Right portions for a turtle

[ETTB1314]

Okay so I have 2 RESes, 1.75" & 2.25". I feed both twice a day, the smaller one 3 adult sticks each time, the bigger one 5 each time.

I know they love to beg, but then whenever they see me they would swim up to me and paddle really furiously kinda like they really ARE starving even right after a meal. So this makes me think, are they really hungry, or just greedy? And I can't seem to tell which is which, because if I do feed them more, they still gobble it up and still wants more.

I've read about the size of head ratio rule, which I don't follow because that would mean I will feed lesser than I am now. And also there is another rule of letting them eat as much as they can for 10-15 mins? I didn't want to try this one because I was afraid of them being capable of polishing off half the bottle of pellets already.

This has actually be bugging me for awhile now because whenever some of my family sees them they would swim up and paddle furiously like they are starving and they would sort of say that I am abusing them by feeding them too little. And really trust me I am doing my best to take good care of them but I sort of have some self esteem issues and can't handle people judging me and I just feel bad.

But then again I know that if I feed them too much, I would actually be harming them instead of helping them. I just want the best for my turtles. Someone please help, thank you so much

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

First welcome to the TFO from AZ . And now I feed my water turtles 3times a day first I feed greens , then I feed insects , and then I feed pellets. That's my adults and my baby's . And you should have a bundle of water plants in with them not only to hide but to feed them if they get hungery . That's a balanced diet . At first they may not like it but they will learn .

 

[johnsonnboswell]

You need to do the experiment to see how much food they really need by feeding them more. If they become disinterested in food, it's too much. If the filter can't keep up, it's too much. If the filter sucks the food up faster than it's eaten, its too much. There are many signs. You don't want fat and lethargic animals, but you do want young ones to grow.

I've noticed a focus on not over feeding that a lot of people share. It's often misplaced. You want them to grow, and you don't want the more aggressive one to deprive the other so it fails to thrive.

 

[ETTB1314]

Thanks! And I feed them separately outside the tank, so I can't tell from the filter. But yeah I have tried feeding them until they're uninterested for a while, then the big one would start again like he's starving.

 

[Anthony P]

The behavior your seeing when you enter the room has more to do with your setup, the room it's in, and location in the room than it does with feeding regimen. Your RES are becoming used to the fact that human presence means food. You could keep the same turtles in a larger environment, replicating a pond, either indoors or out, and they would be more likely to flea when you enter the room/area.

 

[ETTB1314]

The behavior your seeing when you enter the room has more to do with your setup, the room it's in, and location in the room than it does with feeding regimen. Your RES are becoming used to the fact that human presence means food. You could keep the same turtles in a larger environment, replicating a pond, either indoors or out, and they would be more likely to flea when you enter the room/area.

Thanks!

Oh now I kinda get it and hopes that's the case. Their tank is just beside my bedside table actually. If I have space outside next time I will make them an outdoor pond when they get big

 

[Anthony P]

Aquatic turtles in ponds act entirely different than those kept in glass aquariums. Interestingly, animals have been known to change their behavior when placed in one location or another becoming more skittish when placed in the pond, outdoors, and vice-versa when brought back inside.