A well-balanced red-eared slider diet consists of:
- 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 slider turtles eat?
Red Eared Slider turtles are omnivores, which means that they will eat fruits, vegetables, as well as meat and insects. A well balanced diet for a pet red eared slider turtle will be mainly based on pellets, with the occasional fruits, vegetables, and dried insects.
What fruits can red eared sliders eat?
Some experts recommend fresh fruits such as bananas, berries, apples, and melon. However, this isn't a natural staple in the red-eared sliders diet, and it may cause diarrhea. If you offer any fruit at all, limit it to very small quantities as a special treat.
How often should I Feed my red eared slider?
For instance, a hatchling and juvenile red eared slider will need feeding at least once a day. As your turtle grows into an adult, they actually only need feeding every other day, but they will want food all of the time!
What nutrients do Red Eared Sliders need?
Nutritional Supplements for Red-Eared Sliders A vet may recommend that a good reptile multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D3 be mixed with the turtle's food a couple of times a week.
Can you feed red-eared sliders fish?
Adult red-eared sliders can be fed: Dark leafy greens: romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard. Vegetables: bell pepper or carrots. Feeder fish: goldfish, guppies or minnows.
How often should I feed 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.
How much do you feed a red-eared slider?
A good rule of thumb is to feed as much as your turtle will consume in 15 minutes.
What can red-eared sliders not eat?
Avoid These Red-Eared Slider FoodsFeeder fish.Crickets.Earthworms.Crayfish.Ghost shrimp.Krill.
How long can red slider turtles go without food?
Healthy adult red-eared sliders can go without food for a few weeks up to two or three months at most.
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 human food can turtles eat?
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.
Do red-eared slider turtles need to be in water?
The answer is, yes. Red-eared sliders need to be in the water. For starters, red-eared sliders lack saliva and need water to swallow their food. They can eat without water, it's just a lot more difficult.
What do red-eared sliders need in their tank?
In captivity, red-eared sliders need a warm, dry area and a large pool of warm water. Red-eared sliders should be maintained in at least a 30- to 50-gallon tank that has both a pool and an area for the turtle to crawl out and keep warm and dry.
How do you play with a red-eared slider?
0:386:14Bored turtle? How to enrich your turtle (care ideas) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd have things in their surroundings to interact. With another thing you can do with theseMoreAnd have things in their surroundings to interact. With another thing you can do with these decorations is move them around periodically. So that they're not in the same configuration. All.
Are turtles always hungry?
Summary. Your turtle is always hungry because they are opportunistic feeders by nature and do not know when they will get their next meal. You will need to learn how to ignore this behavior and stick to a regular feeding schedule. Overfeeding your turtle should be much more of a concern to you than underfeeding it.
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.
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.
How much water should be in a red eared slider turtle tank?
Fill the Tank With Water Red-eared sliders need an adequate amount of water in which to swim. At a minimum, the water should be about twice as deep as your turtle is long—a 4-inch turtle should have a minimum water depth of 6-8 inches.
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.
What is the best supplement for red ear sliders?
A powdered calcium supplement that also contains vitamin D3 is the best. This calcium supplement will help prevent diseases and shell deformities. Another option is to throw in a cuttlebone once or twice a week. It is important to know that a red-eared slider’s diet changes as they age.
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.
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.
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.
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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