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Anyone know about turtles? - 12/23/2006 7:42:59 PM

daizy

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Sir bought me a couple red earred aquatic turtles last week. I've always wanted some (having been denied turtle ownership by mother 45 years ago). I did a lot of reading prior to turtle ownership so that i'd know how to care of them. Got a fish tank, heater, filter, food, antibiotics, etc. We picked out 2 very active turtles. Only problem is that they don't seem to be eating. I've tried the regular turtle pellets. I've tried greens from my garden. I tried some grated carrots. Chicken was refused. It's been a week and they just won't eat. I tried feeding them in a separate tank to keep their main tank clean. I've tried feeding them in the main tank. Except for the once a day feeding time i've left them alone to get used to their new home. I'm planning on going to the pet store to get some guppies tomorrow...which i suppose means i'll need guppy food if the turtles don't eat them.

I thought the turtles would eat once a day, but perhaps i am wrong. How often do they need to eat? Should i continue offering them food each day even though they don't eat it? Any information or help you can give me is appreciated.

We live full time in our motor home. Due to allergies, we can't have a cat or dog. Birds take up too much room and are way too messy for our limited space. The turtles are my only hope of having a pet.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/23/2006 8:08:00 PM

WyrdRich

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I'm being told that they will eat small goldfish (the fish, not the crackers) and that filtration in the tank is extra critical or the smell will never go away.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/23/2006 8:10:25 PM

outlier

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Daizy,

You are in luck we have a very impressive herpetologist on these
boards.

Najakcharmer.

I would send her an email ASAP.

Outlier

< Message edited by outlier -- 12/23/2006 8:15:05 PM >

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/23/2006 9:12:05 PM

daizy

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I'm sure these two are too small to eat gold fish. Guppies would be sized better for them. They are really quite small.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/23/2006 9:13:45 PM

daizy

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Thank you so very much. I thought i had read enough to take care of these little guys. I bought all the equipment that my reading said was essential. This not eating thing has been completely unexpected.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 1:35:19 AM

adaddysgirl

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i had a turtle that i fed minnows and worms. You had to have air in the tank for the minnows but at least he could eat when he felt like it. Or i could dangle a worm in the water...he liked them too. He wasn't too crazy about the pellets, although they were the easiest. But he was a bigger turtle.

The place where you bought them had to feed them and might have some answers?

DG

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 1:48:53 AM

SirDiscipliner69

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quote:

ORIGINAL: daizy

I thought the turtles would eat once a day, but perhaps i am wrong. How often do they need to eat? Should i continue offering them food each day even though they don't eat it? Any information or help you can give me is appreciated.

I use to have quite a few frogs and turtles as a kid....never did anything really fancy so it sounds like yours are on easy street. ;)

Turtles and frogs will goe for a week without eating.

I would try the red worms approach and make sure they see it moving and it is alive with you looking on from a idstance without interference at first.

If they do not eat it then remove it as not to accumilate the waste product.

you could always have an island (rock for them to climb on as worms drown) and sun themselves.

Hope this might help.

Merry Christmas to all here and your loved ones.

May you find what you need and help those less fortunate

Pass it forward

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 4:33:59 PM

farmbound1

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Hi, I have quite a bit of experience raising red eared sliders and other turtle species as I have had sometimes up to 14 different turtles at one time over the years and have been raising turtles since the late 70s. Currently I have three red eared sliders that I have had over ten years plus a couple of Reeves turtles and an eastern box turtle and a map turtle.

One thing I can tell you is that all my turtles slow down their eating between October and May. During this time they may eat only once or twice a week. Then in May they begin eating daily and throughout the summer they eat voraciously, peaking in August and September when they eat a huge amount of food. I feed them earthworms (whole, not cut up), minnows, cat food, fruit and vegetables of all kinds (uncooked, ripe, soft) and when I don't have these available, commercial pellets (Reptomins). The advice I would give you is: offer a variety of food daily and don't get upset if they don't eat it. As long as you offer variety, eventually they will eat. Turtles are creatures of habit and get customized to different foods. It could be that they are still customized to the food they were getting before you got them. Also, turtles have limited color vision but they are partial to the color red and can be enticed by red food, especially sweet like strawberries, cherries, watermelon, etc. Also try cantalope, sweet potatoes and carrots. They like ripe tomatoes too. Make sure that the enclosure you have them in allows them to get out on land and also have room to swim and also has a full spectrum light so they can "bask". Sliders especially need to spend time under warm light to keep their level of vitamin D high which keeps their shells healthy. Be aware that some variety of sliders can get very big, even as big as a dinner plate by the time they are 10-12 years old. The turtles mature sexually at about 3-5 years, and they can live up to 40 years in captivity if properly cared for.

Hope this helps, please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 8:13:57 PM

Sinergy

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Hello A/all,

I had a red eared slider in my cichlid tank when I was in college. His shell was about 6 inches wide. Some days he would get into fights with my fish. The cichlids would try to bite him, so he would put his clawed feet in front of his face or try to bite them. Sometimes he would pick a fight with my 22 inch Arowana, who would back up like a snake and strike him, knocking him through water about 18 inches into the aquarium glass. He would look at the Arowana with the turtle equivalent of a shit-eating grin and probably say "dude, Im wearing armor" in turtlespeak.

He chased down and devoured goldfish and guppies. Ignored turtle pellets and lettuce. Would eat floater cichlids as well.

Things I learned raising them is that they require a place to completely dry their shell. They require natural (full spectrum) light. They dont eat every day. I threw 50 or 100 goldfish or guppies in my tank every few weeks.

Hope this helps,

Sinergy

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 9:32:45 PM

daizy

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I think buying the guppies is probably the best thing i can do.

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 9:38:04 PM

nikaa

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Turtle Soup

1 lb. Turtle meat ( no bones)

2 cups potatoes diced.

1 cup barley.

1/4 cup carrots diced.

1/4 cup onions diced.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

To prepare.

Cut the into small pieces and cook slowly in two quarts water till tender. (broth will be clear) Add all other ingredients, salt, pepper and simmer till done.

Yummy!

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/25/2006 11:57:13 PM

SirKenin

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I have had several red eared sliders Myself over time. One thing I know is that they do not seem to care much about the conditions they live in. Temperature or water quality does not seem to be an issue for them. I know they can go without eating for more than a week at a time and it will not hurt them any. Just give them pellets once a day and leave them for a while to see if they eat. If they do not eat, do not sweat it, but I am not sure I would be moving them around to feed them. I found bothering them made them less likely to eat. They always seemed to eat when I was not bugging them.

< Message edited by SirKenin -- 12/25/2006 11:59:48 PM >

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RE: Anyone know about turtles? - 12/26/2006 12:24:53 AM

unsung

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http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesturtles/a/reslidercare.htm

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