Feeding and Nutrition :: watermelon.

[iris]

My turtle is fairly small and I've only had him for about a month. Is it okay to feed him fruits like watermelon?

[jenaero]

I can't remember what's on the What to Feed list but if it's not, it's just because it was overlooked. The only fruit that you really need to avoid is citrus fruit (oranges, etc). I give mine watermelon on occasion but definetly not on a regular basis because of the sugar content.

[iris]

My turtle isn't eating any fruits or veggies I give him. I've tried watermelon, banana, tomatoes. It's like he doesn't even know it's food. He only eats the pellets I feed him. Is that normal?

[jenaero]

Try lettuce instead. Romaine or red leaf are good (not head lettuce). Try aquatic plants like Anacharis or Duckweed.

don't worry about it yet either. He's still young and will take a while to get interested in plants/veggies.

[marisa]

My turtles have never liked watermelon. But they do love cantelope. Try that.

[iris]

I tried cantelope, but he doesn't seem to like that either. I've also tried pear. Should I just give up on fruits and veggies?

[sonyj]

You need to keep offering the veggies daily because he needs these nutrients. It takes a lot of patience and time, but he should eventually realize they are food. If you give up now, it will be much harder in the future to get him eating what he should.

[iris]

So do I just throw in the food and wait for him to find it and eat it? Or put it right in front of him? So he knows that it's there for him.

[wetchikn]

Just throw it inand wait...mine will not eat if they think they are being watched I just throw the romaine and cuttlebone in and they take care of the rest however it did take about 2 weeks and I was getting frustrated

[iris]

I'm getting quite frustrated, too. He hides underneath the bridge all day long and SLEEPS. I'm kinda worried. He won't eat anything I put in now, not even the pellets.

[steve]

What are the water/basking temperatures? Some RES can be incredibly picky and some are absolute pigs (I have one of each).

[iris]

Well, basking temperature is around 81 degrees, and water temperature is around 77 degrees. And he's still not eating the pellets

[jenaero]

His water temp is spot-on, but the basking temp isn't warm enough. It should be roughly 10 degrees warmer than the water. Set it to around 90 and he'll probably start basking and eating pretty quick.

[JenniferandPaws]

I think that's one thing I haven't offered Mable, but I'm sure she'd love it. I will eventually. She's a little pig, and eats almost everything offered.