What is fed red-bellied turtles at home most often

Red-bellied turtles are one of the most common species of these reptiles. They are freshwater. The appearance of these turtles is very interesting: the red spots on the head, the intricate design of the shell. The owners who have brought such a pet, always raises the question of what they feed red-bellied turtles at home.

Red-bellied turtles

These are medium-sized turtles, their shell grows to 30 cm. Moreover, males are smaller than females. The name of this kind of turtles was due to the elongated red spots that are located near the eyes. In some subspecies, these spots are not red, but orange or yellow. As additional decorations, these turtles carry green wavy stripes and spots on the head, paws, torso. In nature, such a tortoise is widely distributed. It can be found in Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia. By the way, it was introduced to Australia, but spread so widely that it is now recognized as a pest that displaces local fauna species.

Than you can feed the red-bellied turtles

Of course, the health of any animal depends to a large extent on feeding. In the care of a turtle, nutrition is also a very important factor. Turtles are predators, and therefore, in their diet should predominate animal feed, the content of which should be at least 80 - 90%. The rest is vegetable feed. Since in nature these reptiles often feed on small fishes, they are advised to include in their diet at home a low-fat fish cut into small pieces. When asked what they feed the red-bellied turtles at home most often, it turns out that preference is given to ready-made food. However, experts advise to diversify the animal diet. It must necessarily include pieces of low-fat boiled meat (for example, chicken), about once a week they should be given a boiled liver. Also on will refuse turtles from frogs, bugs, worms, small snails. Such food can be purchased in specialized stores. From plant foods, lettuce, cabbage, algae, green grass are recommended. But not all turtles eat it all. What is fed the red-bellied turtles at home to meet their need for plant foods? You should try to give your pets different types of vegetables and greens to determine what they like more. Some prefer apples. But you need to consider that acid varieties can damage turtles, especially if the animal eats them in large quantities. And it is necessary to diversify the diet. Firstly, in order for the bugs to satisfy their body's needs in different substances, and secondly, they simply get bored with monotonous food.

Some features

Experts recommend taking into account some peculiarities when feeding turtles. Do not feed them off your hands, because they will very quickly get used to and stop eating in another way. And besides, what they feed the red-bellied turtles at home is not always desirable to take in hand. You can not categorically offer such favorites yogurt, eggs, bread, cheese, porridge. Their digestive system is simply not adapted to the assimilation of such food. Another important question: how often to feed red-bellied turtles? Usually, young turtles are recommended to be fed 1 time per day, and more adults (2 to 3 years) less often, 3 to 4 times a week. However, if turtle insists on food, they should not starve them. Food is best offered at the same time, preferably in the morning.

If you keep in the feeding of red-bellied tortoises of some simple rules and take care of your pets, they will please the owners with a healthy look and a long life.