What-toFeed.com

what to feed my red eared slider turtles

by Ms. Otilia Wilderman Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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  • red-eared sliders need a pelleted commercial diet.
  • Commercial turtle treats and freeze-dried krill may be given as treats.
  • Non-toxic aquatic plants (anachris, water lettuce), dark leafy vegetables and sliced vegetables such as squash and carrots.
  • Comet goldfish, earthworms and insects may be offered as treats.

What do red-eared sliders eat? Juveniles and adults can be fed a base diet of commercially available pellets or sticks that are made for aquatic turtles, along with vegetable matter such as dark leafy greens (dandelion, mustard and collard greens with chopped broccoli, carrots, squash and green beans).

How do you care for a red eared slider?

Here are some tips on how to care for a red-eared slider:

  • When handling red-eared sliders, wash your hands thoroughly to avoid the spread of Salmonella and other diseases.
  • Sliders don’t mind being handled a lot just don’t drop them or place them in a cold environment.
  • Sliders are happy just to remain inside their tanks but if you want to take your pet outdoors, us a small cage that may be carried anywhere. ...

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What temperature is too cold for red eared sliders?

Too Cold Temperature for Red Eared Slides Like most other reptiles, red eared sliders can not endure a cold temperature. Experts suggest maintaining a temperature of about 72 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit in the captivity. If the temperature drops by even a single degree, the habitat environment becomes cold for the red eared slider.

What is the life cycle of a red eared slider?

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What do baby red slider turtles eat?

What Do Baby Red Eared Slider Turtles Eat?

  • Protein Diet. Turtles of all sorts can consume the same nutrients, including snails and earthworms. ...
  • Vegetable Diet. You can offer carrots, squash, and other dark leafy greens vegetables in an aquarium. ...
  • Fruit Based Diet. Baby turtles can only eat a limited number of fruits, but it’s worth noting which ones are high in nutrients.

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How often do I feed my red-eared slider turtle?

How often should I feed my red-eared slider? The frequency of feeding depends on the age and size of your red-eared slider. Smaller or juvenile turtles will eat heartily every day. As they get older, adult turtles may be offered a good-sized portion of food every two or three days.

What fruits and vegetables can red-eared slider turtles eat?

Like humans, red-eared sliders are also omnivorous and have a very varied diet. Sliders can eat many types of vegetables- such as green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, and squash- but also a wide range of fruits – skinned apples, bananas, berries, melons, nectarine, and mango.

What is the best food for red-eared sliders?

A big handful of leafy greens, a pinch of turtle pellets, and a couple worms or insects should be plenty. Adults eat a lot less meat, so make sure you offer plenty of dark leafy greens, vegetables, and aquatic plants. Foods rich in protein, such as fish and invertebrates, should only be offered once a week.

What can red-eared sliders not eat?

Avoid These Red-Eared Slider FoodsFeeder fish.Crickets.Earthworms.Crayfish.Ghost shrimp.Krill.

What fruits and vegetables can I feed my turtle?

Shredded carrots, squash, and zucchini are great foods that turtles can eat, too. You can also go with edible aquatic vegetation such as water lettuce, water hyacinth, and duckweed. “For fruits, consider shredded apples and melons, as well as chopped berries,” recommends Dr. Starkey.

What foods are poisonous to turtles?

Toxicity level ranges from mild to severe, depending on the plant:Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna)Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)Asparagus Fern (Asparagus sprengerii)Avocado (leaves, seeds) (Persea americana)Azalea, Rhododendron species.Bird of Paradise shrub (Poinciana gilliesii/Caesalpinia gilliesii)More items...•

What kind of human food can you feed a turtle?

Fresh Fruits and Veggies They especially like leafy green veggies, so kale, collard greens, and mustard greens are both healthy and delicious for them. They'll also chow down on carrots, squash, green beans, and peas. As far as fruits go, you can give them bananas, apples, and pears, among other things.

How do I get my red-eared slider to eat vegetables?

0:482:16How To Get Your Turtle To Start Eating Vegetables. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I would put in a green leaf lettuce leaf. Or I would give him a red leaf lettuce. And I would seeMoreSo I would put in a green leaf lettuce leaf. Or I would give him a red leaf lettuce. And I would see if he'd be tempted by that if on the first day he didn't eat it I would take out the slimy stuff.

What do red-eared slider turtles eat?

Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals. Adults mostly eat aquatic plants such as elodea, duckweed, water lettuce and water ferns. Adults eat so many plants they are considered herbivorous. They will only eat meat if it is readily available and there are no plants nearby.

What to feed a red-eared slider?

Good plants to feed red-eared sliders are dark leafy greens, aquatic plants, and vegetables. Feeder fish, invertebrates, and commercial turtle pellets are good sources of protein. Make sure your turtle is also getting a calcium supplement at least once a week and is not being handled after feeding.

Why do turtles regurgitate food?

Turtles are very smart and quickly learn when it is time to be fed. Turtles and many other animals tend to move slower after eating, so regurgitating food in order to escape more quickly is a common tactic. Red-eared sliders may regurgitate their food if they are handled too soon after eating.

How long should I let my turtle eat?

Any vegetables you feed should first be boiled and chopped into pieces small enough to fit into the turtle’s mouth. Let your turtle have a 15 minute feeding session. After the feeding session, just remove anything that hasn’t been eaten to keep the water clean.

How often should I feed my slider turtle?

Turtles in the wild will eat whenever they can. However, pet sliders should only be fed every two to three days because they do not have to hunt. Many people like to feed their turtles fruit, but they are very high in sugar and can give your turtle diarrhea.

How do red-eared sliders hunt?

