Feed yellow-bellied sliders a quality turtle pellet as the base, add leafy greens and aquatic plants, and offer protein like worms or insects as a smaller part of the diet. Babies need more protein; adults eat mostly plants and pellets.
Feeding by Age
- Hatchlings and juveniles: feed once a day. Mix pellets with insects, worms, bloodworms or small pieces of cooked lean protein. Offer greens too, even if they ignore them at first.
- Adults: feed every two to three days, with plants making up most of the diet: dandelion, collard and mustard greens, romaine, and floating aquatic plants. Add a small serving of pellets and an occasional protein treat.
How Much Is Enough?
A handy rule: offer about as much pellet food as would fit inside the turtle’s head if it were hollow. Alternatively, offer what it finishes in 30 minutes, then take out leftovers. Overfeeding leads to obesity and a fouled tank, and rapid growth driven by excess protein can contribute to shell deformities.
Good Foods
- Pellets made for aquatic turtles
- Greens: dandelion, collards, mustard greens, endive, romaine
- Aquatic plants: anacharis, duckweed, water hyacinth
- Protein: earthworms, crickets, dubia roaches, bloodworms, snails, small feeder fish as a treat
- Fruit: a small amount of berries or melon now and then
Foods to Skip
- Bread, pasta, cheese, bacon and other processed human foods
- Rhubarb leaves, which are toxic
- Lots of spinach or chard, which are high in oxalates
- Iceberg lettuce, which has very little nutrition
Water, Heat and Light Affect Appetite
Sliders are cold-blooded and only digest well when warm. Keep the water around 75 to 80 °F, provide a basking spot warmer than the water, and run a UVB bulb on a timer. Replace UVB bulbs as the manufacturer recommends, since they lose strength before they burn out. Sliders also eat in the water, so a good filter and regular water changes matter.
Bottom Line
Pellets plus plenty of greens, a little protein, correct lighting and clean water keep a slider healthy. See also our guides to Brazilian slider food, feeding lake turtles and vegetables for turtles.
General information only, not veterinary advice. If your turtle stops eating, has swollen eyes or a soft shell, see a reptile vet.
