How often do you need to feed a red-eared turtle at home, how many times a day should a pet eat

For the proper maintenance of a water turtle at home, diet is of great importance. The peculiarity of these suppressors is an excellent appetite, which often causes overeating and the subsequent development of serious diseases. Therefore, it is important not only to choose the right food for your pet, but also to establish an accurate meal schedule.

How many times a day to feed the cubs

Good nutrition is especially important for small individuals that are going through a phase of rapid growth. With each serving of food, they must receive the protein, trace elements and vitamins necessary for survival and proper development. Due to the high metabolic rate, the cubs eat very often. Feeding individuals up to 1 year is recommended every day, at least 1-2 times a day.

Feeding your red-eared turtle too often in its first year of life can have serious health consequences:

• indigestion – the pet can burp food, undigested pieces can be seen in the feces; inability to digest protein food can lead to its decay in the digestive tract, death of the cub;
• obesity – the body is rapidly increasing due to excess weight, it becomes larger in volume than the shell, the reason is usually the frequent consumption of fatty fish;
• disproportionate development – the shell becomes too bulky, deformed due to rapid growth, takes on a pyramidal shape.

Overeating leads to diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, which can take a chronic form and significantly shorten the life of the pet. Feeding too infrequently is also dangerous – if the turtle regularly refuses to eat, this can lead to exhaustion and developmental disorders.

The amount of food for a single feeding must be calculated empirically – the pet must eat it in half an hour.

Leftover food must be completely removed so as not to contaminate the water. It is recommended to use a special jig for the feeding procedure, which is easy to clean. It will be easier for a small turtle to collect all the pieces of food in a shallow container, this will also teach him not to beg for food when he is in the main terrarium. After the meal, the animal must be transplanted under the lamp.

How to feed adults

Owners often do not know how many times a week to feed the great red-eared turtle to avoid overeating. During the first 2-4 years of life, the young individual is actively gaining weight and increasing in size. If a high temperature is maintained in the aquarium, many pets do not lose their appetite at all and actively beg for food, splashing water noisily, and sometimes moving their island.

Other animals, as they grow older, begin to refuse food more often. This is also a variant of the norm – metabolism slows down over time. Most veterinarians agree that the average feeding frequency for an adult water turtle is at least 2-3 times a week. If the pet eats less often, the development of the disease may be a possible cause, so it is better to take him to the doctor.

The amount of food is calculated individually, depending on the activity of the pet, its size, season. It is necessary to carefully monitor how the turtle eats in order to calculate its optimal one-time rate. In the summer, a pet may ask for food more often due to an increase in daylight hours, increased activity, so portions can be increased. Sea turtles require both protein and plant foods, so it’s best to set aside additional meals for fresh greens.

IMPORTANT: Red-eared and sea turtles need to be fed only in the morning or afternoon, as they sleep at night and the metabolic process slows down. If you feed an aquatic turtle at night, the food may remain undigested, begin to ferment, and rot in the intestines.