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 vegetables can I feed my red eared slider?
Desirable vegetables to offer include dark leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, collard greens, mustard greens, carrot tops, endive, Swiss chard, kale, parsley, green beans, dandelion greens, turnip greens, and clover.
How often should you feed a red eared slider?
Red-Eared Slider Turtle Feeding Schedule Some people choose to feed adult turtles once only every three days while others prefer to stick to smaller meals and continue feeding them daily.
What foods are poisonous to turtles?
Rhubarb and potato leaves belong to highly toxic food for turtles....Food Avoid to Feed Box turtlesBread, bakery products, and pasta.Candies, chocolate, and other products containing sugars.Processed meat and canned food.Avocado skin and pits.Tobacco leaves and products.Rhubarb.Tomato and potato leaves.Dairy products.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.
How long can a red-eared turtle go without eating?
Healthy adult red-eared sliders can go without food for a few weeks up to two or three months at most.
Do red-eared sliders eat bananas?
Some experts recommend fresh fruits such as bananas, berries, apples, and melons. 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. Don't feed frozen fish, or at least not very often.
Is tap water safe for turtles?
Do not use tap water for your tank, as tap water contains chlorine and possibly fluoride which can upset the pH balance of your system. De-chlorinated water needs to be used for the swimming area and filtered water for your turtle to drink.
How do I get my red eared slider to eat vegetables?
0:572:16How 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 can red-eared sliders not eat?
Avoid These Red-Eared Slider FoodsFeeder fish.Crickets.Earthworms.Crayfish.Ghost shrimp.Krill.
Can red eared slider turtles eat cucumbers?
Yes it can. You can feed cucumber to your aquatic turtles as long as they are in good health and not overweight.
Can red-eared sliders eat broccoli?
Broccoli is considered a superfood by many people due to the high amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals that it contains. While broccoli can be fed to your turtle occasionally and likely won't do much harm if given moderately, it's best not to make it a part of their regular diet.
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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What Do Red-Eared Sliders Eat?
Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals.
Red-Eared Slider Food
Red-eared sliders are omnivorous so they can eat both plants and animals.
Summary
Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, so they will eat both plant and animal matter. However, as they age, they need less protein.
How Often To Feed A Red Eared Slider
Red eared sliders have a particularly big appetite, and will act as if they are starving all the time! It is important not to give in and overfeed your turtle, as they will take as much as they can get without refusing any food.
How To Tell How Old Your Red Eared Slider Is
If you did not have your red eared slider from when it was born, or very young, then you will need to determine its age in order to feed it the proper diet that it requires. Some argue that you can find how old a turtle is by looking at its scutes, but this method is unreliable, and the scutes are hard to find on a red eared slider!
What To Feed A Red Eared Slider
Red eared sliders are actually omnivores, and in the wild, they will eat a mixture of both animal and plant sources. This includes worms, aquatic plants, fish and many other sources of food.
Why Is My Turtle Eating So Much?
You may notice that your red ear slider is eating very frequently, and begging for lots of food. This does not necessarily mean that it is hungry or starving, as turtles are naturally opportunistic eaters in the wild.
Why You Should Not Overfeed A Turtle
Turtles are actually very opportunistic, and will eat whatever is put in front of them. This can cause a problem, and make overfeeding them very easy. However, overfeeding a turtle is not advised as it can cause a few health problems for the reptile.
Conclusion
If you have a red eared slider, then it is important that you have a good feeding routine. Most red eared sliders can be fed once daily, or every other day if much older.
Habitat
A red-eared slider habitat should be a 40-gallon or larger enclosure with a screened lid so the turtle can’t escape. Habitat size should increase as your turtle grows to adult size. Be sure the habitat selected is wide enough to give the turtle room to comfortably turn around.
Feeding
The nutritional requirements of red-eared sliders change as they age and grow. While sliders of all ages are omnivorous, juvenile sliders require more animal protein for growth, and fully grown adults eat more plant matter to help prevent obesity.
Where to buy
Red-eared sliders are available at Petco stores. Contact your nearest location to check availability.
Aquarium mates
Adult aquatic turtles of the same species may be housed together as long as the aquarium is large enough. Do not house different turtle species together and avoid overcrowding, which can lead to aggressive behaviors.
Notes and sources
Ask a Pet Care Center associate about Petco's selection of products available for the care and happiness of your new pet. All products carry a 100% money-back guarantee.
Different Methods of of Choosing the Amount of Food for Your Red Eared Slider
As I said there are a lot of methods out there, but two of the most talked-about are the 15 minutes method and the size of the head method. I tried both of them and did extensive research to find out what other people have to say about them. So let’s start with the 15 minutes method.
Occasional Treats
Another thing that I want to address is that you can occasionally give your red eared slider treats. As long they are not too big, you can give your turtle a few live fishes, or similar things that they like, without warning that you disturb their feeding schedule.
LEGAL INFORMATION
TurtleOwner.com is owned and operated by The Turtle Owner Team. TurtleOwner.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
