Most of tiny turtle's meals consist of Romaine lettuce. He gets a little tomato, little bits of fruit, and as a special treat a tiny cricket to hunt or a bit of shrimp. We're still having a drought here, and worms are mighty hard to come by.
The turtle prefers his lettuce leaves large. He crawls underneath and nibbles from below. We're all entertained by the moving lettuce leaves. With most other foods, he hides until he thinks we're gone before he will come out to eat. With the shrimp, he just doesn't care. He'll eat in front of whoever happens to be around. He looks damp in the picture because I had just misted his terrarium to keep him from having a drought in there too.
He's grown a little. His shell is now 38 mm wide and 41 mm long. He seems to be healthy. He's quite active in the early mornings when there aren't many people around. His skin looks clean and his eyes are shiny. He's quit hissing at us, so I think he's getting used to us. He still likes to hang out in his little pool, but never when I'm looking. I can tell by the little turtle footprints he tracks into the water.
4 comments:
Kudos! Very informative article, keep up the good works! More power
What fun! Do you/does your son handle Tiny?
Do you make up stories about his lifestyle and do you anthropomorphise him? Does he have thoughts and desires and ambitions?
Does he say "thank-you" for all that good and exotic food? I love Romaine lettuce better than any other type of salad myself! What a privileged turtle! He should count his lucky stars!
Chris and Vic
Just an aside, we had a turtle that loved lettuce, and, according to the people was talked with, probably eventually died because he would fill up on lettuce to the exclusion of other, more nutritious foods...
Sounds like your loves shrimp, too, and fruit, so that probably won't be a issue...
john,
We were cautioned by a turtle expert never to feed iceberg lettuce. Romaine has many of the nutrients the turtle needs and the fruits and other veggies supply most of the rest. A bit of shrimp, a worm, or some lean well-cooked meat from time to time rounds things out. The occasional tiny live bug keeps the turtle entertained and adds protein too.
We raised a baby turtle several years ago on a similar diet and he stayed quite healthy.
Post a Comment