Red-eared sliders hunt by either sitting motionless, waiting for a fish to swim by and then snatching it, or by chasing and snapping up any bugs that land in the water. Adults will also swim along the bottom of ponds or lakes and eat aquatic plants or algae.

How often should I feed my turtles?

Adults should be fed a hearty amount of food once every two days. A big handful of leafy greens, a pinch of turtle pellets, and a couple worms or insects should be plenty. Adults eat a lot less meat, so make sure you offer plenty of dark leafy greens, vegetables, and aquatic plants.

What Red Eared Slider Turtles Eat

Since red eared slider turtles are omnivorous they can eat a huge variety of ailments. So to make things simpler I will divide them in 5 categories:

How to Properly Feed Your Red Eared Slider Turtle

Over the years I’ve read about countless methods of feeding turtles. But out of all of them two stood out the most, as being the most used and the most efficient. And they are the 15 minutes method and the size of the head method.

Red Eared Slider Turtle Feeding Schedule

The first thing that you have to take into consideration when thinking how often you have to feed your turtle, or when making a feeding schedule, is the age of the turtle. Baby red eared slider turtles need a different amount of food than juveniles, and juveniles need a different amount of food than adult red eared slider turtles.

Occasional Treats

Another thing that I want to address is that you can occasionally give your red eared slider turtle treats. As long as they are not too consistent, you can give your turtle a few live fish, fruits, vegetables or dried insects, without worrying that you disturb their feeding schedule.

Final Thoughts

While red eared slider turtles can eat a lot of things, not all of them can be good for them.

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Why doesn't my red ear slider eat?

The only reason it doesn’t eat is because it’s used to other types of food, that are not as healthy, but a lot more tasty. After a couple weeks or a month of using this method, your Red Eared Slider turtle will start eating vegetables soon enough, and in the end it will also start to enjoy some of them.

What do you feed a red eared slider turtle?

And since the shell of a turtle is made out of bones, the calcium is even more important for turtles than for any other animal. Vegetables are one of the main sources of calcium that a Red Eared Slider turtle has, so making sure that you feed them vegetables with high amounts of calcium is important.

Why do turtles have a lot of phosphorus?

Phosphorus is what gives turtle shells a little flexibility, which is great because this little extra flexibility makes them more resistant to bites and other types of impact. But too much phosphorus can also make the shell too soft, and as a result much weaker when it comes to defending the turtle from predators.

How to stop turtles from eating meat?

Start by reducing the amount of food that you give it and replacing it with vegetables. If it still doesn’t eat, replace more of its food with vegetables. Do this until it starts eating the vegetables.

Can vegetables harm a red eared slider turtle?

Vegetables That Can Harm Your Red Eared Slider Turtle. Almost all vegetables contain calcium and phosphorus. And as a result most of them have a calcium to phosphorus ratio. So let’s take a look at what calcium does for Red Eared Slider turtles, what phosphorus does for them and what is a good calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Can red ear slider turtles eat vegetables?

Red Eared Slider turtles can eat almost every type of vegetable, the only ones that should be avoided are those with a high volume of phosphorus and those with little nutritional value.

Do turtles eat vegetables?

In general vegetables are regarded as great food sources that can help any person or animal maintain good health, but turtles don’t benefit in the same way from vegetables as we do. Some of the vitamins and nutrients from vegetables that help people remain healthy have little to no beneficial effect for turtles.

What do red-eared sliders eat?

Commercial turtle treats and freeze-dried krill may be given as treats. Non-toxic aquatic plants (anachris, water lettuce), dark leafy vegetables and sliced vegetables such as squash and carrots. Comet goldfish, earthworms and insects may be offered as treats.

How to clean a turtle's habitat?

Keep the habitat clean and remove uneaten food and feces right away. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the habitat at least once a week: place turtle in a secure habitat; scrub the tank and furnishings with a 3% bleach solution; rinse thoroughly with water, removing all traces of bleach smell.

Where did the red-eared slider originate?

Red-Eared Slider. Originating in North America, the red-eared slider is named for the distinctive red streak on each side of its face. The Red-Eared Slider is primarily aquatic and will emerge from the water for basking.

What do baby red-eared slider turtles need?

In their juvenile period, baby turtles most need proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It’s vital for their growth and development. In general, red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, which means their diet should consist of animals and plants. However, the diet of baby red-eared slider turtles should lean more on the animal side.

What do baby turtles eat?

However, don’t overdo it. Make that just a small part of their diet. Small feeder fish, bloodworms and shrimps are all great choices.

What is the best pellet for a baby turtle?

Commercial pellets are an excellent choice for a baby turtle. They are packed with the right combinations of nutrients, specially designed for your turtle needs. Juveniles need more proteins in order to grow and develop.

Do baby turtles eat plants?

Baby turtles will rarely accept foods that are not from animal origin. As they get older, their diet will shift from animal-based to plant-based. Don’t hesitate to give them plants once in a while, even though they refuse it to eat.

Do red-eared slider turtles survive?

They are more prone to diseases, they need special attention and they need to be fed more regularly. And unfortunately, many of them will not survive the first years of their lives.

Can you feed a red-eared slider?

Red-eared sliders are messy animals. If you feed them regularly, which you should definitely do, your turtle tank will get dirty sooner than later. To make your life easier, set up a separate small plastic container where you can feed your turtle. When your turtle finishes eating its meal, just put it back in the tank.

Do baby turtles survive the first year?

And unfortunately, many of them will not survive the first years of their lives. That’s why in that period you need to be careful, and you need to make sure that your turtles have the best possible conditions for living. In their juvenile period, baby turtles most need proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

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