1/4 inches long.

[marisa]

For the crickets, what kind are you giving---live? freeze-dried? from a can? If they're live or from a can are they large or small?

The freeze-dried gut-loaded crickets from Flukers are very high in protein, and I'd give them as an occasional treat, and only a few at a time when I did. The protein content of Zoo-Med's and similar brands' canned crickets is relatively low, but they contain very little nutrition as well. I occasionally buy a can of small crickets and give a few to my turtles weekly; if you have only 1 or 2 turtles, it will go bad fairly quickly (you can feeze a portion of it, though, for later). I try to supplement their diet with more calcium when I do. I've also occasionally bought the small live crickets for my turtles. I don't buy a lot at one time, keep them in a small container with some food and Cricket Quencher (I think that's the name, a calcium supplement that increases their calcium content) for a day or two before giving a few at a feeding to my turtles. The freeze-dried option is the easiest, but should be feed less often.

You can (and should) offer some vegetable matter daily. Do a little experimenting to determine the amount that's good for your turtles.