Feeding and Nutrition :: What Live Fish Can I Feed My Turtle

[blulite]

hi guys i am completley stuck as to what live fish i am able to feed my turtle!!! there is absolutley no where it seems to buy feeder fish in the northeast of england. i just dont trust mail order enough to think i am going to get a top quality product. so what else can i feed my turtle?

i can get guppies and white cloud minnows but are they ok?

i know rosie minnows are and also feeder guppies. but is there any difference between them?

are feeder guppies just baby guppies?

are white cloud minnows just the same as rosie minnows? just a different colour and name.

what about tetras, tiger barbs and other small fish?

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Well,I don't feed my turtles anything,but Reptomin sticks right now,because they're so small,but I don't know.....I'd wait for somemore replies!Sorry!

[ScrewZoo]

Guppies and rosey red minnows.

[blulite]

@ screw head

no offence but you obviousley diddnt read my post properly.I CANNOT GET FEEDER GUPPIES OR ROSIE MINNOWS LOCALLY. QUOTE= there is absolutley no where it seems to buy feeder fish in the northeast of england=QUOTE and to hell with traveling miles just to buy some. also i do not trust mail order.

so there fore what ELSE can i feed them?

are white cloud minnows ok? (not rosies as i cant get them)

are regular guppies ok? (as an alternative to feeder guppies)

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Ok,no need to go grazy!He just made a miistake.We all do!

[ScrewZoo]

Guppies are guppies.. yes their okay, and the minnows should be alright.. As in the wild turtles eat just nasty lake minnows..


**EDIT - since you can get guppies i think you should just stick to that because they are one of the best fish to feed your turtles.. and that's the fish i use so i recommend them. Also because I'm not to sure about white cloud minnows they might be higher in fat.

[pajamatree]

I bought snails for my tank when I first got my turtles, and at first the turtles ignored them because they were young and small but once they grew up they ate ALL of them and loved them. I've bought more since and continue to give them to them as a treat. But not often - probably once every two months.

[blulite]

ok screw thanks for that. i have 6 male guppies in the tank at the moment and the turtle doesnt seem to be interested. he has followed them around a few times. and even been close enough to grab one but he just wont. thats part of the reason i ask. and the other part reason i ask is guppies around here cost £1.99 or $3.52 each. i can get white cloud minnows and various tetras for £0.99 0r $1.75 each.

[ScrewZoo]

WOW thats alot. I pay .12 cents for my guppes.. you really dont need to have fish unless you want to.. But eventually those 5 guppies will dissapear..

[pajamatree]

Yea - at that price - I'd say the live fish aren't even worth it, except for treats once in awhile.

[blulite]

i think my best option then might be to breed guppies in a seperate tank/s. i cant believe you pay just 12 cents for a guppy thats amaizing. the uk is a rip off man. bloody tax keeps going up to fund that war in iraq. and what for?? oil. terrorism my arse. oops rant over. anywho i think i had better make preperations for breeding guppies. yet another trait in the long road to becoming a fully compitent turtle keeper.

[untsmurf]

You really don't need to have a ready supply of fish to offer to the turtle. If you don't mind keeping a bunch of fish for the life span (20-40 years) and only feeding a few a month, then go for it. But turtles shouldn't eat fish often enough to keep your breeding population low.

If you are going to breed them though, here are my suggestions:
set up three tanks, one male tank, one female, and one breeding/fry tank. Keep everyone separate unless your breeding, then breed in the breeding tank. Once the female is pregnant, take the male out and let her birth her fry. Then take out the female and wait for the fry to grow to sexing size. Then separate them and start the process over. This should help maintain your population because guppies breed like bunnies and they have at least 20 fry per birth.

[blulite]

wow thats a lot of babies. im glad im not a guppy. imagine the bills. oooooooohhh. anywho i think i might have a go at breeding and see what happens. if there are to many after a while then maybe i will sell feeder guppies to the local pet store. there are quite a few people round here that keep turtles so im sure there is market for them. any idea how often they reproduce.

[untsmurf]

Every few months was my experience. If you do get tired of babies and can't afford all the tanks or find any sellers, just buy a gold fish. They eat the babies.

[blulite]

ah well thats a bonus as i already have 2 of those:) one called catherine and one called catherine. and no thats not a typo its my daughters name also and she chose to call both her goldfish after herself. after all she is only 3