A turtle diet should include only fresh food sources. Though commercial turtle food is acceptable as supplements, this shouldn’t form the core of its diet.
Vegetables such as kale, collard greens and bok choy are good to include as part of your daily meal, although avoid iceberg lettuce. Also try squash, carrots, peas and green beans along with fruits such as strawberries, oranges bananas kiwis and mangoes.
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Vegetables
As a rule of thumb, vegetable-based foods should make up about 80-90% of your turtle’s diet. Leafy greens like kale, collard greens, chard and parsley make great options; head/iceberg lettuce contains high amounts of water with limited nutritional benefit while spinach and beets contain oxalic acid which blocks calcium absorption.
Turtles love eating vegetables such as carrot tops, bell peppers, zucchini squash and other squash varieties, zucchini noodles and green beans – you can feed your turtle these raw or cooked as needed; just don’t feed them too often or they might stop eating! If this occurs too often then your turtle might get bored of eating what’s being offered and eventually stop.
Turtles enjoy eating a range of fruits, such as apples, bananas, pears and non-sugary fruits such as kiwi and melons. Avoid feeding your turtle dairy products such as milk yogurt or cheese as these cannot be digested and may lead to illness.
Fish
Turtles feed both on plant and animal sources of nourishment in their natural environments, with young turtles typically preferring more plant-based sources while older turtles may need additional meat sources for sustenance.
Food options should include fresh vegetables such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens and romaine lettuce as well as carrots, beets and squash – many keepers mix these together and offer small handfuls each week – as well as commercial turtle pellets which should only serve as occasional supplements to their diets.
Some owners give their turtles feeder fish, but take caution as these may contain high levels of fats and potentially contain diseases or parasites that could affect them. Furthermore, turtles often swallow these unknowingly with random bones becoming lodged in their throat or digestive tracts. Aquatic plants such as anacharis, water hyacinths, hornwort, duckweed azolla (fairy moss), and frogbit are great additions to their diet; add a small dose of calcium carbonate or powdered calcium gluconate every day – multivitamin supplements should also be administered occasionally to increase longevity of life span and to maintain optimal health in every aspect.
Insects
Wild turtles tend to be herbivorous to various degrees depending on their habitat and season, whereas pet turtles should receive a diet consisting of both plant-based foods as well as animal protein sources.
Commercial turtle pellets provide convenient and nutritious nutrition, but should not form the basis of your turtle’s diet. Incorporate fresh food sources along with their pellets.
Pet turtle owners should avoid feeding wild-caught insects to their pet turtle, as these often contain parasites that could contaminate aquarium or pond water. Instead, using pet store feeder bugs like blackworms, bloodworms, mealworms or hissing cockroaches for feeding purposes is safer.
Add insects to their diet with dark leafy greens such as kale, escarole and romaine lettuce as staples; other vegetables could include grated carrot tops (tops included!), squash and green beans; fruit can also provide needed sugar but should only be offered in small pieces such as berries, mangos and bananas – some examples of good fruits include these choices!
Meat
Many turtle species are carnivores and enjoy eating meat in their natural environment, however some species of turtle can safely be fed vegetarian diets.
Turtles in the wild source their protein from various sources, including insects, small fish and snails. They also consume aquatic plants and algae; terrestrial (land) turtles munch on grasses, beetles and fruit as their food sources.
Diet for turtles should consist primarily of vegetables and fruits, including leafy greens such as kale, chard and collard greens as well as mustard and dandelion greens with light leaves that contain high levels of oxalates.
Plant-based vegetables should be mixed with some pieces of chicken or beef meat shredded into very fine pieces and any seeds removed before offering to the turtle. Try to provide as much food as the turtle will consume within 15 minutes or less.
