Many turtles, especially baby box turtles, can be selective eaters. Therefore, it is crucial that daily meals provide them with a wide array of healthy options.
Animal-derived foods can include processed pet foods like drained sardines and trout chow, as well as live prey such as crickets, moths, worms, feeder fish or even frozen bumble bees.
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Meat
Aquatic turtles differ from their terrestrial counterparts in that they are true omnivores, eating both animal protein and plant matter as part of a balanced diet. When young, young turtles primarily require meat consumption in order to thrive properly; as they age they transition towards being vegetarians or herbivorous eaters.
Turtles feed on various animal sources such as fish, crayfish, small crustaceans (such as shrimp and crustaceans ), worms and snails in the wild. Additionally, they consume algae mats, lily pads and plant material from around them.
Pet owners sometimes supplement their turtle’s diets with high-fat and sodium foods like fried chicken, deli meats and other processed snacks that may increase both fat intake and sodium levels. Mazuri, Omega One or Reptomin turtle pellets should serve as the main staple food source, though I also suggest providing fresh or frozen krill, feeder shrimp pieces along with vegetables/plant sources like Red-leaf Romaine lettuce or Anacharis water plants as supplements to their meal.
Fruit
Box turtles make great pets that can be kept either indoors in a tank or outdoors in a pond, providing safe basking spots, enough swimming space, and proper diet needs.
As with other reptiles, they are predominantly carnivorous but still require plant matter for health. A balanced and healthy diet for them should include over 50% veggie matter with high calcium/phosphorus ratio and 30% fruits.
Add grated carrots and squash to a mix of vegetables for optimal nutrition, and incorporate soft fruits such as berries, watermelons or bananas as soft snacks. Incorporate non-toxic aquatic plants such as hornwort, water hyacinths or water lettuce if possible; fruit should only be fed in limited amounts due to possible too-high sugar concentrations and imbalanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratios.
Vegetables
Turtles in the wild are known to eat both plants and animal matter opportunistically, including carrion such as dead raccoons or ducks. Most pet turtles tend to be omnivorous, meaning they prefer incorporating both into their diet.
Vegetables such as grated carrots, zucchini squash peas and collard greens make excellent turtle food options. Some turtle owners also feed their reptiles celery bok choy turnip greens as well as some leafy vegetables like kale or dandelion greens for an additional treat.
Fruits aren’t as nutritious for turtles, and should only be given occasionally. A turtle should get all of their vitamin needs met from vegetables alone; some safe options for fruit offering include apples, oranges, grapes (with their skin on), berries, watermelons and tomatoes.
Flowers
Flowers play an essential part in plant reproduction, spreading genetic material from one plant to another. Turtles may consume flowers occasionally in moderation; however, not all are suitable, such as milkweed flowers that could make them sick; pet store feeder insects like mealworms, cockroaches and hissing cockroaches would likely be better options for their consumption.
About 10% to 20% of a turtle’s diet should consist of flowers and leafy vegetables, high-calcium fruits such as figs, strawberries, dates, raspberries or bananas (though these should be given sparingly due to their high oxalates content), or small pieces of cuttlebone dusted with reptile calcium powder as sources of additional minerals for their nutrition.
Water
As they forage for food in the wild, Box Turtles are opportunistic feeders who will eat whatever is readily available. Their diet typically consists of both animal and plant sources so if you choose to feed commercial turtle food to them it should only ever be given as occasional supplements.
Vegetables and fruit should make up at least 70 percent of a person’s diet, with dark leafy greens such as kale and collards being ideal choices, followed by yellow, red, and orange vegetables (carrots and squash) in abundance. Avoid light greens such as iceberg lettuce which are low in nutrients.
Add a small amount of fresh, cooked meat such as chicken or fish; provide calcium sources like crushed egg shells, oyster shells or cuttlebone for digestion purposes; feed aquatic plants like anacharis, hornwort, water hyacinths, sphagnum moss duckweed or azolla as food items as well.
