Feeding and Nutrition :: Toby the tubby turtle

[TobyTurtleMama]

Ok so I have found out through conversations that we have fed our turtle way too much and he grew really fast. He is 2 months old and already 2 1/2 inches. So we have cut back his food a little. Well, he is still freaking out over this. He acts like we are starving him. We are still feeding him twice a day with pellets and sometimes a mid day snack! And we leave floating lettuce pieces in his tank, he basically devours them within minutes. He also has eaten his snail buddies. Is this normal? I know turtles are beggars but eating 5 pieces of lettuce within 1 hour and then sticking in 5 more and going at it and swimming franticly at us to feed him more??

[octpusgirl8]

Well that does seem like a lot of lettuce for such a little turtle, but they are hungry little animals. It's great that he's so enthusiastic about veggies! What size lettuce are we talking here? Full size or baby? If his poops are really loose and full of partiall digested lettuce you should cut back on it some. I know it's hard to limit the amount of food you give them, but it's necessary for a healthy long life. My turtle is an expert beggar, i overfed him for a long time and he still expects unlimited pellets from me. What i do to make it easier on the both of us is i keep a little bowl by the tank, and every morning i give him his veggies and measure out 1/2 head's worth of pellets into the bowl. That way i can give him a pellet or two whenever i walk by the hungry little guy and still be sure i'm not giving him too many. When the bowl is empty he's just out of luck.

[TobyTurtleMama]

That's a good idea, I might try that. We give him the baby lettuce, he just loves it! Right now he is trying to eat his plastic plants I think I'll start giving him cucumber too. He is just a bottomless pit!

[marisa]

A bit of cucumber now and then is fine, but it doesn't really have much nutrition.

Does your turtle have any small pieces of cuttlebone to nibble on?

[TobyTurtleMama]

Actually, I don't know what cuttlebone is. I have just recently heard of it but know nothing about it. Is Toby missing out?

[FLhaven4strays]

Cuttlebone is actual bone from a cuttle fish & is FULL of calcium & great for turtles. Cheap too. You can get it in the bird section of petstores. When you look at it you can tell one side is nice & soft (fingernail can sink into it) the other has a hard piece of plastic backing. You have to remove that backing before giving it to your turtle. Most people peel or pry the backing off, but I just break it in several pieces and use a knife to cut the cuttlebone just under the backing. I know it wastes some of the bone, but I just find it much easier.

[SpotsMama]

Cuttlebone is a great source of much needed calcium for a turtle and also keeps his "beak" trim.

[TobyTurtleMama]

So do you just put it in the bottom of the tank and let it sit there? Can they eat too much of it??

[FLhaven4strays]

I don't think they can eat too much...haven't ever heard of that happening. When I first put it in the water it tends to float for a while then it sinks. I leave it in for about a week or so before I fish the uneaten out & put in new.

[industrial_girl_2000]

That's a good idea, I might try that. We give him the baby lettuce, he just loves it! Right now he is trying to eat his plastic plants I think I'll start giving him cucumber too. He is just a bottomless pit!

I think we have just found Sheba's long-lost cousin, LOL.

[Bascomb]

TobyTurtleMama -- One big clue if he is too fat, is that he can not get his head back into his shell. Please don't cut him off all at once. The poor guy will be jumping around the tank to get the food. Also, by cutting him back slowly he will not try and eat everything is sight. Example, plastic plants, rocks, heater or the suction cups, etc. b.

[Bascomb]

PS -- YES -- Turtles are pigs. They will eat themselves sick to the point of throwing up. Mine beg anytime I go by, no matter when I feed them. b.

[TobyTurtleMama]

thanks for all the input, I think we are finally finding a good middle with him. He seems to be happy.

We just got him a cuttle bone today and apparently they make special ones for turtles without the plastic backing. We also just took out all of his little pebble rocks and added more plants. Gosh every time we go to petsmart we find new fun things for Tobes.

[FLhaven4strays]

Even the cuttlebone labled for tutles (forgot what they call it...) has a plastic backing from my experience. Try to push your fingernail into all sides of the cuttlebone. Your nail should sink in very easy.

[TobyTurtleMama]

yeah, I guess it does have a plastic back. You can't really tell it's there. I'm not going to take it off though. It's one ment for turtles and it says nothing about taking it off.