Turtles need a variety of foods and treats to meet their nutrient requirements. While commercial pellets can provide some valuable nutrition, fresh foods should always be the preferred choice.
Your turtle should consume a diet rich in leafy greens such as collards, mustard greens, kale, red and romaine lettuce (avoiding iceberg lettuce), endive, turnip, dandelion and parsley; high oxalate greens such as spinach or chard should also be avoided.
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Meat
Turtles enjoy eating human foods such as fruits, vegetables, fish, and insects; however, certain items should be avoided at all costs; these include fried foods with high levels of sodium or refined sugars as well as dairy.
These foods can all provide your turtle with too much fat, leading to obesity and failing to provide the essential nutrition required for its survival.
Additional foods that can help nourish your turtle include cooked sweet potatoes, cooked carrots and squash boiled together with green beans, as well as green beans. It is also recommended that leafy vegetables such as kale, mustard greens, and dandelion greens be offered regularly; avoid providing your turtle with iceberg lettuce due to its lack of nutritional value.
Some turtles enjoy snacking on small pieces of cooked poultry or fish as an additional protein source, though make sure you avoid fatty meats as these may be hard for your turtle to digest and can alter their water chemistry in their tank.
Vegetables
As they age, turtles shift from animal-based foods to more vegetable-based ones, but still need enough protein for survival and shell strengthening. Therefore, it is crucial that fish and vegetables that have not been submerged in water be offered; this prevents too much phosphorous being absorbed by fish while still retaining nutritional value from vegetables.
Turtles enjoy snacking on nutritious vegetables such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, squash, tomatoes, chard and grated or cooked carrots (cooked or grated). Bananas, apples, blueberries and pears also make great snacks; just remember to cut into bite-sized portions prior to feeding your turtle.
Some pet owners have discovered that red-eared sliders tend to eat vegetables more readily than other species of turtle, perhaps as they spend most of their time submerged. Be sure to provide them with a variety of vegetable types and remove any uneaten food to ensure proper hygiene standards are upheld in their tank or pond.
Insects
Insects make up a significant part of aquatic turtle diets in nature. Not only can these insects provide essential nutrition such as protein, but many can be raised at home at minimal costs to provide a cost-effective food source for your aquatic pet turtle.
Your turtle may enjoy eating insects such as worms, crickets, mealworms, beetles, grasshoppers, pill bugs, flies, mosquito larvae or mosquito larvae. Place in water or chop into smaller pieces for easier digestion.
Avoid feeding your turtle snails, slugs and earthworms harvested from your yard as these may contain bacteria and pesticides that can compromise its environment. Snails may also be difficult for turtles to digest and could potentially lead to blockages in its digestive system.
Fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers can make an excellent addition to the diet of your turtle. Make sure they feature vibrant hues so they’ll stand out more to their eyes; apples, strawberries, mangoes and watermelons are great options.
Fish
Wild turtles are omnivorous animals that eat snails, clams, crayfish, aquatic insects and small fish as part of their diet. You may give your pet turtle an occasional treat by offering freshwater feeder fish like bluegills, bass, crappies or guppies as freshwater feeder fish; goldfish should be avoided as their spiny bones could damage both its throat and intestinal tract causing pain to them both.
For optimal results when feeding your pet fish, it is advised that they be placed in their own container – this is due to fish leaving behind undigested food particles that could clog up your turtle tank and produce an unpleasant odor.
Your turtle should eat 80-90% vegetables and flowers, with meat and fruit as the remaining components of its diet. Be sure to wash all produce properly. Vegetables high in nutrients include grated carrots, zucchini and squash; leafy greens such as peas; as well as kale, parsley and cabbage as additional nutritious sources. Finally, flowers such as carnations, roses, hibiscus or dandelions may be given sparingly but will still benefit their diets.
