Fresh water turtles require a diet high in proteins, vegetables and minerals. Since they prefer hunting live food to snacking on an adequate quantity must be provided once daily for proper growth and care.
Aquatic turtles in the wild tend to be adaptable creatures that take advantage of any opportunities presented, consuming both animal prey and plants as sustenance1.
Avoid earthworms as they could expose your turtle to bacteria or parasites that could compromise his or her health. Instead, provide your turtle with high quality commercial turtle food rich in protein and low in fat content.
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Meats
Fresh water turtles – whether land or sea – typically consume meats, fruits and vegetables as a diet staple. In their native habitats, turtles also enjoy eating various fish and insects such as smelt, mackerel, herring, crayfish and worms; however, such items should only be offered occasionally as overeating could lead to vitamin E deficiency in some individuals.
Turtle meat can be prepared in various ways in the kitchen, from lightly coating it with flour before deep frying to slow simmering it in a sauce containing mushrooms, onion, garlic and tomatoes.
Marinate turtle in a combination of pineapple, olive oil and soy sauce before grilling it on skewers with sweet peppers as a delectable appetizer. Finally, the meat may be dredged in salt before being deep-fried in hot lard before being placed into a roaster, covered with foil and baked at 325-degree oven until tender.
Vegetables
Most turtles are omnivorous and prefer a diet composed of both animal protein and plant matter. Young turtles need more meat as they age while as they get bigger they should switch over to more veggies such as kale, spinach and collard greens as fresh water turtle food options; mustard greens or dandelion greens would also work well; avoid iceberg lettuce as it doesn’t contain sufficient calcium/phosphorous ratio.
Other vegetables to offer your pet as food include carrots, squash, pumpkin and radishes. Also consider providing some aquatic plants such as azolla, water hyacinth or duckweed in small doses for additional benefits.
At times, you can also offer your turtle fruit such as bananas, strawberries and melons as treats. When feeding your turtle bakery items like candies, pizzas and fries as this could upset their digestive systems. Also ensure a constant source of fresh, clean water to drink; replenish at least twice per day so your turtle doesn’t become dehydrated.
Fruits
Turtles in captivity tend to be omnivorous eaters. In addition to traditional pet foods like drained sardines, trout chow and chicken pellets, they will happily accept meat, vegetables and fruits as meals. Turtles may even eat live prey such as earthworms, crickets or feeder fish as live prey items.
Freshwater turtles rely heavily on vegetables for sustenance, such as collard and dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, endive lettuce romaine lettuce Chinese cabbage as well as edible aquatic plants such as duckweed water hyacinth anacharis for sustenance.
Many owners also feed their turtles fruit as a treat, although this should make up no more than 10 percent of their overall diet. Common fruits include strawberries, melons and bananas – however these high sugar fruits should only be given on occasional occasions due to wild turtles being opportunistic feeders who will consume whatever is available to them.
Pellets
No doubt many turtle owners opt to feed their turtle with pellets as the main food source, however I advise against this practice because too much protein may lead to unhealthy shedding and pyramiding, depriving your animal of essential vitamins and minerals.
Omega One’s Juvenile Turtle Pellets is one of the best available. Utilizing only high quality and fresh ingredients, this pellet meets all requirements for carnivorous turtles as it contains the optimal Calcium:Phosphorus ratio as well as high levels of vitamin D3 and E.
ZooMed Natural Aquatic Turtle Maintenance Pellets is another fantastic choice, featuring low protein levels to meet the needs of herbivorous adult turtles who have completed their growth cycle while still providing adequate amounts of Vitamin D and excellent levels of Vitamin E.
