Turtles enjoy fruit such as strawberries (box turtles in particular are known to love them!), pears and apples. In terms of vegetables, turtles enjoy collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, romaine lettuce leaves and hibiscus leaves as a treat.
Careful consideration must be given when selecting the diet of any aquatic turtle pet. Too much meat consumption can result in vitamin E and thiamine deficiency.
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Insects
As they mature, turtles begin to transition away from an almost exclusively carnivorous diet and incorporate more plants and vegetables into their meals. Their habitat will determine what energy-rich foods they eat; some species may start out eating meat but switch over later to herbivory.
Aquatic turtles typically eat both local fish species as well as insects they find around their aquatic environments. When kept as pets, however, it’s safe to feed plaices, bluegills, killifish or guppies to your aquatic turtle – although goldfish and other bony fish with high levels of thiaminase which could potentially be toxic may need to be avoided due to potential overeating by your turtle.
Feeding your turtle a variety of local plants, protein pellets and feeder fish will give them all of the essential vitamins and nutrients they require for healthy living. Incorporating fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, pears, apples and squash into its diet is also recommended – though you should avoid feeding iceberg lettuce and foods high in chemicals or sugar as these could prove fatal for their wellbeing.
Plants
Turtles come in various species that consume plants like alocasia and hibiscus or hunt and consume animal prey; others, like cooters and snapping turtles (Pseudemys genus), may be herbivorous and feed on snakes, frogs, birds and other turtles in the wild; fish should be limited as its consumption could lead to deficiencies of vitamin E and thiamine.
A healthy turtle diet should include commercial turtle pellets which contain all of the necessary protein, provided at regular intervals. Fresh vegetables should also be given regularly; dark leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, escarole, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens and endive are great choices for turtles; other choices might include bok choy, arugula and watercress as well as fruits like strawberries, figs or apples which should only be given occasionally. When feeding food to improve absorption use calcium/vitamin D3 powder to increase absorption rates further.
Fish
Turtles begin as carnivorous eaters as young, transitioning gradually toward plant-based diets as they age. This shift often depends on their habitats as these places usually provide access to an abundance of energy-rich food sources that allow the turtles to flourish and survive.
Most turtles enjoy feeding on both aquatic plants and insects, while some may prefer more plant-based diets. It is essential that you understand which type of turtle you own as well as their eating habits in their natural environment so you can offer food accordingly in their home environment.
Freshwater turtles consume a range of food items, from green leafy vegetables like kale or escarole to squash, carrots, pumpkin, beans, zucchini tomatoes or cucumbers – in addition to fish and several fruits such as melons apple orange banana strawberries peaches etc.
Meat can also provide valuable protein sources. However, its consumption should be done so sparingly to prevent deficiency of vitamin E and thiamine; raw meat may contain bacteria and parasites which could spread disease to turtles.
Meat
Wild turtles eat both plant and animal materials, becoming more omnivorous as they age. When keeping turtles as pets it is essential that a variety of animal and plant foods be provided; an ideal rule would be providing 60 percent animal foods and 40 percent plant foods.
Aquatic turtles also enjoy snacking on fish. To do so, they patiently wait beneath their camouflage for fish to swim past and snap at them with their jaws if possible, otherwise eating dead carrion fish as their primary food source if live ones cannot be found.
Pet owners should avoid providing too many fish as these are high in phosphorus, and can lead to weight gain which in turn leads to disease. Instead, fish should only be given occasionally and solely as a source of protein necessary for growth; feeder fish such as guppies, killifish or minnows are perfectly acceptable as long as they do not contain bones that could potentially injure the turtles.
