What should turtles not eat

Turtle Food for Pet Turtles What do turtles eat? Fresh Foods to Feed Your Pet Turtle Foods popular for pet turtles, depending on the species, include: Protein : Boiled eggs, mealworms, snails, crickets, earthworms Vegetables : Corn, beans, beets, carrots, peas, squash, yams Greens : Carrot tops, lettuce, collard greens, kale, spinach Fruits : Apples, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, banana, kiwi, mango, tomato Flowers : Geraniums, dandelions, petunias, lilies, carnations In addition to a range of foods and pet store supplements, offering pet turtles an additional source of calcium - necessary for a strong, healthy shell - is also a good idea.

Pet Turtle Feeding Tips The best diet for a pet turtle is one that is fresh and varied to provide a range of nutritional sources. More tips for feeding pet turtles include: Avoid offering turtles any dairy products such as milk, yogurt, or cheese. They cannot digest dairy, and it will cause illness. Offer protein sources only every two to three days to avoid too much protein in the turtle's diet.

Avoid raw meat or hamburger as it may become tainted and rotten before the turtle eats it. Avoid manufactured foods, such as crackers or bread, which may have ingredients that don't support your turtle's health. Offer foods in small pieces that are easier for the turtle to eat, especially baby turtles. Turtles do not have teeth and use their jaws to cut food into bite-sized pieces.

Fresh foods are best; do not leave food in a turtle's tank or cage where it can mold or rot. Always clean the food dish before adding another serving. These proteins may consist of: Fish Crickets Spiders Snails Crayfish Larger aquatic turtles, such as snapping turtles , may eat ducks or other birds who are resting on the water's surface.

Foods they may eat include: Grass Leaves Wildflowers Cacti and cactus pears Fruits, such as blueberries, palmetto berries, and raspberries. Knowing the age of your pet turtle will help you decide whether or not to feed it fish, as well as how often. You should also look for fishmeal to be one of the top three ingredients listed on the label, and for added vitamins and minerals to be called out in the ingredient list, says Dr.

Sill unsure what to choose? Consult a veterinarian. But maintaining a clean habitat with healthy water is very important, says Dr. That varies with the size of your turtle, but generally a portion of pelleted food may last 4 to 6 weeks, depending on supplemental feeding and pet size, says Dr. If your turtle is still juvenile, feed it every day, advises Dr. Once it reaches adulthood around 7 years old , you can feed it every other day—or about 4 to 5 times a week.

Stick with around 1 cup of food per day, then increase or decrease that amount depending on how your turtle responds. Besides fruits and vegetables, you could offer sparing amounts of meat to your turtle, says Dr.

Additionally, your turtle should not be fed dog or cat food. The protein content is far too high, and will cause long term harm. Home Reptile Nutrition Center. What Do Pet Turtles Eat? Skip to content. They are fillers, a way to add variety but not nutrition. Spinach, Chard, Beets, Rhubarb because they have Oxalic acid and it blocks the absorption of calcium.

These foods cause the turtle to become calcium deficient even if a good source of calcium is provided which can result in soft shell or MBD metabolic bone disease which is fatal.

Beans, Mushrooms because they do not much nutritional value, and can cause gout. Rate this:. Like this: Like Loading Posted by Kame R. About Kame R. P I am a 5 years old Red Ear Slider who happen to be so Narcissist and love sharing about my life and other turtle-ish story.

View all posts by Kame R. MT PlooPloo says:. July 25, at am. Novroz says:. July 29, at pm. August 21, at pm. September 20, at pm. July 31, at am. June 15, at am. June 23, at am. Teresa says:. April 4, at am. June 18, at pm. September 29, at am. September 30, at pm. October 21, at am. October 23, at pm. Ciara says:. December 10, at am. December 17, at pm.

Jack says:. April 25, at am. May 1, at pm. Holden says:. May 18, at am. Bosco Yeung says:. June 6, at pm. Tom says:. June 23, at pm. July 12, at pm. Yazmin Feliz says:. January 25, at pm.

Diane says:. August 17, at pm. Jessica Howard says:. October 5, at am. October 20, at pm. December 8, at am. December 21, at pm. January 27, at pm. February 2, at am. March 2, at pm. Turtles, more than other pets, are sensitive to monotonous diets. They crave variety. If you continually feed your turtle the same bland food day after day, they will lose interest in feeding time. Unfortunately, turtles are rare enough pets that most pet food suppliers will carry only a small number of your normal daily, inexpensive, nutritional turtle food.

You can then supplement that base of food with a wide selection of nutritious turtle treats in order to give your turtle the heterogeneous regime they require.