Maintaining your turtle’s health requires providing him with the appropriate food. For best results, offer him a variety of foods rather than just one type.
Turtle-safe foods include fish, meat, vegetables and fruit; however it’s also wise to know which ones shouldn’t be given as it could potentially harm your pet.
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Meat
Turtles can be fed meat in several forms. Dry turtle food, for instance, typically contains byproducts like beef, chicken and fish.
However, you should only give your turtles small amounts of meat each day. Eating too much can lead to pyramiding – a condition in which keratin builds up in their scutes.
Avoid feeding your turtles a lot of oily fish, as this can disrupt their nutritional balance. Particularly smelt and mackerel, which may lead to vitamin E deficiencies.
Giving your turtle a variety of vegetables is ideal. Leafy greens, carrots, berries, squash and corn all make excellent treats. You could also offer aquatic plants like anacharis, water lettuce, duckweed or azolla to add some variety and flavor to their diet.
Vegetables
Vegetables are an integral part of a turtle’s diet. Dark leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens and turnip greens provide essential calcium.
Turtles benefit greatly from aquatic plants like anacharis, water hyacinth and duckweed.
However, you should limit the amount of vegetable-based foods you give your turtle. Vegetables high in oxalates – like Swiss chard, rhubarb and spinach – can prevent calcium absorption into their bodies.
As a general guideline, turtles should only receive 25 percent of their food from plant sources. Furthermore, they should have access to fresh produce on a regular basis.
Fish
Fish are a staple food source for many. They’re caught through commercial and subsistence fishing operations, as well as being raised as pets or showcased in aquaria.
Turtles may occasionally eat fish, but it should only make up a small part of their diet. Their bodies require an ideal balance of nutrients and feeding them raw or cooked fish, chicken or other meats will not provide this.
It is best to feed your kids a variety of foods, such as fish, vegetables and fruits. Additionally, adding calcium-rich supplements is beneficial.
Crushed eggshells, oyster shells and cuttlebone are all great sources of calcium for turtles. Providing your turtles with additional calcium is beneficial to their health as it strengthens their bones and shells.
Fruits
Fruits are beneficial to turtles as they supply them with vitamin C, potassium and folate as well as calcium.
Animals such as turtles can eat a wide range of fruits, including kiwi, apple, mango, grapes, starfruit, raisins, peaches, tomato, guava and melons. Some citrus fruits like oranges and lemons may irritate a turtle’s stomach or increase its level of phosphorus in its shell.
Turtles enjoy eating vegetables and fish, as well as small pieces of cooked meat such as cooked ground beef, chicken or pork. They take pleasure in biting into these small items of food and tearing it apart with their teeth.
They can also eat fresh flowers like carnations, dandelions, geraniums, hibiscus, roses or nasturtiums in moderation; however fried foods should never be given to them as they are hard to digest and could cause issues. Furthermore, milk and dairy products should never be given to turtles since they cannot digest lactose.
