A turtle diet should include both animal- and plant-based food sources. Although commercial turtle foods are purported to be professionally prepared, they often aren’t species specific and contain high amounts of salt and preservatives that could harm them.
Vegetables should comprise an essential part of our diets. Acceptable options include collard greens, kale, endive, escarole mustard greens Swiss chard and parsley.
Contents
Meat
Turtles are omnivorous reptiles, feeding on both animals and plants. Canned and processed pet foods like drained sardines or fish pellets provide high amounts of protein; however, these should make up no more than one third of an adult turtle’s diet.
Some pet shops provide live prey that turtles can eat, such as earthworms, snails, frogs, tadpoles, grasshoppers and crickets – be wary of feeding wild-caught creatures as these could contain parasites that may harm them.
Plant-based foods for turtles include collards and dandelions, as well as vegetables such as grated carrot tops (which may include their top layers), squash, zucchini and green beans. Certain fruits with high calcium ratios like figs, bananas and berries should also be allowed; however dairy products should be avoided due to lack of enzymes needed to break them down properly.
Vegetables
At first, juvenile turtles tend to be predominantly carnivorous (consuming animal protein). With age comes an increase in appetite; as adults they become omnivorous, eating both animal and vegetable matter. On average, around 80-90% of an herbivorous turtle’s diet should consist of vegetables and flowers such as kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, turnip greens and alfalfa hay are good choices; other options could include romaine lettuce, spinach carrots squash peas okra and beans.
Avoid giving your turtle any foods high in sugar or salt as these aren’t part of its natural diet and could potentially cause health problems. Also try to stay away from lunch meats, processed foods and lunch meat sandwiches which contain preservatives harmful to reptiles. Instead, feed fresh food daily!
Fruit
Turtles also enjoy eating fruits like mangoes and pears for their vitamin C, potassium, and fiber content; however, too many fruits in a turtle’s diet could actually harm it.
As a treat for your turtle, try offering him or her small pieces of cooked chicken or turkey; but avoid processed meats such as deli slices as these contain too much fat and preservatives. Also feed him boiled eggs as an excellent source of protein; aquatic plants make great snacks like anacharis, azolla, water hyacinth and frogbit; additionally they’ll enjoy eating aquatic vegetables such as carrots, kale squash and green beans!
Flowers
Turtles require a variety of foods in order to maintain optimal health. Carnivorous meals, like processed pet foods such as drained sardines, trout chow or turtle pellets can supplement their diet. Live prey such as insects, moths, crickets, earthworms or feeder fish provide essential protein sources.
An appropriate vegetarian turtle diet includes leafy greens such as kale and collards, along with vegetables like squash and carrots, as well as fruits like peaches or nectarines in small quantities. A small amount of fruit is also fine.
Flowers like hibiscus, geranium and nasturtium can be fed to turtles without fear of bone diseases. Daisy petals should be avoided as they contain high levels of phosphorus which could contribute to bone diseases in turtles. Daisies can also be difficult for turtles to digest due to pesticide contamination or bacteria exposure.
Water
Based on the species of turtle, its diet will differ accordingly. While commercial pellet foods can provide necessary nutrition, a range of whole vegetables, live insect prey and fresh fruit should also be provided as additional sources. Mealworms, hissing cockroaches, waxworms and earthworms provide plenty of protein while crickets snails and slugs may also provide protein. When feeding milkweed to turtles be careful as these might carry harmful poisons that are toxic for them.
Canned fish and seafood is another viable food option for turtles; however, no more than 10-20% should comprise their diet. Canned fruits and vegetables may also be suitable in an emergency; just avoid anything fried or with extra salt added as these will likely harm their digestion process. Finally, since turtles cannot properly digest dairy products such as cheese or yogurt.
