How do you feed turtles live fish?

zimmerDN · 09-08-05, 11:27

They are so damn slow lol. The minnows would always be a half tank length away even before my turtles got close to them. It's funny watching them chasing after the minnows and then see the minnows fly away. Anyone have any tips?

kgb · 09-09-05, 02:48

I had a turtle back when I was a kid but he was super fast. He also had huge claws. I would feed him gold fish and just drop them in and he would catch them and, for some reason, rip their heads off and then eat them. He made a damned mess with that stuff so I let him go in the local creek. LOL
R.I.P. Oscar

atticdog · 09-09-05, 12:00

i always fed mine meal worms there alot slower

medic · 09-09-05, 02:29

what ever happened to feeding a turtle lettuce?

Aurora40 · 09-10-05, 03:58

I'm assuming it's a snapping turtle? I'm surprised he's slow. They don't swim fast after the fish, but lie carefully in wait until a fish swims too close. They they lunge quite quick with a big snap. In college my roommate had one, and it'd practically bite the minnows in half in an instant. When we'd add fish to the tank, the first half of the fish would get eaten in like 2 days, and the othe half would take weeks because they wised up watching their buddies get snagged.

If it's not a snapping turtle, why are you feeding it fish?

FalconGuy · 09-10-05, 07:25

I used to rehab turtles and sometimes when they are diseased or injured they cant catch the healthy fast fish, natures plan you know, weeding out the weak. To make it easier you can remove part of the pectoral fin of the fish, it will be easier to catch. Or simply try a larger easier to catch prey, some small feeded godfish are just too fast, shop around.

There are many store bought dry turtle foods that offer a balanced diet, avoid dog food as the excess protien will cause shell problems. Also avoid lettuce as a meal, it has no value except as fiber, in moderation it helps digest but wont sustain the animal.

Post a pic I can tell you what type it is if you dont know already

zimmerDN · 09-15-05, 07:08

My turtle is a red-eared slider. One of them just passed away with many problems then I realize their diet (dry pellets) was a major cause of it and they living condition was poor (no directly sunlight and fully submerged all the time).

Scottwax · 09-15-05, 12:12

I like watching my tarantula snag crickets. She's real patient, once they get close, it's over. Never seen her miss.

General Lee · 09-16-05, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottwax

I like watching my tarantula snag crickets. She's real patient, once they get close, it's over. Never seen her miss.

I hate spiders, but I would love to see that.