I was outside a friend's house and in the yard we captured 2 small frogs. They were about an inch long each, and were introduced to a community of 3 painted turtles. Painted turtles and RES are very similar, so I think this success would also translate for our beloved sliders.
The frogs were put in one at a time, the slightly smaller one first. I don't think he's ever swam before, and struggled to reach the floating dry-dock. Being very disoriented, he left the relative safety of the dock and jumped back into the water. The larger of the painted turtles (a young juvenile, perhaps 4"x4") came up from underneath and bit the frog by his hind leg. The skin tore without struggle and bone was exposed instantly, the frog was doomed. Pancake (the turt) swam him down to the bottom and got a better grip, then continued to swim around. This caught the attention of the other turtles, and they followed.
The frog played dead, and even went into a seated position. The lack of air got to him though, and he tried desperatly to surface but it was too late. The turtles collectively disembowled the frog and ate him on the spot. The head was the part to be eaten, but at the end there were no traces of the frog at all.
The second frog met exactly the same fate.
Turtles surely eat frogs in the wild, so I simulated nature by introducing an unlucky amphibian to my reptile buddies. Although in captivity, tens of millions of years of predatory instinct has not been lost on these turtles and they hunted just like their wild brothers. This was the first time they have eaten frog, and I've kept an eye on them to monitor for ill-effects but it seems as though everything is fine.
Frogs will now be a treat, no more than once a month, and that's even if I (or my friend, they are his turtles after all) get a hold of one. They also eat rosie red minnows, which is their only other food besides pellets, lettuce and blueberries.
-Spike
