What Do Turtles Need To Eat To Be Healthy?

In order to find out what turtles need to eat to be healthy, you have to find out what turtles eat in the wild. Wild turtles will eat just about anything they can get a hold of. They’re not very picky, and are omnivores, which makes feeding them in captivity both exciting and challenging. The dietary needs of turtles can be broken down into two main categories: plants and protein.

There are many different types of plants that turtles like to eat, which are very good for them. Leafy vegetables are the best for them, and include: lettuce, collards, grape or fig leaves, red clover, dandelions, and kale. They can also eat many types of regular vegetables as well, such as green beans, carrots, corn, green peas, and some types of squash. In the case of aquatic turtles, there are many good water plants such as duckweed that are excellent as they are found in the turtle’s natural habitat.

In addition to vegetables, many turtles also like to eat fruits and flowers. Some types of fruits that they enjoy eating are apples, mangos, kiwis, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, and tomatoes. The flowers that turtles enjoy which are also good for them are pansies, lilies, roses, carnations, hyssops, nasturtiums, and geraniums. Fruits and flowers should only supplement the vegetables given, and can sometimes cause problems if given in large amounts.

The other half of what turtles need is protein. In the wild, turtles will eat many different protein sources, mostly depending on the size of the turtle. A smaller turtle may snack on snails and slugs, while a larger turtle will eat big fish. In captivity, there are many different things that you can feed to your turtle as a source of protein. Cooked fish, turkey, chicken, or boiled eggs are all safe to feed your turtle. You should never feed your turtle raw meat, since it contains a lot of fat, and if your turtle takes too long to eat it, it could go bad. There are also many live foods you can find at your local pet store to feed to your turtle, such as crickets, snails, mealworms, silkworms, and earthworms.

Before you choose foods for your turtle, be sure to research the type of turtle that you have, as every species has slightly different requirements. Also, each turtle will have different preferences, which is what you have to keep in mind when finding out what turtles eat.

By: Alan Stables

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Alan Stables is interested in many animals including mini turtles. His investigation work into what do turtles eat, different types of turtles, and other turtle facts, helps Alan to produce useful fact sheets for the turtle enthusiast, and those looking for pet turtles.