A Simple Feeding Guide is crucial for you to learn if you want to know how to take care of a pet turtle for Healthy Pet Turtles.
One of the first questions every new turtle owner asks is what do turtles eat. Feeding a turtle sounds simple at first, but wrong food choices are one of the most common reasons turtles get sick.
The good news is that feeding a pet turtle does not need to be confusing or expensive. Once you understand what turtles naturally eat and how their diet changes as they grow, feeding becomes easy and even enjoyable.
Understanding a Turtle’s Natural Diet
In the wild, most freshwater turtles are opportunistic eaters. This means they eat what is available rather than sticking to one type of food.
Pet turtles usually eat a mix of plant based foods and animal protein. The balance depends on the turtle’s age and species.
Staple Foods for Pet Turtles
High quality commercial turtle pellets should be the foundation of your turtle’s diet. These pellets are designed to provide essential nutrients like calcium, vitamins, and minerals.
Vegetables That Are Safe and Healthy
Leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, collard greens, and mustard greens are excellent choices for turtles.
Protein Foods and How Often to Feed Them
Protein foods like dried shrimp, mealworms, earthworms, and small feeder fish should be given in moderation.
Commercial Pellets
Starting with the commercial pellets – Turtles love to eat these nutritious pellets that are commercially marketed. Pellets are their personal favorites when it comes to taste. These power packed pellets contain all the nutrition that your turtle requires. Designed by nutrition experts, they provide a balanced mix of proteins, fibers, and essential nutrients. From Vitamin A for eye health and Calcium for strong and healthy shells it’s the gold standard for maintaining a turtle’s overall health.
Commercial pellets provide exactly the right amount of crunch for turtles. The texture of these pellets are ideal for a turtle’s beak, thus eating them is delightful and fulfilling. It resembles your favorite crispy snack on a turtle!
Moreover, we all have a hectic schedule and are always on the run, so when it comes to convenience nothing beats these pellets. All you need to do is maintain the portion and your turtle is ready to feast, although overfeeding is not encouraged. So make sure that no extra food remains in your turtle tank.
Protein based diet
However, keep this in mind that not all the pellets are created equal. Before purchasing, always make sure to check the ingredients so that you know the ingredients align with your turtle’s requirement. Keep an eye on the protein content of the product, high protein should be preferred over fillers.
For high protein content what should turtles eat? I prefer feeding Fluval Bug bites to my turtle. They are rich in Protein and Vitamin A which meets most of my turtle’s need for staying healthy and happy. They are manufactured for small and medium sized turtles as they come in different formats too – you can find them as microgranules, granules, pellets and sticks. So, choose the right ones matching the size of your turtle.
But your turtle also needs calcium and Vitamin C beside Vitamin A and Protein for good health, vitality and sound growth. So for Calcium and Vitamins what should turtles eat? Tetra ReptoMin floating food quite solves the problem, they are rich in calcium and Vitamin C.
However, these sticks are for a medium sized turtle, if your turtle is small in size then you might want to break the sticks into smaller portions and feed your friend. Trust me, they will love it and you will see changes in their activities.
Now, Let’s talk Veggies!
Several vital nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fibres, are found in vegetables. Turtles benefit from a varied and well-rounded diet since different veggies provide varying amounts of different nutrients. Hence, your turtle’s dinner plate should always have some green in it. I hope you keep reading to learn more about why Veggies play a vital role in their diet.
For proper shell growth and overall health, your turtle requires an adequate amount of Calcium and Phosphorus which you can find in dark leafy greens,lettuce, spinach, broccoli and a variety of fruits like apples, pomegranates and lichis. Give small pieces of fruity treats that would fit their small mouth. Citrus fruits are not preferred though. My food data can help you find more about fruits that you can feed your pet turtle for optimum nutrients. But, remember to always maintain a balance between the two because excess of any of these would result in health issues for your baby turtle friend.
Hydration is another factor that you need to take into consideration. Hence, feeding your pet turtle cucumbers, melons, zucchinis can be a great choice as it adds variety to their diet.
Typically omnivorous aquatic turtles like red-eared sliders or pond turtles prefer a combination of animal protein and greens. It is important to continuously evolve your turtle’s food habit with their age.
A 25% of diet should contain animal protein for your omnivorous reptile friend. Preferred animal protein can be processed grub worms, crickets, earthworms, snails, moths, mealworms and waxworms can be a great source. You can find some of the best selling protein based supplements for your turtle in Amazon. Have a look at our recommended list of protein based turtle food:
Feeding Schedule for Young and Adult Turtles
Young turtles are usually fed once a day. Adult turtles can be fed every other day.
Foods You Should Never Feed Your Turtle
Avoid bread, dairy products, processed foods, salty snacks, and sugary items.
Final Thoughts on Feeding Your Turtle
A balanced diet helps turtles stay active, healthy, and long lived.