What Can You Feed Turtles at Home?

Aquatic turtles require an abundance of protein in their diet. To satisfy this need, they enjoy hunting earthworms, crickets and aquatic snails for sustenance.

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Vitamin and mineral supplements for reptiles should be added to their food several times each week, along with extra calcium supplements in the form of cuttlebone pieces which can be broken up and floated around their tank.

Contents

Meat

Turtles enjoy eating meat as it provides essential protein for their wellbeing. However, it’s best to limit how much meat they receive as too much can cause pyramiding syndrome and lead to health complications in their environment.

One way to help protect them is to only feed them cooked lunch meat or sausage that has low amounts of fat, salt or preservatives that may harm them.

If you want to add meat to your turtle’s diet, purchase floating “food sticks” which contain fish, vegetables and meat such as Fluker’s Buffet Blend or ReptoMin. Alternatively, offer live prey such as crickets, worms or flies (ensuring they have been fed correctly without exposure to pesticides) twice weekly as feeders; don’t forget the calcium and phosphorus supplements too!

Fish

A turtle’s diet should provide them with both plant and animal foods; commercial pellets may provide some essential nutrition, but to provide maximum benefit a turtle should also receive meat, veggies and other sources.

Canned whole fish such as sardines, anchovies and salmon should also be added to a turtle’s diet in the evening or afternoon when it will be less likely to cause disruption while feeding.

Vegetables are essential, particularly leafy greens like kale and collards. Your child should also eat carrots, squash, green beans and peas as part of their healthy diet.

Fruits should only be given in moderation as they contain too much sugar for turtles to digest properly. However, figs are an excellent source of calcium, while other fruits include apricots, dates, strawberries and raspberries – as well as flowers such as geraniums, dandelions carnations hibiscus roses which should all be offered sparingly as treats.

Eggs

If you want to supplement your turtle’s diet with additional proteins and vitamins, hard-boiled eggs could be an ideal addition. Eggs contain protein, iron, vitamin A and zinc but should only be given on occasion due to being high in cholesterol content.

Turtles can enjoy eating various vegetables and fruits, but this shouldn’t form the core of their diet. Instead, turtles should eat a variety of fresh foods, such as leafy greens (collard greens, kale, mustard), squash, carrots, beans and peas as well as bananas, strawberries and apples in small amounts.

Try not to feed too much fruit as it can contain high levels of sugar that could contribute to obesity in turtles. If using fruit as part of their diet, try feeding turtles first thing in the morning when they are most active.

Vegetables

Turtles are herbivores and require plenty of vegetables in their diet. Collard greens, kale, turnip greens, squash zucchini parsley should make up a majority of your turtle’s daily food consumption.

Your pet may enjoy fruits and flowers grown from homegrown gardens or from floral shops that throw out older blooms; just ensure the produce has been thoroughly washed without using chemicals as pesticides or preservatives.

Supplement your turtles twice weekly with calcium and phosphorus by powdering or sprinkling some powder over their food, such as in chard’s high oxalic acid content which prevents proper absorption.

Fruit

Turtles are omnivorous animals in nature, and while fruit may provide occasional treats for your turtle, it shouldn’t become their primary source of nutrition. Avoid giving fruits that are high in sugar to ensure a healthier turtle.

Dairy foods should also be avoided to prevent any digestive upset; turtles don’t possess the enzymes to digest dairy properly and this could result in indigestion. Sweets should also be eliminated as turtles don’t need extra processed sugar in their diets.

Provide fresh foods as an additional supplement to commercial turtle pellets. Leafy greens such as collard greens, mustard greens, kale and bok choy are particularly valuable sources of calcium for turtles; other such sources include frogbit, water hyacinth and azolla (fairy moss). Bread should be avoided as its high levels of oxalates prevent proper calcium absorption.