8 replies to this topic

[Robin Ahrndt]

Hello from windy cold Wyoming. My son and I have adopted two unwanted turtles this past year and I'm always looking up stuff so I thought I would join. We have Darla a very large red eared slider and Slappy who is a fat river cooter. Currently I'm trying to figure out how to put Slappy on a diet. I have been removing her from the tank they are in and letting her wander around on my wood floors to get exercise and she can now actually walk a few steps without thunking on the floor which is an improvement over when we first got her. She can't retract her limbs and her head doesn't really go all the way in either. After tonights research I think her shell is pyramiding as well. I have taken to feeding them separately but I'm really unsure on what I should be feeding her that will allow her to lose some of the fat. Currently we feed reptisticks, carrots and lettuce. Once in a while we get a few goldfish too. The original information I found said turtles wouldn't over eat but two hours and twenty goldfish later I decided that was a lie. Fortunately it was just the slider then and she is pretty big so it doesn't seem to have harmed her. Does anyone have suggestions on how to put a turtle on a diet? And what citeria do I use to determine the proper amount of food so my turtle isn't underfed or overfed? The cooter will literally eat from your fingers so I have a hard time resisting feeding her but I like her too much not to try and correct her weight issues.

[bleecker]

Hi and welcome. There is a lot of great info here.
Yes they will over eat, how many times a week are you feeding her? Cut back to every 3-4 days.
I have heard to feed as many pellets as the size of the head, seems a little light to me but it may be a good way to regulate how much you are putting in. I've also read as much as they can eat in 15 minutes or so.
It's good to feed them separately that way she isn't getting all the other turtles food too.
Don't give in to the begging behavior... Maybe stop hand feeding her so she won't associate you with hand outs every time you walk by...
Gold fish are very fatty, switch to guppies or red-rosies or minnows and keep it down to a treat only once in a while.
Do you feed them veggies? Try feeding her romaine lettus as a supplement. I also feed shredded carrot.
I hope this helps.
If you have any questions , please ask...

[turtlefanatic]

Welcome to Turtle Times, Robin!  Kudos to you for adopting Darla and Slappy.  My heart breaks a little every time I read the phrase "unwanted turtles."  It's nice to hear that they've found a good home with you.

Bleecker has given good advice.  The reptisticks are OK as part of Slappy's diet; but adult cooters are a highly herbivorous species and vegetable matter makes up a large part of their diet in the wild.  You might try adding collards, dandelion greens, and/or turnip greens to her diet.  The carrots are fine and a good source of vitamin A.  Lettuce is alright, but stick to types such as romaine; iceberg lettuce has little nutrition.  Nix on the goldfish.

You need to balance the frequency you're feeding with the amount of amount of food.  For example, my female red-eared slider has a tendency to gain weight; so I feed her as much as she wants, but only twice a week.  If you don't feel comfortable with waiting that long between feedings at first, you can feed her as much as she'll eat in 15-20 minutes, every 2-3 days.  I wouldn't feed her any more often than every other day if you're trying to control her weight.

I had to laugh when I read the part about Slappy now being able to walk a few steps without thunking on the floor!  Some of our members float a ping pong ball in their turtle's tank.  The turtle may get exercise by chasing and pushing the ball around.

I know it won't be easy for you to resist feeding her every time you walk by; but getting her down to a healthy weight will increase the chances of having her with you for many more years.  Good luck with your efforts!

Edited by turtlefanatic, 04 February 2012 - 07:43 PM.

[Robin Ahrndt]

Thanks to you both for the advice. I will cut back to feeding twice a week and work on getting them more fresh vegetables. I think I'm going to try building a basking shelf that goes over our tank so that Darla will actually be able swim. The biggest turtle dock I have found just barely holds her and broke after a few months so we resorted to lower water levels and rocks. I'm sure I will be back asking more questions. Originally I got on this site months ago because my son was worried about the white spots on Slappy's shell but from what I have read I believe they are scarring rather than a problem with her shell. She has some pyramiding and I have been slowly managing to get layers off her shell that didn't quite shed all the way and I suspect that may have caused some of the weight issues because it was not growing well.

[BoxTurtleLover]

Welcome aboard!  

[turtlefanatic]

Incomplete shedding with retained scutes can occur when a turtle hasn't been able to dry off or bask sufficiently.  If Slappy now has the opportunity to bask under a good UVB lamp, you should eventually see improvement in the appearance of her shell.

Just curious...how big is Darla?

[turtlemann2]

WELCOME to tt.com!!! as said above dandelions are greeeaaat! thr leaves flowers stems they are the favorite at my house and are very healthy! variety is key : )

i think if the turts had it their way they all would be overweight : )

[Robin Ahrndt]

Darla is 10  inches long. I know she can still get bigger but she is way bigger than any I have seen where I live. I am working on a basking enclosure now for above their tank so they can have  more room. Their tank should be at least 50 gallons bigger but I don't have the $ or space for that large of a tank. I could put slappy in a 20 long by herself but they really seem to like being together.

[Erik]

Welcome.