Are carrots and grapes safe for my red eared slider turtle to eat?

Yes. They can eat a variety of dark, leafy greens and fruits. Start with small quantities and remove any uneaten food when they are done feeding. Avoid iceberg lettuce and celery as they have little nutritional value. Squash, peas, carrots, apple, pear, most berries, kale, collard greens and dandelion greens are just a few items that can be offered.

Hi. I'm glad you checked. Red rated sliders can be fun pets but they also require specialized environment and care. She should eat some live feeder fish, some plant matter and only about 25% of her diet should be commercial pellets. Be sure she has an area to get out of the water in her tank, she needs a basking light for warmth and full spectrum UV lighting. Housing is the number one reason that sliders get sick or die in captivity so please take the time to get her set up correctly. Here is a great beginner article for RES care. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

As an occasional treat, brine shrimp are fine. I would recommend feeding Pepper in a separate container to minimize mess. Once Pepper is bigger, consider krill since they are bigger and would be easier to eat.

Why change a working system? You are obviously doing very well in the way you keep your turtle. Since apparently your turtle is doing well, it is getting everything it needs with the Reptomin. You could try offering it leafy greens, freeze-dried shrimp or krill, crickets, superworms, rosy red minnows and even pinky mice as an occasional treat.

Fluker's or Maxuri pellets/sticks are quality diets. The diet should be varied to maximize nutrition. Offer leafy greens, crickets, small feeder fish, krill/shrimp (either can be freeze dried) or superworms in addition to a commercial pelleted diet.

Thanks for reaching out about Ruby. Meat such as chicken, is a poor food since it is low in calcium and high in phosphorus. My usually recommendation is 1/3-1/3-1/3, meaning parts vegetables (green, red, yellow, orange), pellets and live fish (goldfish, tetras). The benefit of whole live fish is environmental enrichment (hunting, foraging) and has a skeleton with calcium, muscle and organs rich in other nutrients. Vegetables provide a wide variety of vegetables and the pellets a fairly balanced diet. Water temperature, a basking site with UVB and heat and water quality are also important. Good luck.

Shrimp should not be the sole source of nutrition. This may lead to deficiencies. Sliders are omnivorous and should be fed a combination of greens and proteins. Offer live prey such as crickets, minnows, nightcrawlers and superworms. Dark, leafy greens can be chopped finely and offered. A commercial pellet or stick formula should also be fed. To stimulate the appetite, you can soak pellets in some water used to rehydrate dried shrimp or krill. Fasting the turtles for a day or two will also get them hungry enough to eat pellets or prey. Be sure to provide adequate space, heat and lighting. Allow 10 gallons per inch of she'll as a guideline for tank size. Three sliders, when fully grown will need a large tank. UVB lighting will aid in calcium metabolism and heat is necessary for proper digestion and health in reptiles. Water temperature should range between 75F and 85F. A basking area should be 90F to 95F. Care should be taken when housing wild caught turtles with captive bred turtles. Parasites and disease present in wild sliders may infect a captive bred one. You should also check local wildlife laws regarding the keeping of wild turtles. You can read more about care of sliders here: www.anapsid.org/reslider.html