- 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.
How do you feed a red eared slider turtle?
Drop food into your turtle's tank to feed it. Since red-eared slider turtles are aquatic turtles, they eat and swallow with their heads underwater. (In comparison, land turtles or tortoises are herbivores and eat on the ground.) Gently drop your turtle's food into their tank, and they'll happily eat and digest it there.
Do red eared sliders eat meat?
During the first years of their life, red-eared meat should make up for 70 percent of your turtle’s diet. As it grows, the meat percentage should reduce gradually. Adult red-eared sliders will have an almost fully vegetarian diet. Give your turtle a nutritious and varied diet by preparing vegetable mixes.
How to take care of a baby red eared slider?
An equal mix of protein-rich food items, dark leafy greens, and vegetables is ideal for a baby red-eared slider. Their diet should be 30% plant based and 70% meat. 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.
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.
How often do I feed a 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 is the best food for baby red-eared sliders?
A baby red-eared slider would definitely eat any of the following animals/insects:Mealworms.Earthworms.Gut-loaded crickets (crickets that have eaten carrots or other vegetables).Small fish.Dried shrimp.Other small insects.
What can I feed my red-eared slider turtle Besides turtle food?
VarietyPrey Items: Earthworms, crickets, waxworms, silkworms, aquatic snails, bloodworms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, and mealworms. ... Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and bok choy. ... Aquatic Plants: In an aquarium or pond, you can add aquatic plants that turtles usually love to snack on.More items...•
What can red-eared sliders not eat?
Avoid These Red-Eared Slider FoodsFeeder fish.Crickets.Earthworms.Crayfish.Ghost shrimp.Krill.
Does a red-eared slider 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.
Can I feed my red-eared slider carrots?
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.
How long can a red-eared slider go without food?
Baby or juvenile red-eared sliders would not be able to last more than a week or so without food, whereas older red-eared sliders will be able to last a month or two. A well-fed adult will be able to live without food for up to two months, three at an absolute stretch, but that really is not advised.
What veggies can I feed my red-eared slider?
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 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.
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.
Can red-eared slider turtles eat lettuce?
1. Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and bok choy. Head (iceberg) lettuce should never be fed as it contains very little nutrition but dark green leaf lettuces (e.g. romaine) can be fed sparingly. Make sure you only feed items with appropriate calcium to phosphorous levels.
Can red-eared sliders eat out of water?
You must know by now that Red Eared Sliders cannot survive for more than a week outside of water. However, there are instances when it can go up to six months. This only happens during winter, when the creature is brumating.
Variety
Commercial pellets are fairly nutritious, convenient, and beneficial since they contain a good mix of vitamins and minerals. However, as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Offering a wide variety of foods is better than just dropping in a commercial turtle pellet for your little guy.
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. Also, an excellent way to provide additional calcium is to put a cuttlebone in the turtle tank.
Tips
Catching wild prey can be dangerous if they have pesticides on them and they can carry intestinal parasites. 1 The same goes for vegetation like dandelion greens that you pick outdoors.
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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