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Eastern Painted Turtle question

Mari

Mari

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This post is on behalf of a friend who has what we believe to be a male eastern painted turtle. We recently purchased a container of 50 red wigglers, and made an attempt at feeding him one, which he loved. My first question is, Is it okay to feed him these regularly as part of his main diet? He has been getting pelleted food and various vegetables throughout his life, and this is the first time he has gotten anything live. Since the first time about a week ago that he ate his first wiggler, we have given him 2 others, and realize that he won't eat his pelleted food, and that he will eat no more than one wiggler every other day. Should we slow down with the wigglers and feed him his pellets and veggies and only feed him the wigglers as a treat? or can we incorporate these into his main diet?

Sorry about all the questions, but we want the best for him...

BTW: We fed the wigglers bananas and strawberries, which they seemed to devour...
 
Before you decide on a diet for this turtle, you should make sure you know what species it is.

Red worms are excellent food for any painted turtle, if that's what you are talking about.

Painted turtles also REQUIRE UVB light to survive.

You can feed them the best diet in the world, but if they don't get the UVB light, they're going to die.
 
Thanks for the reply. We are positive that it is a painted turtle, just not sure between eastern and western. I posted eastern because judging by pics that we have found, that is what he is. He is meeting all other requirements, including the UV, my friend has owned him 7 years now. I believe he has fed pellets, fresh veggies and possibly an occasional small feeder goldfish, though I am not sure about this one. I am glad they are ok for him, though I still would like to know if they are ok to feed as a staple rather than occasionally, and If not, how do we get him to eat pellets again? he seems very uninterested in them right now.
Thanks again for the reply :)
 
Red worms are fine as a staple diet, but you should try to vary the diet occasionally. If he has taken pellets before, he likely will again, if he gets hungry enough. Let him go a few days without food, then offer some alternative sustainance.

The time without food will not really harm him, and the variation in his diet will prove beneficial.

Buy some cheap calcium pills at the store, and smash them up into powder. Mix that up with a vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplement (such as Herptivite), and LIGHTLY sprinkle it on his food. Notice the capital letters on LIGHTLY. Don't overdo it.

Feed him that way, give him plenty of UVB light, and you will have a healthy, thriving painted turtle.
 
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