The period or the baby period is an important period for turtles. During this period, turtles really need vitamins for their growth and development to run smoothly. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your baby turtle is well fed and kept in a safe and comfortable environment so that it can eat and get all the nutrients it needs.
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Part 1 of 3: Collecting Equipment
Step 1. Get to know your turtle's eating habits or patterns
Turtle feeding habits will vary, depending on the type of turtle you keep. In general, turtles are all-eating animals. This means, the type of food includes plants and animals. However, some turtles have habits or eating patterns that change over time.
- Many types of turtles undergo changes in the type of feeding following their growth. Various types or species, such as the Brazilian tortoise (red-eared slider) and the green turtle, were originally meat-eating animals, but as they grew, these turtles eat more plants.
- Several other types of turtles remain flesh-eating or all-consuming animals throughout their lives. For example, the common snapping tortoise always needs meat as its main food, while the loggerhead turtle requires a combination of meat and plants as its food.
- Find out what kind of turtle you keep. The species may be known with certainty if, for example, you maintain and cultivate them yourself. However, if you bought it from a pet store, the species or breed may not have been determined. Therefore, take your baby turtles to a veterinarian who has experience in handling turtles to carry out the species identification process.
Step 2. Provide proper food
High quality turtle pellets can be a healthy staple food. However, there are several types of food that you can choose from, depending on the nutritional needs of your tortoise. If so, make sure you provide your tortoise with another food source. A diverse diet is an important aspect of your tortoise and its varied nutritional needs.
- Purina (a pet food product company and brand) produces a type of turtle pellets through its subsidiary brand, Mazuri. These pellets are produced in various types based on the specific type/species of turtles and their specific dietary needs. Besides Purina, Rep-Cal also provides a wide selection of pellets for various types of turtles, from meat-eating, plant-eating, and all-consuming turtles. Other brands of turtle pellets include ReptoMin, ZooMed, Pretty Pets, and Wardley's Reptile Pellets. You can buy it at a pet store or from the internet.
- If your tortoise is a plant-eating or all-consuming animal, provide a variety of fruits and vegetables in addition to pellets. Vegetables or fruits such as lettuce, kale, carrots, melons, and strawberries are safe and delicious foods for turtles. Also, try providing aquatic plants that can be part of your tortoise's daily diet, such as duckweed, watercress, and water hyacinthus.
- If your tortoise needs meat as its main food, you can feed it mealworms, earthworms, crayfish, minnows, snails, slugs (shellless snails), and wax worms (moth larvae). You can buy these animals at pet stores that sell turtles and other reptiles. Don't try to find worms yourself for turtle feed or a fishing supply store to buy the feed. You need to ensure that the feed provided (eg worms) is safe for your tortoise to eat.
Step 3. Create a pleasant environment for your turtle to eat comfortably
Turtles must be comfortable in order to eat. To make sure your tortoise will eat in his tank, make sure you create a special environment that makes him feel comfortable eating. To keep the habitat or aquarium clean, you will usually need to feed it in a separate cage or aquarium. However, this is not mandatory if you have a baby turtle. Even if it's not ideal, you should try feeding the baby turtles in the main cage or aquarium. However, if he still won't eat, try cleaning his cage more often.
- As with food selection, the placement of food in the aquarium or cage also depends on the type or species of your turtle. Find out in advance how your turtle eats in its natural habitat and try to imitate how it eats in its aquarium. For example, if your tortoise is a meat-eater, it may prefer to catch its own food. If so, releasing the minnows in a small pond can be an ideal option for your turtle to eat comfortably.
- Find out if your tortoise is a freshwater tortoise or a land tortoise. Freshwater turtles usually prefer to eat while diving or swimming in the water, so it's a good idea to provide or make a small pond in the aquarium as a place to feed them. The water depth in the pond must be very shallow for the baby turtles so that they do not drown. Take care that the water level or depth does not exceed five centimeters.
- If you are feeding insects for turtles, place them on the ground. If there are insects into the water, the ammonia level in the water will increase. This can damage your turtle's shell and shell.
- Keep in mind that fresh food can go stale. Therefore, place fresh foods in separate containers so that they do not contaminate other foods. After you've given fresh food a few hours, throw it away even if your tortoise hasn't had time to eat it or not.
Part 2 of 3: Feeding the Turtles
Step 1. Decide how much food to give
Turtle owners and experts have different opinions about the amount and frequency of feeding baby turtles. However, it is generally recommended to feed the baby turtles once a day because the baby turtles are still growing and need more vitamins and minerals.
- Baby turtles need to be fed every day. The afternoon and early morning are ideal feeding times. At these times, usually the baby turtles show their activity so that they will likely eat the food provided.
