Dietry needs

These guys can eat, anything that is put in the water, they will attempt to devour. Raw meat, human meat, vegetables, crickets, other insects, fish, crabs, you name it, they'll eat it. Many owners feed their Red Eared Sliders with turtle pellets only. Although these pellets contain all the nutrients a turtle needs, it isn't the best. Pellets always contain far too much protein, causing rapid growth, shell pyramiding, respritory infections and even death. A Red Eared Slider's diet should consist of: 25% commercial pellets, 25% live foods like fish and crickets, and 50% vegetables. But that's the diet for adult terrapins. Young terrapins will eat 80% meat and commercial food as they are more carnivorous but become greater vegeterians as they age. Vitamins and calcium blocks can also be added to their diet. Many people have terrapins that are addicted to one kind of food. If people always feed pellets, chances are the Red Eared Slider isn't going to eat vegetables. If fed dried shrimp, I doubt they'll start munching pellets. Picky Sliders should be forced into eating a balanced diet no matter what so they get a stable growth. Cuttlebone should be offered for them to gnaw on for calcium. Sliders kept indoors should be given small amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin D3 because of the lack of sunlight. If kept outdoors, do not feed them these Vitamins as they get it naturally. Overfeeding these things will result in death. Feed young Red Eared Sliders every day twice. Feed as much as they can eat in two minutes. Adults should be fed small amounts a day, or a large amount twice every week.