

Babies should be fed every day as they need a tremendous amount of energy to grow at the proper rate. Baby Red-Eared Feeding Scheduleīaby red-ears need to be fed much more frequently than adults. Babies should be offered some vegetables, but the majority of their diet should be carnivorous.Īs your red-eared slider ages you can begin offering less feeder fish or insects and replace it with a variety of vegetables or aquatic plants. Baby red-eared sliders need a diet that is higher in meat and protein. It is important to know that a red-eared slider’s diet changes as they age. Another option is to throw in a cuttlebone once or twice a week. This calcium supplement will help prevent diseases and shell deformities. In addition to a healthy diet, your turtle will also need a calcium supplement.Ī powdered calcium supplement that also contains vitamin D3 is the best. If you decide to feed feeder fish then buy them from a local pet store. Insects, earthworms, slugs, snails or tadpoles.įeeder fish are good enrichment for turtles as they will have to chase it down to catch it, but they can also contain parasites.Feeder fish: goldfish, guppies or minnows.Dark leafy greens: romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard.Providing a variety of foods in their diet is key to keeping a healthy appetite. Many turtles will stop eating out of boredom if they are fed the same diet. Red-Eared Slider Dietįeeding red-eared sliders a balanced diet is vital for their health. Many people like to feed their turtles fruit, but they are very high in sugar and can give your turtle diarrhea. However, pet sliders should only be fed every two to three days because they do not have to hunt. Turtles in the wild will eat whenever they can. Hunting and foraging for food uses up a lot of energy, so they normally eat multiple times a day. Adults will also swim along the bottom of ponds or lakes and eat aquatic plants or algae. Red-eared sliders hunt by either sitting motionless, waiting for a fish to swim by and then snatching it, or by chasing and snapping up any bugs that land in the water. Too much protein in adults can cause an issue known as shell pyramiding, which is when the shell becomes more triangular in shape. minnows) and worms.Īs they age this species does not need as much protein. Babies enjoy invertebrates, very small feeder fish ( e.g. Meat gives younger species the extra protein that is needed to help them grow and develop their shell. Sometimes adults will eat small fish, earthworms, redworms, insects, snails, slugs, tadpoles and frogs.īaby red-eared sliders eat much more meat than adults. They will only eat meat if it is readily available and there are no plants nearby. Adults eat so many plants they are considered herbivorous. Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals.Īdults mostly eat aquatic plants such as elodea, duckweed, water lettuce and water ferns. What Vegetables Can Red-Ear Turtles Eat?.Adult Red-Eared Slider Turtle Feeding Schedule.
