# turtle vs. Feeder fish's



## rolling-thunder (May 28, 2009)

hi

i am just wondering how i would get my turtle to eat the feederfish. How could i tempt him.
At the moment he is biting to scare them of when his food comes, but i wont him to eat the feeder fish.

Thanks


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## gecko-mad (May 28, 2009)

wait for him to starve! that oughta work! or just have the fish to look pretty


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## wiz-fiz (May 28, 2009)

he will eat them when he's hungry.


Will


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## imalizard (May 28, 2009)

What type of turtle is he? My shortnecks don't touch their fish unless it's dead. Eastern long necked turtles eat more fish then short necks as the short necks are mainly vegetarian.

Daniel


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## derekm (May 28, 2009)

My 2 y.o. eastern long necks have been keen on feeder fish since I started them over 12 months ago, but only small ones (about the size of a neon or cardinal tetra). However, my experience is that catching and efficiently killing fish to eat is a learned behaviour, not an instinctive behaviour. Mine were hopeless until they worked out to bite, hold on and rip a front claw across the fish's "throat" before trying to move it into position for swallowing. When they first started, they would bite, but then lose the fish trying to position it for swallowing.

I recommend that you persevere. Catching fish is the only strenuous exercise that my turtles get!


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## imalizard (May 28, 2009)

Maybe you could put them in a small tub with a fish in it so that he can learn how to catch it without having to chase it around the tank


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## dragozz (May 28, 2009)

just let the fish live in your tank, my turtles used to eat one by one when they got hungry. It will eventually rip into it like said before.


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## obsessive (May 29, 2009)

As already said depending on what species of turtle you have will play a major role in if it even needs to eat feeder fish. Long neck turtles are experts at catching fish and will snatch a fish by quickly extending theire necks at the fish. Short necked turtles are more into plants and will rarely if ever eat a live fish. They will eat a dying or dead fish though.

Instead of forcing your turtle to eat live foods I would get it onto a pellet staple like Wardleys or chiclid gold sublemented with reptile supplement and lots of elodia or valisnaria plants in the tank. You can also feed the occasional blood worm or turtle dinner as a treat. The worst thing you can do is rely on live foods now and try to change to pellets later on. There is no real nutrician in feeder fish and the chances of disease introduction is always there.


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## cris (May 29, 2009)

With short necks its best to just kill the fish first. Its actually illegal to feed them live fish in many states too. If animal needs live fish as food and isnt capable of catching it, you can keep the fish in complete darkness for a while before introducing them into the tank, it basically blinds them for a short peroid.

Using fresh foods like fish, shrimps, insects etc.(and plants for older shortnecks) is the best way to feed them. In Qld however you are required by law to humanely euthanaise fish, shrimps and crayfish before feeding them to a turtle :lol: It is a good idea to have some fish in there to help clean up the tank.


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## Kimbully (May 31, 2009)

Is there evidence that fish have no nutrition for turtles?
I feed a variety of food, (yabbies, crickets, plants and pellets and bloodworms) and the feeder fish are always in the tank for the opportunity. Usually what happens in my tank is my long neck catches them and then the short neck helps her break it up and then steals his half!


Kim


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## obsessive (May 31, 2009)

This link can give you a rough nutritional value of fish. Its a good read if you can make it the whole way through 

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12521


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## Kitah (May 31, 2009)

When my boy was a hatchling I held some of the fish and hand fed him. He'd then often hunt them himself in his tank, though now that he's gotten older/adult he's not so interested. He eats his lillies and other plants more now instead (He's a kreffts shortneck)


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