Fish and any kind of aquatic creature are among the favourite prey. Now and then, a dead fish is devoured. Turtles also like to eat some aquatic plants and other “greenery”. In contrast to most other terrarium animals, pond turtles and other turtles also eat “dead food” and can therefore readily be fed with dry food.[1]
Can Turtles Eat Fish?
In the wild, turtles eat a variety of things including worms, small insects, snails, and fish. Wild turtles are mainly carnivorous when they are young because their bodies require a lot of protein to grow. Plus, growing turtles need the vitamins and nutrients that can be found in feeder fish.[2]
Can Turtles Eat Pumpkin Seeds
The seeds of the Pumpkin contain curcurbitin, which does have some worming properties, but we would not recommend feeding the seeds, as they are too high in protein. If your tortoise needs worming it is far better to obtain approved medication from your vet.[3]
What Should You Not Feed A Turtle?
Feeding wild-caught fish and amphibians is not recommended, as they may contain parasites and other infectious organisms that may affect the turtle. Raw meat, fish, or chicken from the grocery store does not contain a balance of calcium and phosphorus for a turtle and is not recommended as a food source for turtles.[4]
Can Turtles Eat Seeds?
They can eat them, but they shouldn’t eat sunflower seeds regularly or in large quantities. It would be best to remove the mealworms from the seed mix first. Offer fresh greens, vegetables and a commercial pellet for turtles as parts of a balanced diet.[5]
Can Desert Turtles Eat Pumpkin?
Pumpkins are great during the fall when they are abundant. It’s thought that pumpkins are natural dewormers. Do not feed fruit to a desert tortoise or sulcata or other desert type tortoises. They are not programmed for it, and it can make then sick and give them diarrhea.[6]
Do Tortoises Like Pumpkin?
Vegetables should be about 10-15% of the diet. These can include: grated raw carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, corn on the cob; greens such as collards, dandelions, escarole, romaine, kale.[7]
Can Turtles Eat Potato Peels
Can Turtles Eat Unpeeled Potatoes? The peel of the potato isn’t necessarily toxic. It doesn’t contain the same chemicals that the leaves and other parts of the plant have. Therefore, they are technically okay for turtles.Jul 28, 2022[8]
What Food Kills Turtles?
Toxic Plants
For example, tomatoes are safe and they’re often a favorite of box turtles. But tomato leaves and vines are toxic. Other plants toxic to box turtles include rhubarb leaves, holly, oleander, avocado leaves and seeds, and plants in the nightshade family.[9]
Can My Tortoise Eat Potatoes?
Greens and vegetables:
Vegetables should be about 10-15% of the diet. These can include: grated raw carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, corn on the cob; greens such as collards, dandelions, escarole, romaine, kale.[10]
What Should I Not Feed My Turtle?
Feeding wild-caught fish and amphibians is not recommended, as they may contain parasites and other infectious organisms that may affect the turtle. Raw meat, fish, or chicken from the grocery store does not contain a balance of calcium and phosphorus for a turtle and is not recommended as a food source for turtles.[11]
Can Aquatic Turtles Eat Sweet Potatoes?
The better vegetables for their diet include squash, red peppers, sweet potatoes, parsnips, green beans, peas in the pod, and leafy greens. A small amount of banana, citrus or berries can be added periodically.[12]
Can Turtles Eat Beets
Although the leaves of Beetroot are not toxic, they do contain a high level of oxalic acid, so leaves and flowers should only be offered to your tortoise in small quantities and only very occasionally.[13]
Can Tortoises Eat Beet Tops?
Tortoises are mainly herbivorous (plant eaters) They will eat leaves, flowers, and fruits of plants, and 90% of the diet should consist of a salad made up of a combination of the following greens: alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli leaves, cabbage (outer green leaves), mustard greens, tofu, turnip …[14]
Can Turtles Eat Beet Greens?
Acceptable vegetables that should represent a high percentage of the box turtle’s diet include collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, broccoli, turnip greens, alfalfa hay, bok choy, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, watercress, clover, red or green cabbage, savory, cilantro, kohlrabi, bell peppers, green beans, …[15]
Can Desert Turtles Eat Beets?
