So today when walking in Chinatown, my friends and I found a little death trap cage with two ickle sliders in them. We got a 10 gallon tank for each (we know they'll grow bigger, but we'll take it as it comes as 10 gallons is the dorm limit), food, and the special lightbulbs, as well as ran them by one of the friend's dad, who is a vet. While he doesn't specialize in reptiles, he said that they appear to be healthy. Mine seems pretty alert and good, though he hasn't eaten yet (I'm sure due to the stress). What types of veggies and protein should I be giving him? Right now he has pellets, but I know that that's not enough. Both of the turtles are on the same hall of a dorm and they're basically the entire hall's new pets so we can get people to bring in a variety of foods. What are good foods to suppliment the pellet diet? Different sites have had conflicting answers. And I love my little Sven and want him to grow up to be healthy.
hi there, i have a lovely yellow bellied slider. do you know what sex they are because sometimes the sex of the turtles can determin what they eat. i think i have a male turtle, male turtles tend to eat more meat than veg. when i am preperaring tea & i'm cooking chicken i tend to put some cooked chicken to one side for the turtle. you can give them near enough any kind of meat aslong as its not got a really high fat content & isnt over processed. i wouldnt give then something like burger or something out of a microwaved meal. he does like veg too, sweetcorn is a good veg to try, carrot (tho my turtle wont eat it), tomato, peas, mushrooms, beans. turtles will eat almost anything you give them but you should give a wide variaty of foods because just giving one or two selected foods can contribute to problems eg peas, beans, mushrooms, shellfish, beef, and organ meats, can contribute to gout if overused. you could even put in some feeder fish if you live in the us or canada (depending on your state laws), here in the uk it is illegal to feed any animal live animals, so i cant put live fish in his tank. i also give him blood worms every now & again & i also used turtle food (contains, sea water shrimp, fresh water shrimp, veg pelets & krill) but i wouldnt just feed solely on this only. i also buy live plants from the aquarium shop but find these kind of messy because he rips the plants up quite quick & dirty the water & block the filter up very quick so i dont buy them all the time. turtles need lots of calcium the things that can provide this are cuttlebone, plaster block, boiled and crushed eggshells, and crushed oystershell. tho my turtle wont eat cuttle bone i tend to powder it on to his food that way i know he is getting some calcium. but to be able to absorb calcium turtles need vitamin D3, turtles can produce vit D3 if they have acess to UVB from either direct sunlight (not through glass tho as glass filters out UV) or a good reptile light. i got this list of food to try from http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/turtlefood.html Try *Many* of These Foods for Turtles greens: aquatic plants, collards, turnip greens, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, dandelion, chickweed, plantain weed, carrot tops, red lettuce, endive, fig leaves, grape leaves, sow thistle (avoid spinach) veggies: good--squashes, peas in the pod, okra, grated or sliced carrots, sweet potatoes okay on occasion--green beans, wax beans, tomato (avoid cabbage or broccoli) fruits: good-- figs, grapes, cantaloupe, blackberries okay on occasion-- banana, strawberry, apple, citrus fruits, blue berries flowers: geraniums (Pelargonium species), Chinese Lantern (Abutilon hybridum not Physalis sp.), nasturtium, borage, hyssop, carnations, daylilies, petunia, pansies, chives, dandelion, rose and rose hips, meats: good--silkworms, earthworms, crickets, snails, shrimp, slugs, waxworms, mealworms okay on occasion--cat or dog food, cooked chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, lean beef (hamburger and other fatty red meats should be avoided, and never use raw meats because of contamination dangers) prepared turtle foods: Tetra's Reptomin, Wardley's Reptile T.E.N., Turtle Brittle, Purina AquaMax supplements: Reptile Tri-Cal or Rep-Cal are the best calcium/D3 supplements by far. A jar of Rep-Cal is rather expensive, but lasts a very long time. Tri-Cal even comes in a handy shaker bottle. Use once a week. Vitamin supplements may also be used. (Don't use any supplement that has phosphorous in it.) dont over feed your turtle either, judge how much food to give him buy the size of his head & only feed him about every 3-4 days (baby turtles may want feeding more often so just cut the portion size in half). turtles in a way are like dogs & will eat everything all in one go because in the wild they dont know where there next meal is comming from so they eat what they can while they can. my turtle always seem to be looking for food but it dosent mean he is hungry. over feeding can cause lots of problems as can under feeding. for feeding time its a good idea to place the turtle in a seperated feeding tank or really large bowl (with water the same temprature as tank water, you dont want to shock it now hehe) as they are really messy eaters & this will cut down on the main tank water getting poluted really quickley. turtles also tend to expell their waste products as the same time as eating & that will cut down on main tank water polution at the same time. make sure also that the tank water is heated (tho not with a "testtube" glass heaters as they tend to bash their shell against it & could eletricute your turtle if it breaks). the turtle will also need a spot lamp as well as a UVB lamp (if you can get a UVB lamp that gives off heat as well that will be better) & a dry bit of land for basking on during the day this type is good because it sticks to the side of the tank, rises & falls with water level & is easy for the turtle to get on & off. the water will need a half change (take out half of dirty water & replace with clean) every two weeks & cleaning out properly about once a month. http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=111 i found the above website good for information & has a good comunity of turtle lovers if you have any problems. i will say tho, i'm not too sure how big a 10gal tank is (what are the dimentions) i have mine in a 4ft tank at the mo. sliders grow very quick & can quickley outgrow their tank, mine went from being 1in to 5.5in in two years & i've had 4 different sized tanks in that time. also make sure you have strick higene when handeling sliders as they can harbour salmonela which you can get if you dont clean your hand properly after handeling the turtle & its equipment & water. i hope i've been some help to you & hope you have many a happy years with your turtle, they are truley fasinating animals. if you need anymore help or just want to chat turtle chat dont hesitate to PM me. i'll leave you with a picture of my turtle (tattoo) & cat (pisces) together
