Painted turtles enjoy eating a variety of food. You can feed your painted turtle a mix of vegetables, fish and commercial turtle pellets in its own feeding tank to minimize waste and make life simpler for everyone involved.
Diet is essential to their growth and well-being; both plant- and animal-derived foods should be provided, including fresh fruits and vegetables (but no cucumbers!), fish, insects and worms.
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Meat
Baby painted turtles have unique dietary requirements than adult versions and should be fed on a diet consisting of vegetables and meats to meet their growing and development needs while limiting overfeeding.
Painted turtles feed on fish, tadpoles, worms and insects found in nature as well as plants such as kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce and parsley for sustenance. Furthermore, painted turtles may even scavenge dead animals for sustenance.
As part of your pet turtle care regimen, offering dried crickets twice weekly as snacks can provide essential proteins. But be wary about giving too many proteins; too much may lead to obesity and kidney problems in reptiles. Feeding them daily a handful of vegetables or plants ensures they receive all their necessary nutrition.
Insects
Painted turtles are omnivorous animals, so plant matter is an integral component of their diet in both the wild and captivity. While aquatic plants and tadpoles might provide their sustenance in nature, insects or mealworms often supplement this food source in captivity.
Eggs, nuts and seeds are great sources of protein for painted turtles; for maximum effectiveness it is wise to boil these foods before feeding them to your pet.
As part of your feeding plan for your turtle, it is vital that they receive a variety of foods to maintain good health. Pellets should serve as the main staple diet; just be sure to include extra vitamins and minerals such as calcium powder for strengthening bones. In addition, always be sure to provide access to a cuttlebone when possible.
Fish
As with all pet turtles, painted turtles should be fed a variety of foods each day to stay healthy and ensure a full diet. Since they are omnivorous creatures, a mix of plant and animal proteins should be included. Cucumber treats should only comprise up to 10% of their overall diet.
Most vegetables are great sources of nutrition for painted turtles, although some varieties such as iceberg lettuce and rhubarb contain high levels of oxalates which interfere with calcium absorption, thus needing to be avoided. Leafy greens such as kale and collards as well as aquatic plants such as duckweed, water hyacinths, and hornwort are recommended instead.
Dried insects (crickets, earthworms and red worms), snails and clams as well as low-fat dog food are popularly fed to reptiles as food sources. Commercially made turtle pellets should also be given regularly as supplements to their regular diet.
Vegetables
Painted turtles are omnivorous animals; in their natural environment they feed on any insect or worm they catch as well as vegetables and carrion they come across.
When caring for a pet turtle, it’s essential to provide it with a varied diet of plants and vegetables to provide all their essential vitamins. This may include things such as kale, water lettuce, anacharis and waterlilies; high phosphorus foods like cucumbers, eggplants and mushrooms should be avoided however.
Some owners may add fruits as an additional source of nutrition; however, be wary as turtles cannot digest fruits well and they lack any of the nutrition provided by plants and vegetables. Fruit should only comprise around 5-7% of your turtle’s daily food consumption as an occasional treat rather than being part of its staple food source.
Pellets
Painted turtles need a balanced diet containing primarily plant material and vegetables, but they do need a source of protein such as pellets or occasional treats like fish or crickets as a treat.
Pellets specifically tailored for turtles can be purchased from most pet stores. Omega One (learn more on Amazon), featuring high levels of natural seafood ingredients, is one such brand. Mazuri, used by most zoos as food for their turtles, is another good option.
Vegetables and plants beneficial to painted turtles include romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, mustard greens, escarole and parsley; aquatic plants like duckweed, water lettuce anacharis or hornwort are also good choices.
