Feeding and Nutrition :: Many questions

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

I was wondering how i could dust my turtles food such as crickets and vegetables. I tried to dust his crickets the other day with crushed cuttlebone but none of it got on the cricket and the very little that did just went away into the water. Also how many crickets/worms should i feed my turtle?
Also i am planning on buying some snails to put in my turtle tank to help clean it. What kind is cheap and does the best? and does not harm my turtle if he eats it?
Also how can i make the vegetables that i give him (Red leaf lettuce romaine lettuce carrots ETC.) more enticing for him to eat cause right now he does not touch them. Not even the jello shots i made him. I also tried the veggie clip which did not work either.
Also how do you tell if your overfeeding/underfeeding your turtle?

I know its allot but i wanted to put a bunch of questions in one post rather then many of them.
Thanks!

[freshprince2146]

For the calcium try using a commercial reptile calcium.

http://www.pets-warehouse.com/Vpasp/sho ... ?id=298890

These kind stick to the food alot better than crushd cuttlebone.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Oh okay thanks
Can you answer my other questions?

[steve]

He's not going for regular cuttlebone?

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

No he never eats it it just floats in the water all day.

[Melvira_Fox]

Have you tried the cuttlebone in a small piece? Maybe it would be more enticing if he could eat it in one gulp.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Yeah i have tried that before but does not work.
But today i was sitting at my computer and i heard a big crunch and i looked over and i saw little white pieces floating around and him chewing and the cuttle bone was right above him so i think he's starting to like it now.
But is it normal for him to not eat as much as he use to? He as not been eating allot like he used to he still eats around 10 pellets a day but he used to eat double that.
Also is it normal for them to sleep while they bask? My res does that when he basks in the evening and at night.

[Karawr]

I am interested in hearing the replies. My turtle also won't eat his veggies. And I want some snails to help clean up the tank as well.

I read somewhere on this site that if you moisten the food first and then dust it with cuttlebone that it will stick better.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

When a piece of lettuce in a jar of turtle food and shake it and put it in is tank he ate a tiny bit of it. But it's better then nothing.

[untsmurf]

you could also try not offering anything except veggies. Eventually, your turtle will get hungry enough to eat the veggies. He won't starve himself to death if there's food available.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Yeah Im kinda doing that right now i have 2 pieces of carrot in his tank and a piece of red leaf lettuce. Also some cuttlebone that he won't eat to.