An appropriately balanced turtle diet is key to their health. Achieve this through providing your turtle with meat, plants and fruits as part of its food source.
Pet turtle diets should contain approximately 80% protein; high quality pellets like Mazuri Crocodilian Diet can provide this amount.
Contents
Pellets
Pellets are an ideal food choice for turtles because they float on the surface of water, making it easier for turtles to consume them. Furthermore, they contain all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients in one convenient package – when selecting your pellet, select one with reduced levels of phosphorus to ensure optimal calcium absorption and bone health.
An alternative solution for feeding turtles includes providing them with treat medleys like Fluker’s Freeze-Dried River Shrimp, which should not make up their entire diet but can add variety, vitamins, and minerals that they might otherwise lack. Furthermore, this provides the chance to try new foods without investing too heavily.
Reptomin offers balanced nutrition to promote growth with its blend of akiami paste shrimp, kelp, wheat germ, sword prawns and other ingredients. Hikari Germ probiotic also aids digestion in your turtle.
Sticks
If you want to give your turtle access to an array of essential nutrients without the mess associated with pellets, why not give a stick as food? Floating sticks attract turtles as they swim near them while being easy for them to consume and digest.
JBL Agil offers another healthy choice, mixing seafood and crustaceans with plant-based ingredients to provide turtles and terrapins with a nutritionally complete meal. Lysine supports healthy bone development while building resistance to disease.
Fluker’s Buffet Blend Aquatic Formula, composed of sun-dried shrimp and other aquatic turtle-safe ingredients, is another excellent option. Packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA for proper growth support, plus vitamins and minerals to promote overall wellness, it makes an ideal treat but should only be fed on occasion or as additional food is unavailable.
Live Food
Turtles in the wild are omnivores and consume both plants and meat-based foods. When kept as captive pets, commercial turtle pellets provide essential vitamins and minerals; however, fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers should also be part of their diets; such foods can be purchased at local farmers markets or grown at home before offering it to your turtle. It is important that conventional produce be thoroughly washed before offering it to any turtle for eating.
Reptomin Floating Food Sticks provide a cost-effective and balanced nutrition source for turtles. Their design makes them easily gulp down. When selecting this type of food for your turtles, choose versions with whole proteins (such as salmon or herring) listed as their first ingredient instead of wheat or corn, which could reduce nutritional value. You should also provide vegetables such as anacharis (water hyacinth), red-leaf lettuce or azolla (fairy moss).
Vegetables
Other food items can provide your reptile friend with extra nutrition besides commercial turtle pellets. Canned vegetables may make an excellent addition to their diet; especially ones rich in Vitamin A such as carrots, squash or pears.
Quality should always come first when choosing food for turtles. Be sure to opt for products designed specifically to cater to turtles with only premium ingredients formulated to their dietary needs; avoid foods containing fillers and preservatives which could potentially harm their health in the long run.
Fluker’s Buffet Blend provides an example of quality turtle food. Packed full of freeze-dried mealworms and river shrimp for maximum nutrition, it also features an ideal ratio between meat to plant proteins as well as being free from unnecessary additives like preservatives, colors or flavors.