- Although people generally agree that baby turtles need to be fed every day, the amount of food given is still a matter of debate. Some suggest feeding the turtle as much as it can eat, while others suggest limiting feedings to every 15 to 20 minutes. That's why it's a good idea to talk to your vet about your tortoise and ask for advice on feeding.
Step 2. Feed your turtle
Do not give food directly from your hands. If you give it directly from your hand, your tortoise will attach the food to your hand, prompting it to bite your hand. There are several things to consider when you are preparing food for baby turtles.
- Pellets for baby turtles need to be cut into smaller pieces because baby turtles' mouths are smaller than adult turtles and you don't want your baby tortoise to choke.
- Fruits that are larger than blueberries need to be crushed or cut into small pieces to prevent your baby tortoise from choking.
- Vitamin and calcium supplement products are recommended to be given to baby turtles to ensure they get adequate nutrition. If you want to supplement your baby turtle, give it three times a week.
Step 3. Treat any eating problems that may arise
Baby turtles are sometimes reluctant to eat, especially when first transferred or placed into a new aquarium. This is normal, but must be addressed immediately. There are several approaches that can be taken to handle situations like this.
- Check the water temperature in the aquarium. Sometimes turtles are reluctant to eat if the water in the aquarium is too cold or too hot. The exact water temperature will depend on the type or species of turtle being kept, but generally make sure or keep the water temperature in the aquarium within 28 degrees Celsius.
- Sometimes, movement can encourage the turtle to eat. If your baby tortoise isn't interested in the pellets, give him live crickets or mealworms to encourage his appetite.
- If this type of feeding problem persists for more than a few days, see your vet to find out what health problems may be behind the feeding problem.
Part 3 of 3: Making Plans for the Future
Step 1. Gradually introduce new types and portions of food
Turtles can have a long life span. This means, turtles are long-term pets. You need to be prepared to care for him, even after he's past babyhood. Keep in mind that the type of food and the amount of food given will change as it grows.
- A tortoise is not considered an adult tortoise until it reaches (at least) seven years of age. However, after three years his appetite will naturally decrease. When you notice your tortoise is starting to eat less, it can be a sign that your tortoise is ready to eat a new type of food. Talk to your vet first before you start changing your feeding frequency. Make sure you are aware of and treat your turtle's health problems, and get professional advice regarding the types and portions of food that can be given.
- Adult turtles only need to be fed every day. Some types of turtles even only need to be fed every three days. Adult tortoises have different nutritional requirements, depending on the breed or species. Therefore, find out in advance if you need to change your turtle's diet (eg from meat to plants, or vice versa) as it grows.
Step 2. Observe the health of your turtle
Changes in eating habits or patterns can be a sign of a health problem. If your tortoise stops eating, try to see if there are other problems with your tortoise.
- Notice if there is a problem with the shell. The turtle shell is an indicator of the turtle's health. Changes in the shell can signal a lack of nutrients, especially calcium in the type of food given (though not always calcium). If you notice a change in the shape of the shell (e.g. a cone-shaped lump or a rotting or scaly shell), it's possible that your tortoise isn't getting proper nutrition. If this happens, talk to your vet immediately for proper treatment.
- Watch out for parasites attached to turtles. Although rare, turtle food and pellets can be contaminated with certain parasites. Changes in the turtle's appetite, energy, and body weight can indicate the presence of parasites in the turtle.
- Respiratory infections in turtles can be caused by a lack of vitamin A. This deficiency can be characterized by a runny nose or droopy eyelids. Meanwhile, serious infections are characterized by breathing through the mouth, mucus in the mouth, or wheezing.
Step 3. Make food choices to keep your turtle healthy in the long term
Turtles can live for a very long time if properly cared for and cared for. Therefore, start thinking about your turtle's health early on. Many health problems are caused by the wrong type of food so you need to make decisions about feeding to maintain long-term health.
- Buy pellets from trusted companies or manufacturers and don't buy cheap pellets from untrusted (or suspicious) brands. Read reviews of pellets on the internet and talk to your vet to stay up-to-date with turtle diets.
- Make sure you give your turtle fresh produce. Also, wash food (especially vegetables and fruit) before you give it to the turtle. Remember that pesticides or bacteria that are harmful to humans can also harm turtles. Therefore, prepare food for your turtle as you would prepare for yourself.
Step 4. Try giving the turtle a supplement product
Since vitamin deficiency can cause a variety of health problems in turtles, talk to your veterinarian about taking health supplements to make sure your tortoise is getting the nutrients it needs. Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for turtles. Calcium supplement products for turtles can usually be purchased at pet stores. Sprinkle calcium supplement products in his diet two to three times each week.
