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Diet & Feeding |
Resources: The links below will help guide you (as they did me) in the researching and formulating of your own turtle pudding recipes. Chelodina.com This includes Oliver Römpp's carnivore recipe for Chelodina. Many thanks go out to him for taking the time to share his very detailed instructions! Tortoise Trust Tortoise Trust has a wealth of information pertaining to the dietary needs of turtles and tortoises. Plan on committing a couple of hours to read through the materials as this is time well spent. You may even consider picking up a copy of the Tortoise and Turtle Feeding Manual. The World Chelonian Trust - Husbandry Articles Once again be prepared to read through this wealth of information, though I might suggest one resource in particular: Nutrient Analysis of Replacement Turtle and Tortoise Foods - Darrell M. Senneke Articles: European Zoo Nutrition Centre: Dietary Requirements of Asian turtles - focuses on the in-situ diet of Cuora amboinensis and Heosemys spinosa. Excellent report however you need to sign up for membership to request a PDF copy of the article if you wish to view the tables referenced. Dietary requirements of Asian turtles - data table for ex-situ feeding of Siebenrockiella crassicollis, Heosemys grandis & Orlitia Borneensis referenced in the prior study. Asian Turtle Conservation Network: Special Report on Vietnam Turtle Diets Evolution of Diets for Herbivorous and Omnivorous Reptiles at the Philadelphia Zoo: From Mystery Toward Science Internationale Schildkröten Vereinigung (in German) If you don't speak German try a translation site like Yahoo's Babel Fish. |
Pelomedusa.com |
Materials: Food processor Digital scale Thermometer (2) Foil containers (10) Large pot (1) Small pot (1) |
Captive Diet (Note: Pelomedusa cannot eat out of the water) Newly acquired specimens can prove to be a challenge when it comes to feeding as Pelomedusa can be shy eaters and may not eat outside of their enclosure. It is recommended that all attempts are made to feed in a separate container of warm water to help reduce the biomass load on the filter and frequency of water changes. It is strongly recommended to try and get newly acquired specimens feeding on commerical diets first simply because they are the most readily available food. Because Pelomedusa are carnivorous, even the most reluctant feeders respond enthusiastically to live prey including night crawlers, crickets, minnows as well as pinky & fuzzy mice. Once they start feeding many will accept commercially available diets including Mazuri, Aquamax (carnivore), Reptomin and Nasco turtle brittle. Pelomedusa will also feed readily on turtle pudding, a homemade gelatin mix described below. Sinking food induces the greatest feeding response in newly acquired specimens as it simulates prey falling into the water and should be offered in small bite sized pieces. The rationale for doing this is that turtles are more likely to strike at and consume small quantities of new food items. If a specimen shows little interest in the new food item try to offer a familiar food or live prey (earthworms); they are more likely to bite at a new item if they are in an excited feeding state. |
54 g gelatin = (7) 8 g packets 150 g trout 70 g shrimp 50 g oyster or mussels 150 g beef heart 30 g chicken liver 1 egg (including shell) 180 g mixed vegetables (carrot, dandelion, romaine lettuce, apple) 1/2 teaspoon (0.6 g) vitamins & calcium powder 1.1 cup water |
Carnivore Diet - Small Batch great size for your first time. |
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