A healthy diet plays a major role in your musk turtle’s health. Providing the right food will not only benefit your turtle but also ensure that they live a long and happy life.
Musk turtles are omnivores in the wild and in captivity they can eat various aquatic plants, small fish, and insects. They also love live invertebrates.
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Vegetables
If you want to keep your musk turtle healthy, you need to give it a nutritious diet. Vegetables are one of the best foods for musk turtles to eat because they are high in vitamins and minerals.
Vegetables that are good for musk turtles include kale, mustard greens, and collard greens. They also contain a lot of calcium and phosphorus, which are essential nutrients for turtles.
However, you should avoid feeding your musk turtle iceberg lettuce because it contains water and not much nutrition. It’s also not a good idea to feed your musk turtle broccoli, cabbage, or bok choy because it can cause kidney disease and goiter problems.
In addition, you should be careful about vegetables that have a high amount of phosphorus. For example, spinach, rhubarb, and Swiss chard aren’t suitable for musk turtles because they can block the absorption of calcium into their body.
Meat
Musk turtles are carnivorous, and they prefer animal matter over anything else. They also eat vegetables and fruits, but experts advise adding around 80% of animal matter to the diet to balance their meals.
If you have hatchlings or juveniles, it is best to feed them commercial foods and pellets rich in protein. You can also add small pieces of meat to their diets to provide them with essential nutrients.
Hatchlings and young musk turtles require a more varied diet than adults. You can feed them a balanced diet of pellets, vegetables, and commercial foods to keep them healthy.
Adult musk turtles can go longer without food, but it’s still important to feed them two or three times a week. Make sure you provide them with food that they can finish within 5 to 10 minutes, and don’t overfeed them as this can cause obesity.
There are several types of meat that you can feed to your musk turtles. You can give them chicken, ground beef, or other meats that you cook. Always remember to thoroughly wash and drain the meat before you give it to your pet.
Pellets
Musk turtles are bottom-dwelling creatures, so they prefer pelleted food that sinks to the bottom of their tank. The best sinking pellets include Zoo Med Natural Sinking Mud and Musk Turtle Food and Hikari Tropical Sinking Carnivore Pellets.
They also enjoy fresh fish, mainly salmon and trout. However, these should be rinsed thoroughly to remove any salt and pesticides that may have been deposited during fishing.
Hatchling musk turtles do not eat vegetables and fruits because they require a lot of animal protein for their development. Therefore, owners should offer them commercial pellets with chopped meat and insects to meet their nutritional needs.
In addition to this, a fruity treat every once in a while will keep them happy and increase their appetite. If they do not like the fruits, you can reduce the pellet or animal matter portion in their meal. This will make them more interested in the veggies. Eventually, they will start eating them.
Invertebrates
Musk turtles are omnivores that will eat a variety of food items. They can eat fish, plants and invertebrates such as snails, worms, crayfish, frogs, tadpoles and insects.
The best foods for musk turtles include fresh or frozen fish, live plants and insects. Depending on your pet’s preference, you can also add dried vegetables or shrimp protien to their diet.
Mud and musk turtles are omnivorous creatures that can easily be kept as pets. They enjoy feeding on commercial aquatic turtle diets but can also eat snails, guppies, minnows (shiners) and earthworms.
Keeping mud and musk turtles as pets requires special care because they can be aggressive and kick or bite their owners when they are pulled from the water. They are not recommended for handling unless necessary, and they do best in enclosures with other turtles.
Choosing the right food for musk turtles is essential to their health and longevity. The wrong foods can cause them to become ill and may not provide them with the vitamins and minerals they need.
