any turtle food recipes?

[amphiboy77]

just looking for healthy treat for my turtle to enjoy.

[Yusil]

Well, I'm not sure what type of turtle[s] you have, but generally, most leafy greens will do the trick... well for pond turtles anyway. I think snapping turtles prefer a more "alive" and meaty diet.

I have a Red Ear Slider[Trachemys Scripta Elegans] and she's fed a staple of mostly leafy greens & Veggies, such as;

Romaine Lettuce
Baby or finely cut Carrots
Anacharis[which is a water plant really].

Also, other things as well, as this species is omnivorious and likes the occasional shrimp or feeder fish. They can also be given a treat, such as strawberries and other fruits.

Young turtles need a high protein diet, in order to help their shells grow, and as such, some people recommend Cuttlebone with the back removed. Also, reptomin treats work wonders as well. As turtles age[or atleast when Red Ear Sliders do], they prefer less of a protein diet, going instead for the leafy greens.

Some people recommend strongly that turtles should be fed carrots on a regular/semi-regular basis, as it's supposed to help their eyes stay healthy and strong.

Romaine Lettuce[and green lettuce] gives your turtle a great boost in Vitamins; A & K .

A list [albeit for the Red Ear Slider] from the Red Ear Slider website Redearslider.com :: View topic - What to feed your Red Eared Slider;

VEGETABLES **all rinsed thoroughly**

Romaine Lettuce
Mustard leaves
Leaves of Radish
Collard Greens
Tomatoes (must be considered a rarity. too acidic to be a regular staple)
Carrot
Turnip
Sweet Potato (cooked - boiled/ steamed/baked)
Peas (occasionally - once a month max)
Pumpkin
Squashes

FRUITS **no more than once a month**
Papaya
Mango
Watermelon
Cantaloupe/Common Melon
Grapes (remove skin so its easier for them to pick at )
Apple
Pear
Strawberry
Figs
Banana

WATER PLANTS **rinsed thoroughly**
Anacharis
Water Lily
Duckweed
Water Hyacinth
Hornwort

LIVE PREY
Feeder Fish (guppies, rosey red minnows)
mealworms (no more than once a week as they're very high in protein)
mosquito larvae
crickets (preferably gutloaded)
cockroaches
apple snails or other water snails

Getting Calcium
cuttlebone (found in any pet store in the bird section - peel off the hard backing first, as they can't digest it)
Calcium Dusting (you can crush cuttlebone for this)
Calcium blocks

Getting Vitamin A (Great for eyes ..especially if they are puffy)
green leafy vegetables
carrot
squash
cod liver oil

Young RES tend to be more carniverous (eating mostly insects/fish/pellets). Don't let that stop you from offering greens because they'll take to it eventually.
Stay away from goldfish (very fatty, really no nutritional value to your turt). Always offer your RES a variety of different foods. Once they get stuck on one type of food, it's difficult to get them to eat anything else!

[amphiboy77]

i have a snapping turtle. his name is bowzer.

[Yusil]

He'd probably enjoy a more "alive diet" meaning fish or small invertebrae, like shrimp. As they are quite sedentary, so you won't find him hunting much, especially as he gets older and bigger. You would need to find a way to get him interested in other foods, probably by wiggling foods over his mouth, as they are attracted by movement.

[amphiboy77]

he is a baby

[Yusil]

he is a baby

Oh yeah, same applies for adults and babies, although, it's probably obvious that you're going to want to feed smaller meals, such as shrimp or guppies.

I know that as they get older, they'll rarely move, even to get food, so he may be moving around now but once he gets larger, he'll become more sedentary. So he'll probably go looking for food at this stage, but don't expect him to be like other turtles, who actively hunt for their food.

So you can probably drop a couple of guppies [preferably healthy-bred ones from a pet store, and not wild ones] in and maybe some ghost shrimp. He'll be more enticed by movement and he'll learn to let food come to him [which is natural], so he won't be too interested in lettuce or other non-live food, especially if it's not meaty.

They are more carnivorous then anything else, and as they get larger, can handle bigger fish and pretty much anything that comes across their mouth.

Also, you're going to want to make sure that what you feed them, can live in their environment, because, as a sedentary creature [as an adult], it's not going to want to continously make the effort and waste energy to swim to the surface, so they prefer a lower/shallower water environment so they can just stick their heads out. So anything you drop in there [fish/feeder-wise] should be able to move freely, without having too much difficulties[such as the fish is too big, and cannot swim in shallow water].

They're slightly difficult to take care of at the semi-adult/adult stage, unless they're housed in an outdoor pond, because although sedentary, they do get quite large and like to turn every so often, so an indoor tank isn't advised by many [depending on the adult size, but generally people keep them outdoors].

[amphiboy77]

i feed him a diet of tetra fauna baby,tetra fauna suprema, and turtle bites as a staple diet. oh and some crickets. they are alive.