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I understand what Mikey can and can't have. I read the menus that everyone gives their turtles. I just want to make sure I'm doing this right. We just recently started giving Mikey a variety of food ( he was just on pellets ) I want to make sure he's getting the best he can since he has been so understanding. He now gets pellets every other day ( Rep-Cal Maintenance Formula Aquatic Turtle Food and I just realized it says with fruit ) He gets roughly around 15 pellets ( they are little balls ). He is 5.5". On his off days he gets green or red leaf lettuce. I want to get him on a set routine.

So it might look like this

Monday- Pellets
Tuesday- Lettuce
Wednesday-Pellets
Thursday-
Friday- Pellets
Saturday-Lettuce
Sunday-

But thursday and sunday I'm wondering if I can do carrots, blueberries, and other things that are not lettuce for variety? I know carrots and such are once a month item but what if it's different items?

Mikey had a chunk of carrot yesterday so he wouldn't have it again until Nov. 5.

If anyone can understand my problem and help me it would be great

Everything in moderation! You can give carrots more frequently if you give them less. I have never given a chunk of carrot, but rather, I give about 5-6 peels of carrot 2-3 times a week. Nothing huge, just enough for variety. As for blueberries, a few each week won't hurt, as long as you don't go overboard. I give about 3-4 blueberries once a week to my turtle. I keep them in the freezer and just drop them in, she eats them semi-frozen. You can substitute pieces of strawberry/apple/mango for the blueberries as long as you don't go crazy. A few slivers of apple a week won't hurt, but a huge chunk would. And you want to keep track of what you are feeding because obviously you don't want to give a bunch of fruits each week because they are high in sugar.

Lettuce can be given daily, even with pellets. Again, moderation is key.

So for example, my feeding schedule typically looks like this (my turtle is about 6"):

Sun 3-4 freeze dried crickets, lettuce
Mon 1/2 headful pellets (~8 pellets), lettuce, carrot slivers
Tue ~8 pellets, lettuce
Wed ~8 pellets, 3-4 blueberries
Thu ~8 pellets, lettuce, carrot slivers
Fri ~8 pellets, lettuce
Sat ~8 pellets, lettuce

Now, mind you, my turtle loves lettuce over pretty much everything else in the world, but that's more or less how mine looks. Sometimes she gets more, sometimes less. No signs of pyramiding to date.

Thanks s much for that. What kind of pellets do you have? balls or sticks? lol My concern is that now that I am trying to put him on a somewhat feeding schedule he can't fit in his shell. His area where his arms and legs connect is fat. I wish there was an easy way to feed these guys

Fat is a little better than pyramiding, because you can shed the fat over time. It will take a good number of months, but just follow a strict feeding schedule, and the puffiness will go away. The key is to not give in to the little beggars!

I feed two types, Reptomin sticks and HBH pellets. I like feeding the two types for variety, and if I ever stumble across some Mazuri, I'll incorporate that as well. I used to try to give a few of both each day, but I've gotten lazy, so it's whichever one I grab that day. Based on looking at them, they seem to be about the same volume, so I just give the same number, around 8 or so each day.

The protein in the pellets shouldn't cause too much fat to gather, were you feeding other things like goldfish?

He has had only one goldfish about 3 weeks ago. My mistake. I wanted one less tank in my house, so I took the goldfish and put it with him thinking he wouldn't eat it because he has had 2 guppies in there since we got him 2 months ago. Poor fishy didn't last a minute. Other than that he has had pellets and lettuce. Oh a tuxedo platy a last week.

wow what a diet! mines are still babies just about two inches and now that they recognize me as their owners they are quite the begging feins!

Include other leafy greens as well on occasion---dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, for example.

I haven't found any store around me that sells dandelion leaves. He was getting them from our safe and pesticide free yard but it's getting cold now.
But I will definitely look at getting him collard and mustard greens. Thanks Marisa

Jax, you feed pellets daily? I thought that wasn't really good for adult turtles...

gwennie, as long as the portion is right for pellets, it should be alright.
For adult turtle, it's headsize every two days. So, it's alright to feed half headsize
every day. Makes it easier for me too. I'm sure JAX is going this route if she
gives daily pellets.

Ah that makes sense ^^ Good to know!

I definitely need to get our turtle on a diet. Reading all the above posts makes sense. No wonder our turtle is chubby.

LOL They are piggy's