# what do macleays turtles eat ?



## Dom$ (Sep 28, 2007)

*what do macleays river turtles eat and how big do they get ?*


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## Eastern Snake Neck (Sep 28, 2007)

Hi Dom$,

Macleay River Turtles are the same species as the Murray River Turtle (just a smaller form).

Their diet is the same as for other Emydura macquarii macquarii.

Regards,
Michael.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

our murrys eat community dinners, blood worms, frozen and fresh meal worms, lettuce (tiny servs ) they are like never ending pits, always hungry


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

bitey said:


> our murrys eat community dinners, blood worms, frozen and fresh meal worms, lettuce (tiny servs ) they are like never ending pits, always hungry



that community dinner is no good for them, best to feed them freshwater fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, freshwater plants etc. Also insects are good for them, roaches, crickets, mealies should be ok aswell.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

why is the community dinner no good?


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

made with red meat and if it contains fish its normally salt water fish, neither of which freshwater turts are unable to process and from what eastern snake neck told me can cause liver failure.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

holy c**p i didnt know thanks hornet, i have been poisoning the little troopers, its going in the bin


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

over the short term i dont think it will do any major damage, finish it off, dont waste it but then buy some feeder fish, for shortnecks probably best to kill them so they can eat them easyer. Feeder shrimp went very quick and found mine love crayfish. Also offered them a mussel today and they loved it.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

i just had another look at the pack and it says turtle dinner is this the same as community dinner its packaged almost identical


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

yea, turtle dinner is the bad news but i assumed they would be similar.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

cheers hornet


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

waiting for michael to reply, he can tell you alot better why its not good form them.


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## hornet (Sep 28, 2007)

expansa1 posted pics recently, no idea on price but i'm very keen on finding some for sale this season.


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## Eastern Snake Neck (Sep 28, 2007)

Turtles are aquatic animals. They eat underwater. Therefore, anything that lives in water is potentially part of their diet.

The frozen foods are basically red meat scraps, packaged up and labelled as turtle food. However, just because the label says 'turtle food' does not make it suitable for turtles.

Write to the manufacturers of these products and ask them for a copy of the scientific studies that prove their products are suitable for Australian turtles. You won't get a reply.

In fact, the studies actually show that red meat is bad for Australian turtles. Not surprising, given that turtles feed underwater and in Australia, red meat animals don't live underwater. Therefore, red meat is not part of a turtle's 'natural' diet.

Turtle kidneys are different to human kidneys. Turtle kidneys cannot process salt or the fat in red meat. If you continue to feed seafood or red meat to an Australian freshwater turtle, eventually the kidneys will fail and the turtle will die.

Stick with foods that the turtle would find in its natural environment. Freshwater fish, freshwater yabbies, freshwater prawns, freshwater mussels, freshwater snails, tadpoles and (for short necks) freshwater plants are all food that the turtle may naturally feed on.

Many people get confused in regards to turtle diet. Just because a turtle eats the food you give it does not mean that it is healthy or suitable for them. Yes, if you offered red meat to a turtle, it will probably eat it. But then again, if you feed onion to a dog, it will eat it. If you offer a child chocolate for breakfast, he or she will eat it. I've even known Aussie blokes to drink beer for breakfast. But, eating a food or drink does not automatically make it healthy or suitable. 

We humans can normally tell nutritious foods from non-nutritious food. Turtles cannot. So, if you are keeping turtles, it is your responsibility to feed them a suitable diet.

Regards,
Michael.


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## bitey (Sep 28, 2007)

cheers for that michael


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## Tristis (Oct 2, 2007)

i find yabby and fish work well, i also give them pinkies.


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