Box turtles thrive when offered a diet rich in plants and flowers that are nontoxic to them. As long as these food sources remain safe for consumption by their environment, they’re sure to benefit immensely!
Target 50% plant material and 10% fruit as the basis of your pet’s diet, with appropriate animal protein such as grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms, wax worms, earthworms, moths and hard-boiled eggs being acceptable forms.
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Vegetables
Box turtles are carnivorous in nature and need to find food by foraging in order to survive in their environment. Their diet should consist of over half animal matter such as insects, worms and dead animals with vegetables and fruits serving as supplements.
Captivity provides us with an opportunity to aid their wellbeing, by making sure they receive enough animal protein sources as well as providing them with nutritious vegetables and fruits, such as dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens collard greens kale bok choy swiss chard.
These vegetables should be chopped into small pieces to make it easier for turtles to consume them, and it is essential that items with an optimal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio such as okra, cantaloupe and alfalfa grass be provided as treats.
Fruit
Box turtles are predominantly carnivorous creatures and their diet should consist of over 50% animal products followed by leafy greens and fruits such as leafy salad greens. Box turtles consume fruits such as berries, apples, bananas, pineapple squash melons and even melons as well as vegetables like pineapple squash melons in captivity; in the wild however they eat mollusks, fish, insects earthworms frogs snails slugs snails plus any dead animal matter that they come across during captivity.
Insects provide high levels of protein while remaining relatively low in fat content; however, they may contain too much phosphorus compared to other animal-sourced food sources and should therefore only be offered occasionally and dusted with reptile calcium powder or crushed cuttlebone as food source.
Flowers
Box turtles require plenty of leafy greens in order to absorb essential vitamins and minerals, so it is wise to avoid light-green vegetables such as iceberg lettuce which contain mostly water but little nutrition. Furthermore, it would be wise to offer plants without pesticides and herbicides which will be safer for your turtle to consume while still being adequately washed before offering.
Pet owners sometimes feed their box turtles live prey animals as a source of additional nutrition, although it’s always advisable to consult your veterinarian first as many feeder insects contain high levels of fat and phosphorus which could prove hazardous for reptiles.
Meat
Box turtles in the wild feed on both plant and animal matter. Reptile specialists suggest feeding captive box turtles a diet consisting of 50% plant matter and 50% animal protein such as dried and cooked worms, grasshoppers, crickets, minnows, hard-boiled eggs, canned fish or commercial reptile pellets.
Regularly offering different meat varieties will keep the meal interesting while preventing bacteria growth that could potentially be harmful.
Shred or chop foods into pieces that are easy for a turtle to digest, as too large pieces may lead to problems like bloating and impaction. Also avoid feeding junk food since this can lead to vitamin deficiency in your turtle and lead to premature death.
Fish
Box turtles require a varied diet that includes vegetables, fruit and flowers as well as meat and fish. To reduce risk of bacteria infection and prevent spoilage of food for their own safety. It is always advisable to cook meat before giving it to a turtle as this reduces rotting risk and avoids disease outbreak.
Pinkie mice, dog food, nightcrawlers, earthworms and black soldier fly larvae are excellent protein sources that contain both high calcium and low phosphorus levels. Dusting these protein sources with reptile calcium powder or whole cuttlebone would further support their wellbeing.
Plant matter should comprise 80-90% of your turtle’s diet. Light leafy greens such as iceberg lettuce and celery do not offer many essential vitamins and minerals; dark leafy greens and collard greens offer additional nutritional benefits, such as Vitamin E, Folate, Potassium and Calcium.
