Is a turtle the right pet for you? You’re thinking of getting a turtle but what, quite apart from other considerations, what to feed the little shell-shocker?
That depends on the type of turtle as well as its age. The majority of turtles are carnivores when they are babies and become omnivores as they grow to adults.
Some feed on plants while others, like the snapping turtle, will hunt small creatures to feed on. The diet of a turtle depends on the kind of turtle it is, the location it resides in and what food is actually available to it.
If you’ve recently bought a turtle then choosing the right turtle and terrapin food is important. The following tips will help keep it in good health:
Protein is very important to the diet of the turtle and there many sources that are safe for them to consume which include cooked fish, chicken and turkey in small quantities, hard boiled eggs, mealworms, wax worms, silkworms and earthworms.
Slugs and shrimp are also good for them to eat along with snails and crickets, but never give a turtle raw meat because of possible fat content in the meat which can become contaminated in the time that the turtle gets around to finally eating it.
As turtles grow they become omnivores so vegetables will have to be introduced into their diets. Leafy vegetables and some fruit are best for them including figs and grapes, carrot tops, dandelions, red clover, lettuce (red and green are fine but avoid iceberg as it can cause diarrhea), endive and other herbs.
Regular vegetables like beans, corns etc are also fine for their growth.
Interestingly, flowers are also a love of many turtles and they seem to enjoy roses the best along with lilies, pansies and tulips.
Other fruits liked by turtles include bananas at the top the list, kiwis, apples, mangoes, strawberries, cantaloupe, blackberries, grapes, tomatoes, blueberries and some citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit.
And then, inevitably, there are some foods that should never be given to a turtle. These include dairy products, which turtles simply cannot digest due to the lack of necessary stomach enzymes.
Feeding milk-based products to a turtle will make it very sick. Canned and processed foods are also on this list due to their salt content and use of preservatives.
Turtles like to eat foods found in their natural habitat but if you’ve bought one from the pet store you’ll have to read up a little more extensively to find exactly the right kind of food.
Many turtles occasionally eat poisonous plants found in their natural habitats in order to make themselves less favorable to their enemies but you probably don’t need to go that far.
Keep in mind that the eating habits of a turtle varies depending on the size, breed and natural habitat of the turtle. Babies are wholly carnivorous until they grow into adulthood when they become omnivores or even herbivores (depending on your turtles’ species).
Don’t give the turtle just food from the pet store – they like and thrive off of a variety of foods.
