Turtles that reside in the wild typically feed on aquatic organisms as well as insects. Additionally, they consume various fruits and vegetables as part of their diet.
Some turtles can be carnivores while others are herbivores; however, most turtles are omnivores who enjoy eating both plants and meats; in particular boiled eggs are especially delicious for them!
Contents
Meat
Many people are tempted to feed their turtle pieces of raw meat or fish, which could contain bacteria such as salmonella. While feeding your turtle this may seem appealing, this should not be done since turtles in nature rarely eat raw meat due to it being difficult to catch and potentially carrying salmonella, leading to serious illnesses in turtles.
Turtles kept as pets are generally carnivores when first acquired as pets but usually switch over to more vegetarian diets as they age. Their preferred food sources will depend on factors like species type, jaw structure and habitat.
Herbivorous turtles should be given a diet consisting of greens, low-sugar fruits and vegetables that make up approximately 70-80% of their diet. To add a bit of variety, small amounts of protein pellets, insects or cooked meats should also be provided occasionally. Milk products or processed human foods that contain excessive salt or preservatives should also be avoided, along with fish that has been frozen and thawed, since turtles don’t digest it well.
Vegetables
Turtles should primarily consume vegetables and fruit as part of their diet. At first they may become carnivorous by devouring meat sources, but eventually many become herbivorous.
Pet turtles benefit from eating a wide range of vegetables, such as leafy greens such as kale, collard greens and mustard greens; carrots; squash; peas and green beans; apples, bananas, mangoes, melons and pears – just be careful to not feed your turtle any fruits with an excessive sugar content or an imbalance between calcium to phosphorus (e.g. melons).
Pet owners often feed their turtles additional nutrients by giving them earthworms, crickets or feeder fish for feeding purposes. Just ensure all creatures are thoroughly cleaned before giving them to your turtles! Raw meat could contain parasites and bacteria harmful to turtles’ health; processed foods often contain salt and preservatives which cause obesity in turtles if fed regularly – something to avoid as a pet owner!
Fruits
As turtles age, their diet will gradually shift towards being herbivorous rather than carnivore. While they will still consume some meat, vegetables and fruit should comprise most of their diet. Turtles enjoy consuming squash of any variety, carrots with tops still attached, green beans, zucchini corn tomatoes mushrooms cactus pads as well as leafy greens from the kale family as snacks.
Turtles can safely consume fruits such as apples, bananas, pears, mangoes, strawberries, kiwis and watermelons; simply be sure to remove their seeds first before offering these treats to your turtle.
Your turtle should only eat fresh fruits and vegetables for optimal health, avoiding any processed sugars such as candy. Citrus fruits containing citric acid could lead to digestive issues in their shell.
Human Food
Some turtles are carnivores while others eat both meat and vegetables, and pet store employees can help you determine the species of your turtle and advise you on its diet. In general, turtles should consume approximately 80-90% of their diet from vegetables and flowers with 10-20% coming from fruit. Common vegetable options for consumption are kale, collard greens, turnip greens, leafy greens such as turnip or collard as well as cabbage leaves as well as broccoli carrots sweet potatoes cauliflower zucchini squash while flowers such as hibiscus or nasturtiums and roses are all fine in small doses.
Avoid feeding your turtle raw meat as this could contain harmful bacteria, dairy products are also not recommended and processed foods (particularly ones high in sugar or salt content) as these could disrupt calcium absorption. Also try not giving snack foods high in oxalates as these could disrupt this process as well.
