Quick turt query

[Joe1507]

Just got a quick query about yellow bellied turtles.

firstly what do you guys feed them as a main diet, are pellets any good or would you steer clear, also isit ok to feed them the odd earthworm or insect or is that not s good idea? Also I know they eat lettuce and plants alot what sort of ratio do you feed them plants?

And has anyone ever been bitten by a fair sized one? how much did it hurt? :P

[Joe1507]

anyone?

[diamondwolf130]

Originally Posted by Joe1507

Just got a quick query about yellow bellied turtles.

firstly what do you guys feed them as a main diet, are pellets any good or would you steer clear, also isit ok to feed them the odd earthworm or insect or is that not s good idea? Also I know they eat lettuce and plants alot what sort of ratio do you feed them plants?

And has anyone ever been bitten by a fair sized one? how much did it hurt? :P

Okay, never avoid pellets! They should remain your turtles staple diet for the rest of it's life! They provide all the essential nutrition that your turtle needs to stay healthy.
Feed them on meat for their whole life and you will run into problems.

Hatchlings and Juvenile turtles don't tend to eat much veg so feed them mainly pellets and shrimp, bloodworm, fish, chicken, earthworms etc...
Food other than pellets should not be fed everyday. About once every two to three days depending on it's nutritional value. Fattier foods feed less often. Once a week or fortnight.

They will eat any insects that fly into your tank, which is cool to watch :P. But yeah you can feed them crickets and mealworms and stuff. But only on occasion, never as a staple.

I've never been bitten by a large turtle. Only my little musks which are about 1.7". Could hardly feel it, but once one got a good hold on my finger and did not let go. I felt that... but wasn't too painful. Can imagine the little buggers will have quite a powerful bite when they are fully grown though.

[Joe1507]

ok coool thanks i thought pellets would be ok but wasnt sure, Reptomin?

[Graham]

ReptoMin are good, so are ZooMed and T-Rex and are cheaper.

[Joe1507]

ok cool.

[Joe1507]

are there any fruits / veg that are harmfull to the turt?

[AnythingWithAShell]

I got a bite from my big cooter a few years back. I was feeding her, and she went for my finger (accidentally I think, she's very placid usually!) She had my finger in her mouth up to just past the first knuckle. By god did I feel that! It's more pressure than pain though, since they have no teeth. She didn't draw blood though

If it happens, wait til they let go, which they will eventually I was too paranoid of trying to yank my finger out in case I hurt her mouth, so I just sat there going 'oooow, ooow, OOOW!' for 5 or so minutes, til she let go!

[Graham]

are there any fruits / veg that are harmfull to the turt?

Yes, most turt species have not evolved to eat fruit and have problems digesting fructose, and members of the Brasicca family such as cabbage and brocolli should be avoided, as they contain high levels of oxalates which interfere with the processing of calcium.

[Joe1507]

So basically steer clear of fruit, cabbage and brocoli?
Ive seen turtles eating grapes on youtube, are they ok or should i just keep away from them