new baby

I prefer to get hatchlings started on pellets as their staple diet. Baby Reptomin (small sticks, extra calcium) seems to be very palatable to baby turtles. Zoo Med Hatchling Diet (looks like coffee grounds) is also used by many keepers. Hikari Cichlid Gold baby or juvenile pellets for Cichlid fish are also highly recommended by some keepers as an omnivore, high-protein, fish pellet that may also enhance colors. These three pellet diets are available on-line from many sources including http://www.bigalsonline.com and http://www.that fishplace.com. My personal favorite source is http://www.herpsupplies.com for the Baby Reptomin and Zoo Med Hatchling pellets. If the little fellow just won’t take the pellets after several days of offering them, add some dried gammarus shrimp with the pellets. If that doesn’t work, then try frozen fish cubes of blood worms, glass worms, beef heart, brine shrimp, etc. along with some pellets hoping that once the feeding response is triggered some pellets will go down as well as the other stuff which should get him onto pellets eventually. Live blood worms, brine shrimp, ghost shrimp, guppies, etc. have all been used to get the feeding response in particularly stubborn hatchlings. The single biggest factor I have found with getting hatchlings eating in the Fall is keeping them warm enough to make sure they have an interest in feeding since many might overwinter in their nest in the wild and therefore not emerge to eat until the spring. Keep us posted on his progress! Todd maryann