Red Eared Slider Diets

Question
I have two turtles that are roughly 3 years old and they live outside in the summer and inside in the winter. They seem healthy to me but I'm worried because I only feed them packaged food (Tetra ReptoMin) and nothing else. I know I should be giving them other food but I don't know what, or how to give it to them. Any advice?

Answer
Hi, Emma,
Here are some suggestions:

Float some mustard greens, collards, turnip tops, or dandelion greens in their pond for them to nibble on, periodically.  These turtles do eat some greens, and fresh greens are excellent for them.  (Not all greens are suitable for reptiles, so do research before offering something different from what I have listed).  Some turtles will eat duckweed, some don't care for it.

Good diet additions include strips of fresh (never frozen or previously frozen) tilapia fish dipped in calcium, live or chopped nightcrawlers, crickets (dust in calcium), and live guppies.  (Rosy reds and goldfish/comets should be avoided).  Use a calcium powder containing D3 when they are indoors, and one without it when they are outdoors.  (UVB light is also needed when they are indoors).

Expect your turtles to NOT necessarily be thrilled with what you offer--after 3 years on nothing but pellets, they may not be as curious about new foods as they should be.  Be persistent, and eventually you will win them over.  :)
It's more than possible that when they are outdoors, they are adding insects and other things to their diet on their own, too.