When can i start feeding my red eared sliders fish?

Question

i have 2 red eared sliders who eat A LOT! lol. i have had them for a year and they are about 2 inches long. if i put a few goldfish in the tank will my turtles eat them or just be startled? and if they do eat it, will it leave messy remains?

ps: my turtles have already been caught eating flies (lol) so i know they are interested in food other than pellets.

Answer 1

Goldfish are fatty, so it'd be much better if you purchase rosy minnows or guppies for your turtles.  These are available as feeder fish at the petshop (you shouldn't catch fish from the wild for it, due to parasite issues).

And yes, it will be very, very messy.  You may want to remove the turtles to a container of shallow water the same temperature as their tank, for fish, insects, vegetable and plant feedings.  

Your turtles would also enjoy earthworms, and gut loaded insects such as crickets, Phoenix, Silk, or Meal worms.  You can offer them frozen Tubiflex worms and dried shrimp, too.

If you would like a more complete dietary list for your lil guys, you can shoot me an email to [e-mail] and type FEEDING TURTLES on the subject line.

Good luck, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

same as lady above said

Answer 3

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

They eat fish and frogs and crickets and worms and anything that moves past their mouth.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for  8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that  they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

You need a good filter system!

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear! This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

They need leafy greens( Romaine, Butter lettuce. Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any leafy greens will do) for vitamins at least 3 to 4 times a week.

And a big tank 55 gallons or more..

  

Answer 4

yeah they can eat that, but flies are not good for them at all. ( scroll down for food!)Do you have this setup? first read all of this and see if you have this setup, it costs at least $300, and is a regular setup. All the stuff is expensive!- Really, you have to be very responsible to own a pet turtle, because they are a huge responsibility. You have to be a loving, caring person who is willing to care for a turtle every single day! Really it is a big job for some people, but if you are willing to accept the challenge then go for it.

************ This is a setup for a red eared slider the most common type of turtle, they get up to 12 inches, but you will see them as babies at a store commonly, so know that they will grow very big**************

You will need to get a 50 gallon starter tank and upgrade to a 75 gallon later on when your turtle is over 6 inches...If you can not get that big of a tank right now then for now you can use a huge rubbermaid container filled up with clean warm water 5/6 of the way. The water should be 75-82F, that can be achieved by buying a water heater at the petstore, along with a water filter. Water filters that are best are canister filters, like the Rena xp3 filter which costs $200, but filters very well. Do buy a filter please, even a cheap one at $25, is better then none at all, since turtles are extremely messy and p**p-ful (haha). The bottom of the tank should be bare, no gravel because they could choke on that mistaking it for food. On top of the water you need 3 things, 1. a basking dock ( buy a large size zoomed basking dock). 2. you 100% need to buy a basking lamp+bulb, you buy them separatly, then s***w the bulb in ( 50 watts) and shine it on the basking dock over a mesh hood( cut a hole out of it and place the light there!). 3. This is very important, you need a uvb light. It is a long thin light, you need to get the actual lamp+ the long skinny bulb. Reptosun 5.0 is the best bulb( together costs $55). Shine that onto the basking dock as well. Turtles need these together because they use the uva for heat, so they stay warm ( the basking site should be 90-95F, not colder) and they need the uvb rays to metabolize calcium and vitamin d3 for a stronger shell ( like you need it for your bones!) The diet for the turtle should be reptomin pellets ( and other nutricuos pellets!) crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, shrimp, and krill. All of this is found dead at the petstore!;) They also need vegetation, get kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Drop all of the food in the tank once a day, and remove any leftover bits after a few hours. By the way ALL of the protien food ( dead food, that was alive once) should be dusted with a calcium supplement ( powder) and you need to get a cuttlebone found in the bird aisle of the petstore and drop it in the water for him to knaw on, keep it there for a while (month) until she eats all of it, then get another. Once all of these things are done your turtle will be pretty happy!