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Turtles are omnivorous, eating both animal protein and vegetable matter. It is important to offer a variety of food to stimulate the turtle to eat and provide nutritional balance. This article discusses how and when to feed your aquatic turtle, recommended foods, supplements, and water requirements for optimal nutrition.
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Box turtles are omnivorous. Generally, your box turtle's diet should be about 50% plant-based material and 50% animal-based material, but be sure to discuss a specific diet plan for your turtle with your veterinarian. Most young turtles eat daily, while older turtles can be fed either daily or every other day. This article discusses the best foods for your turtle, supplements, water, and light requirements for optimal nutrition.
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Ferrets are carnivores and cannot handle a diet containing more than 4% fiber. A good quality ferret diet should contain 32-40% protein and 10-15% fat. There are several good commercial dry foods for ferrets.
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As with all other animals, birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. The bulk of a finch’s diet should be commercially available pelleted food along with a smaller amount of fresh produce and a small percentage of seed.
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The goal of feeding growing puppies is to lay the foundation for a healthy adulthood. Proper nutrition is critical to the health and development of puppies, regardless of breed, and it directly influences their immune system and body composition. An optimal growth rate in puppies is ideal; it is a slow and steady growth rate that allows the puppy to achieve an ideal adult body condition while avoiding excessive weight and obesity. Growing puppies need higher amounts of all nutrients in comparison to adult dogs, but excess energy calories and calcium can create serious problems. Together with your veterinarian and veterinary healthcare team, you can help your puppy grow into as healthy of an adult dog as possible.
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The preferred basic diet for guinea pigs is unlimited amounts of Timothy or other low-calcium hay, supplemented with smaller amounts of a commercial, high-fiber, Timothy-hay based guinea pig pellets. The diet should be supplemented with a variety of fresh, well-washed, leafy greens or colored vegetables; especially those high in vitamin C. Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C, therefore it is important that guinea pigs receive a vitamin C tablet or liquid vitamin C directly by mouth every day. Provide fresh clean water in a sipper bottle and check the tube for blockages each day.
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Our knowledge of bird nutrition is constantly evolving. This is due both to heightened awareness of the importance of nutrition and to increased research into birds different needs. As with all other animals, birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. Different species of birds often require different foods.
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Orphaned puppies will need extra care for survival to compensate for the loss of their mother. Puppies must be kept warm, very clean, and fed frequently using an appropriate amount and type of formula by bottle or less often tube feeding. To ensure nutrition is adequate, daily weight checks should be performed for the first 4 weeks, then weekly thereafter. Puppies must be stimulated to urinate and defecate. Environment, feeding instruments and the puppy must be kept meticulously clean as they are more susceptible to infection than puppies cared for by their mother.
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As with all other animals, birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Poor nutrition is a common reason for many health problems in birds. Cockatiels are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. Seeds should only be a very small part of a balanced diet. Fruits, vegetables and greens should account for no more than 20-25% of the daily diet. Pellets are the ideal diet for birds and should ideally represent approximately 75-80% of the bird's diet. Converting seed-eating birds onto a formulated diet is not always easy, taking days, weeks, or months. Consult your veterinarian if you encounter any problems with this transition or with the health of your bird. Placing powdered supplements on the outside of seeds is of little value, since birds remove the outer hulls from seeds before ingesting them. Cockatiels do not need gravel or grit because they remove the outer hull of the seed before ingesting the kernel.
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As with all other animals, birds need a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Cockatoos are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, stroke, insufficient dietary calcium, egg-binding, and other nutrition-related problems. Seeds are highly palatable and preferred by birds, but nutritionally they are incomplete, lacking vitamins, minerals, and protein. Fruits, vegetables, and greens should account for no more than 20-25% of the daily diet. Pellets are the ideal diet for birds and should ideally represent approximately 75-80% of the bird's diet. Converting seed-eating birds onto a formulated diet is not always easy, taking days, weeks, or months. Consult your veterinarian if you encounter any problems with this transition or with the health of your bird. In general, birds on a pelleted diet do not need supplements. Cockatoos do not need gravel or grit because they remove the outer hull of the seed before ingesting the kernel.