TURRRTLES

Question
QUESTION: Hey Jeannie, it's Emily.
I couldn't ask a FOLLOW UP question because i have asked too many, but i just looked on my "artificial sunight" bulb and it's a 5.0 UVB bulb. It's by Exo Terra : ) That is about it i think .. i have been feeding my turtles reptile sticks and baby shrimp and mini krill from a bottle at the pet store .. it's all dry food. i really need help on HOW MUCH should feed them daily and WHEN ... cause i usually feed them when they are swimming near the eges of the tnak .. that is where i just throw in a couple of food.

ANSWER: Hi Emily,

I think they only let you do three followups, but posting a new question is fine with me.  Your Exo Terra bulb should be good.  They do need to be changed every six months because the UVB output drops after that.  If you ever want to change to an all-in-one bulb (heat and UVB), the T-Rex is excellent.

Anyway, RES under a year old can be fed daily.  After that, feed no more than every other day.  It's hard to say how much, but they should be able to finish it all in 10-15 minutes and there shouldn't be leftovers.  I'd try to get more variety in their diet.  Try boiled chicken, shrimp, and egg; worms, mealworms, crickets, and feeder guppies or mosquito fish; and leafy greens such as turnip, dandelion, collards, kale, spring mix, etc.  Younger turtles are more carnivorous, but should still be offered greens.  Adults are mostly herbivorous, but should be give animal protein a couple of times a week.  The dried food is OK, but as part of a varied diet.  Hope this helped!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for all your help.
I also told the person who sold me the lamps, i said that i want an All-In-One bulb, but he said that the All in One doesn't exist ..... but i know it does, cause i did research !!

Anyway, i put in a couple of different water plants in the tank, but they don't really eat that : (

Answer
Lol, I'll give you some advice--most people who work in pet stores don't really know much about animals.  Some do, most don't.  The all-in-one bulbs (T-Rex Active UV heat is the one I recommend, and ZooMed makes Powersun) aren't always easy to find in stores because they're more expensive than the fluorescents, so I think many stores just don't carry them.  They do last twice as long as the fluorescents, and give off much more UVB, so they're worth the price.  Here's some UVB info for you:  http://russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm.