Feeding and Nutrition :: My Turtle's "Food Swing"?

[Jeremiah]

I have had my male RES for a year now. Not sure how old he is, but I know he is an adult, probably on the younger side. Up until now, he has only accepted fish and pellets with little to no vegetables. About two weeks ago, though, he began spitting out his pellets in fragments; this progressed to him refusing to eat them at all. Now, the only thing he will eat is raw shredded carrot. He still won't eat lettuce, so I'm considering yellow squash.

How can I round out his bipolar diet? It's driving me a little crazy.

[ljapa]

Try a different brand?

Live food?

Blood worms?

Turtle Jell-O shots:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17486

My turtles a pig! She'll eat anything, so I've never had this issue.

What pellets are you using? Have you recently opened a new container?

[Jeremiah]

I usually use Fluker's (4.50% calcium) and ReptoMin. He rejected both, and I did recently open a new Fluker's jar. I have considered Mazuri before, but heard a) it can be messy, and b) it underwent some kind of recall.

He's in a pond right now, and I have seen bloodworms in the filter. Maybe some are in the pond, and he's snacking
on them?

I also forgot to mention that he still ate a freeze dried shrimp that I offered him.

[Kansasslider]

You could also try Omega One pellets. Turtles preferences change as they get older. I wouldn't be too concerned. Just offer different things and it will choose what it likes.

[Jeremiah]

Thank you, everyone--hopefully, he will be willing to try Omega One. If not, I'm going to have a lot of spare pellets lying around...

[Kansasslider]

Do you fish? They never turn down fresh fish! As far as that goes neither do I.

[steve]

If he's generally healthy, withhold the other stuff but pellets for a couple of days. What's unusual is that they are usually addicted to treats and/or pellets.

[Jeremiah]

I have tried that before when trying to get him to eat vegetables, and then he went on a super hunger strike and refused to eat anything.

Yesterday, though, he was willing to eat a few pellets!
I saw a bubble come out of his nose, but there is no problem with swimming, lethargy, noisy breathing, etc.--and again, he ate pellets. So am I right to still consider him generally healthy?

[steve]

I would think so. Did it happen while on the basking area or just after surfacing?

[Kansasslider]

I'm still lost on the worms in the pond. What are they? Can you take a picture of them. Just curious.

[Jeremiah]

Steve - it happened when he was basking, earlier in the morning.

Kansasslider, they are just bloodworms. One of the other responders had asked if I tried feeding him blood worms, yet.

[Kansasslider]

Turtles eat bloodworms but I guess I don't understand how they got or get into ponds. I'm learning!

[Into_the_Mystic]

I don't get how I found them in my filter... I guess I was a couple weeks late cleaning it, but yuck!

They looked like maggots.

[Jeremiah]

As far as ponds go, they will often appear because their adult form (the midge) laid eggs in your water.

Into_the_Mystic, they actually help clean your filter material by breaking down organic waste. Way more functional than maggots!