Yellow belly turtles require a diet high in protein. Their sources can range from pellets, vegetables and even insects!
Provide your pet with a balanced diet consisting of different food items to provide them with all of the essential nutrients. Yellow bellied sliders should eat Pellets, Vegetables, Meat and Fruits as an optimal diet.
Contents
Pellets
Yellow bellied turtles are omnivorous animals. In the wild, their diet typically includes aquatic plants, snails, insects, crustaceans, small fish and even amphibians; when kept as pets in captivity they typically receive pellets mixed with vegetables and fruits as food sources.
As babies, turtles require a diet rich in proteins such as crickets and worms in addition to commercial turtle pellets. Without this balance in their diets, baby turtles could develop respiratory infections leading to their death as well as shell pyramiding (when edges of shell start bending upwards).
Feed your turtle the appropriate amount within 15 minutes – too much food could lead to it becoming overweight, leading to health problems for it as well as you. Carrots provide essential vitamin A; dark leafy greens rich in calcium should also be regularly given.
Vegetables
Yellow-bellied sliders are omnivorous animals and should consume both plant- and animal-based foods in their diet, such as commercial turtle pellets or fresh veggies, fruits, or insects from nature. Furthermore, they should get adequate amounts of vitamin D3 from sunlight or UVB lighting sources and calcium supplements as cuttlebones to meet their daily requirements.
Make sure your aquatic turtle receives an ideal balance of nutrition by offering high-quality aquatic turtle food alongside fresh veggies such as leafy greens such as dandelion greens, Romaine lettuce and kale. Other vegetables and pieces of fruit should also be provided on a regular basis for best results.
Yellow-bellied slider hatchlings and juveniles require more carnivorous diets than adults; such as high-quality turtle pellets, small feeder fish, commercially bred crickets, cockroaches or waxworms as occasional treats. As they reach adulthood, their diet should become increasingly herbivorous so feed more greens, vegetables, as well as some fruit as part of your feeding regime.
Meat
Yellow-bellied sliders have been known to live more than 100 years, so their diet must include an assortment of vegetables, fruits and meat in order to thrive.
Baby turtles tend to be carnivorous creatures and require a high-protein diet in order to support their rapid rate of growth. You should feed your turtle twice each day using the size of its head method so as to provide just the right amount for its age and prevent overfeeding, which could result in obesity and shell pyramiding syndrome.
Your yellow-bellied slider should also consume leafy greens such as kale and collards for optimal health, either purchased pre-made for turtles, or mixed fresh with commercial food. Avoid foods such as iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and eggplant which contain high levels of phosphorus – try opting for bok choy or arugula instead!
Fruits
Yellow belly turtles are herbivorous in their wild environment, meaning their diet consists of both plants and meat. When kept as captive species, however, they thrive on high-quality commercial turtle pellets, live feeder fish and dark leafy vegetables such as kale or collard greens; fruits such as peeled and cored apples, strawberries or blueberries also make good meals.
Yellow-bellied sliders feed on amphibian larvae, snails, frogs, tadpoles, crayfish, insects, small crustaceans and aquatic plants in their diet in the wild. Adult males typically prefer eating fish but still remain generally omnivorous.
Yellow-bellied sliders thrive when kept as captive pets, and should receive commercial pellets tailored specifically for reptiles as well as diced vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and squash with some meat included as treats from time to time as part of their diet. However, too much vegetable-based food may prevent your turtle from receiving essential calcium and vitamin D3 requirements necessary for health and growth; hence it is advisable to provide some form of meat such as waxworms or mealworms as a treat occasionally.
