Attempting to feed Herbs. new foods...

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Peanut_Power

Running From The Hammer...
MFK Member
Jul 6, 2005
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BannedVille
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Has anyone ever fed their FRT raw thawed chicken breast? I just tried it for the first time tonight and it seems that Herbs LOVES it! Gonna get some fish fillets as well and try those. What have you guys had success feedin your FRTs? Any suggestions would be appreciated...:D

Another thought, would it be a good idea to add a cuttlebone to the tank? Like they have to put in bird cages so the birds can eat on them?
 
The chicken may be OK as an occassional supplement. I'd worry about the amount of hormones in farmed chickens affecting the FRT in the long run. If you want to offer the FRT animal protein, you're better off offering it trout and other cool water fish. Cool water fish have fairly good levels of omega-3 that'll benefit the turtle in boosting it's ability to absord calcium and utilize it in bone strengthening. Also, offering the FRT freshly killed bait minnows will provide a fair amount of vitamin D3 (from the fish livers) that will also aid in calcium absorption and use.
 
Thankz Phil!! I was only thinkin of givin her the chicken once a month or so as an additive to her diet, ya know, spice things up. I'll have to get some minnows and freeze them or sumptin, as i can only buy them in the dozen, and she can't eat them all before they all die. What about tilapia? Just trying to think of various meats to give her as much protein as possible. So cool water fish like trout eh? What other fish are sold at SuperMarkets that are cool water? I don't eat fish, so i am kinda unfamiliar with which fish are cool and whatnot.

What are some good sources of calcium though? I've been feeding those spirulena wafers we got from TFD...she absolutely loves them. If I added the cuttlebone, would that help any? You think she would try to eat it like birds do or is that just wishful thinking? Is there some sort of calcium supplement, like in the form of a paste, that i could inject into the minnows and gut load them? Thankz, you are most helpful in so many ways...:D
 
I use cuttlebone in the sump. Cuttlebone floats so it's always going where you don't want it to go in the tank. And, if it reaches a low-flow area, it'll tend to turn ugly dark colors and rot. Keeping it in the current path in a filter is preferable (IMO). There are aquatic reptile calcium supplements and trace elements you can add. I have to check the hatchery for the names (don't remember).
Tilapia are raised in warm water. They have trace amounts of omega-3 but, not as much as you'd find in cool water species. You can find catfish nuggets for around $1/lb in MS and it's better for the FRT than tilapia. You can also place live guppies or rosy reds in the tank. They're not fast swimmers and the FRT will have some exercise chasing them. Plus, the oils and fatty acids are about the same as in the freshly killed minnows. An easy meal can be found in the mosquitofish found in nearly every body of water in MS. Just Q them first, or better yet, breed them and offer the spawn to the FRT.
 
Catfish nuggets? Never seen them. Are they breaded or cooked already or just raw? You get them at Walmart or super markets like Kroger? I'll have to look into that for sure. I recently discovered that the stream infront of our apartments has numerous mosquito fish in it...so i may go that route...:D

Thankz for answerin about the cuttlebone. I'll get one asap and put it in the filter...:D How often do you change it?
 
I don't change the cuttlebone. I replace it after it dissolves.

I buy catfish nuggets from IGA, Piggly Wiggly, and other "local"-type grocery stores. They're usually half the price of Wal-Mart's catfish. And, the nuggets are raw/frozen.
 
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