here's a post fredhammes; really fat E.painteds
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Posted by checker on January 01, 2003 at 11:31:15:
Okay, I've got 2 CB'02 Eastern Painteds, so right now they are approximately 5 months old. They both have these huge fat rolls in front of their hind legs and behind their front legs. I'm comparing them to my Map turtles that don't have these fat rolls around their legs.
I'm only feeding them 3 reptomin sticks per meal, twice a day, which they devour in minutes. Way under the all they can eat in 5 minute rule, or the food as big as their head rule. Every fourth meal they get a treat, bloodworms, krill, earthworms, or beefheart. That's a 75% repto diet with a 25% other. They are growing right out of their shells. My real concern here is to avoiding pyramiding of their shells. I'm already underfeeding them by all the "rule of thumb feeding" that I have read. They are extremely active and I know they are hungry because when they are not basking they scour, and I mean scour, the tank bottom looking for food, which is not there because I feed them in a seperate container.
And when it is time to feed them, they act like they haven't eaten in a week. Oh yeah, and nobody can stop at the tank without the little buggers begging at the glass like they're being starved. So I get my guest asking "don't you feed them"?
Any suggestions? Can I possibly be still overfeeding?
Help my Painteds on a diet. Checker.
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