An appropriate diet for turtles must consist primarily of fresh foods. This is particularly crucial as wild turtles feed opportunistically and don’t know when their next meal will arrive.
Pellets should only make up 25% of a turtle’s diet; other nutritious options include fish, vegetables and fruit.
Contents
Vegetables
Herbivorous turtles should consume a diet consisting of both plant and animal-derived foods. Roughly 80-90% of their food should consist of vegetables with the remainder being fruit. Celery and lettuce are great choices to feed your turtle, while you should avoid feeding it iceberg lettuce which provides little nutritional value.
Some vegetables like kale, mustard greens, collard greens, bok choy and rhubarb should only be fed occasionally to turtles as they contain oxalates that interfere with calcium absorption and may lead to various health problems in turtles. Other options like steamed carrots potatoes and cooked sweet potato should also be given regularly as food sources.
Pellets
Aquatic turtles need protein-rich foods like processed pet foods, drained sardines, trout chow or canned chicken liver to meet their dietary requirements. Furthermore, aquatic turtles will relish eating live prey such as earthworms, crickets and waxworms!
Omega One turtle pellets provide your turtle with a nutritious diet, featuring high quality fish such as whole herring, salmon and black cod as well as vegetables such as kale, broccoli, carrots corn lettuce as well as high levels of Vitamin D3 and E. Furthermore, some contain fruit such as berries or low sugar fruits which will meet all their dietary requirements.
Fruit
Though fruit may not be the mainstay of turtle diets, they can still provide essential nutrition. Apples, bananas (with peel), watermelons (including skins), melons, pineapple, guava figs and paw-paws are all safe to offer to your turtle as occasional treats; citrus fruit should be avoided however as its citric acid can cause stomach upset and diarrhea in turtles.
Animal-based foods should account for about 25% of your turtle’s diet. This may include processed pet foods like drained sardines, turtle pellets and trout chow, as well as live prey such as snails, worms, feeder fish and crickets.
Meat
Turtles should consume vegetables and pellets as part of their diet; meat should make up only a small part.
Avoid feeding your turtle any foods containing iceberg lettuce or low-nutrient salad greens as these contain oxalates which inhibit its ability to absorb calcium.
Avoid high-oxalate vegetables like spinach, chard and rhubarb for best results.
Fruit can provide turtles with a nutritional snack, but should not become their main food source. Apples, bananas with skins still attached, berries and melons should all be thoroughly washed before offering to your turtle.
Fish
A turtle should consume a diet consisting of commercial pellets, vegetables and live prey. Fish feeders such as goldfish, guppies or minnows may provide enrichment but should never become the primary protein source; such fish could introduce bacteria, parasites or chemical pollutants into its habitat and compromise its safety.
Feeding raw meat directly from the table to your turtle can pollute its environment and create an offensive smell, leading to overpopulation. Instead, cook chicken or beef before offering as treats in their diet as a more sensible approach.
Seafood
Turtles require a well-balanced diet consisting of both animal protein and plant matter. Fish may provide aquatic turtles with some source of nutrition; however, fish consumption should only account for approximately two thirds of juvenile diets and one-half of that for adults.
Feeder fish such as guppies and goldfish make good options for simulating a turtle’s natural hunting environment in an aquarium. Most pet stores stock these varieties.
Keep iceberg lettuce out of its diet, as it primarily consists of water. Instead, leafy greens such as kale, mustard greens and spinach should be fed on a regular basis to give turtles the essential nutrition.
