Should I feed my turtles separately

Question

I have 3 turtles the lady how sold them to me told me to feed them each one fish a day should i feed them separately so thay do not fight?

Answer 1

People at pet stores are generally don't have knowledge of what they are selling. Its a job and a job only. The turtles will fight and kill if they do not have enough room to share and food to eat. Youi can read horror stories on this site all the time of kids who write in 'why is my turtles tail gone, why is his bones showing, why is his leg dangling ofgf his body'..these have small tanks and no room so they will fight. Mine did, so I do speak from experience.

I have had 2 sliders going on 37 yrs now. They have always been together (added 2 more). I have always had a tank of goldfish for them to swim after for exercise and eat as much as they need to grow.

They get calcium and protein from fish.

They eat leafy greens which give them vitamins.

Basking up to 10 hrs plus to help remove their scutes (shell pieces) as they grow.

They need at least a 40 gallon tank for two.

A great filtration system.

So put a few 15 opr  20 feeders  in the tank and watch your little guys have so much fun swimming and getting exercise, also!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

Answer 2

Try feeding pellets. A diet of only fish is not healthy for the turtles, and probably annoying for you. Turtle pellets, occasional fish, lettuce, tomatoes, shrimp are all easier choices for turtles. And if your feeding pellets, they should all be getting enough. If you see one isnt getting as much food as the others, then seperate it and feed it.  

Answer 3

They probbably will fight if you feed them together.  Also turtles should not only be fed fish but they should be fed meat such as mouse and rat.

Answer 4

it really doesnt matter. my turtles just swim around and eat really. they may bump into each other once or twice but they dont fight.

Answer 5

They won't fight, but it would be a good idea to feed them seperately so the stronger/faster one doesn't get all the fish and the others get none.  

Answer 6

Yes.

And you shouldnt feed them fish everyday. That should be like a once a month treat.

Pellets, veggies, and fruits should be fed lots more that fish.

Pellets should be however many you think can fit into the turtles head not counting the neck. Every other day.

And veggies on the days that the turtle does not have pellets.

Pellets should be fed seperatly but you can just put the veggies in the tank.

Visit these sites for more information-

http://www.redearslider.com

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

http://www.redearsldier.com/forum

http://www.turtleforum.com

It also depends on what kind of specie of turtle you own so that would be more helpful if you told us that.

Answer 7

I would feed each turtle seperately.  when you feed turtles together aggression occurrs and one usually gets to much and the others get under fed.  so you will have happier turtles if they are fed seperately.  

you mentioned feeding your turtles fish; thats fine but you may also want to try crickets to get some variety in their meal.  also make sure you are feeding your turtles pellet food high in calcium and vitamin a.  a lack of nutrients and too much protein (live foods) will make you turtles prone to illness so make sure to find a balance.

hope this helps

Answer 8

Feeding the turtles individually in a separate container not only limits fighting, it allows you to monitor their food intake and makes cleanup a lot easier. You might want to vary their diets a little, although eating whole animals usually results in a balanced diet. Earthworms, soft-bodied insects, and strips of liver are good foods to put into any rotation.