underweight and overweight RES

[Turtle_Crazy]

my one 10 year old female RES, Speedy is showing a bit of extra skin hanging from the front of her legs, while my little RES, Soup's kinda caved in, in the same spot.

i know that i must feed speedy mostly greens, veg and a treat of fruit or fish now and then, should i limit her intake of turtle sticks? she gets about a spoonful everyday.

Soup, at least 4 years old, on the other hand, i want to get her to just fill out a bit after wandering dry in our city for a couple months. what kind of foods and live/defrosted/ prey can i feed thats packed with calories? turtle food sticks are disappearing with him like crazy and i want them to have a wide variety and to know "Real" food.

don't worry im taking them into the vet to get the ultimate say......

[elfomatic]

Well ... turtle sticks should do it if you are trying to fatten him up. They are very high in protein.

As a general rule, a turtle should feel surprisingly heavy when you pick it up to be healthy ... but it shouldn't have folds or flabs of skin hanging out from behind or in front of its legs.

As far as live foods ... mealworms and waxworms are extremely fatty ... that's why they should be offered in limitation. Earthworms and crickets are also appreciated.

You are doing well by offering them a lot of vegitation ... that should make up the bulk of their diet since they are grown or nearly grown.

[Turtle_Crazy]

thanks, i just wish they thought so too, the greens go floating by them and they act as if they are invisable, then a reptomin floats by and in a microsecond it gone! lol! the rosy red populaton has shrinked to a quarter it was since thursday, too!

thats it, im starting a vermacomposter and breeding tank!