feeding baby turtles

Question
Hi,
We had a turtle lay eggs in our yard and I was told to look for them emerge at the end of August. well yesterday after moving away some dirt, there they were, 5 baby turtles. I think painted turtles. I have bought some baby turtle pellets and given them some lettuce, but they are not eating. What can I feed them for the next 2 weeks before they are released in the pond. And is two weeks to release them too soon?
Thanks

Answer
Baby turtles usually do not eat before going into hibernation- but because of the nutrients in the eggs, they will still grow and gain weight!

When they DO eat, it will be things in the water (painted turtles, like most other turtles except the box turtles and tortoises, hunt and eat in the water). Their first food will be water bugs, small fish, worms, etc. They will rarely eat vegetation at this age, and probably don't know what he pellets are yet.

I'd release them to the wild as soon as possible- they do not need any special care at this stage, and the more time they have to learn the pond the better.