Avoid excessive use of foods that are high in oxalic acid (which binds calcium) such as parsley, purslane, amaranth, spinach, beet leaves, collards, Brussels sprouts.[16]
Can Russian Tortoises Have Beets?
Russian tortoises are primarily herbivores in the wild, and a similar diet should be provided in captivity. The bulk of their diet should consist of a variety of dark, leafy, greens. Romaine lettuce, collard greens, carrot tops, kale, mustard greens, and beet greens are all excellent choices.[17]
Can Turtles Eat Red Worms
Here are a few worms that are safe for turtles when given in moderation: Earthworms. Mealworms. Red Wigglers.[18]
Are Red Worms Toxic?
They are toxic to garter snakes. And the secretions from the worms are actually quite toxic to amphibian larvae.[19]
Can Red Eared Slider Turtles Eat Worms?
Prey Items: Earthworms, crickets, waxworms, silkworms, aquatic snails, bloodworms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, and mealworms. For very small turtles, prey may have to be cut into smaller pieces.[20]
Are Hornworms Safe For Turtles?
For animal protein Box Turtles enjoy crickets, mealworms, superworms, hornworms or earthworms, all will make excellent sources of protein. To provide plant matter to the diet it is suggested to use mustard greens, collard greens or dandelion greens.[21]
Are Bloodworms Good For Turtles?
Calcium Enriched Blood Worms for Baby Water Turtles
That’s right if your little one will not eat simply put the turtle in a small bowl of room temperature water and add a small pinch of these tasty blood worms directly to the water and watch what happens next. Baby Turtles Love Blood Worms![22]
Can Baby Painted Turtles Eat Lettuce
Once you pick out Painted Turtle as a pet, you won’t have any problem feeding it since it is not a food picker. It will equally eat veggies, fruits, and meat offered on the menu, so you can’t make a mistake when providing: Vegetables, including spinach, kale, celery, red-leaf lettuce, beets, carrots, and tomatoes.[23]
Can Baby Turtles Eat Lettuce?
What can a baby turtle eat? You can feed land baby turtles freshy leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce and cabbage, as well as food you can buy for them at the pet store.[24]
What Veggies Can Baby Painted Turtles Eat?
Vegetables
Romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, collard greens, zucchini, squash, kale, escarole, and mustard greens are great vegetables for painted turtles. Parsley and dandelion should be part of their diets, as well. You can put the vegetables and plants in the water or clip them to the side of the tank.Nov 15, 2020[25]
What Can I Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?
The diet of baby painted turtles consists of small fish, worms, insects and tadpoles. They also eat carrion, or dead fish and insects. As painted turtles mature, they add plants to their diet. In captivity, baby painted turtles will eat commercial turtle food supplemented with small pieces of meat and insects.[26]
What Type Of Lettuce Can Turtles Eat?
Desirable vegetables to offer include dark leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, collard greens, mustard greens, carrot tops, endive, Swiss chard, kale, parsley, green beans, dandelion greens, turnip greens, and clover.[27]
Can Turtles Eat Strawberry
And if you’re wondering whether or not these turtles should be going to town on fruit, don’t worry animal fans — strawberries are perfectly safe for turtles to eat. In fact turtles love a variety of fruits and veggies, especially tropical fruit like papaya, guava, and banana.Feb 16, 2019[28]
Can Water Turtles Eat Strawberries?
Can turtles eat strawberries? The answer is yes! Turtles can have strawberries as a treat from time to time (and they do seem to enjoy them!). Strawberries (and other fruits) contain a wide range of helpful nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber.[29]
What Foods Are Poisonous To Turtles?
Toxicity level ranges from mild to severe, depending on the plant:Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna)Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)Asparagus Fern (Asparagus sprengerii)Avocado (leaves, seeds) (Persea americana)Azalea, Rhododendron species.Bird of Paradise shrub (Poinciana gilliesii/Caesalpinia gilliesii)[30]
Resources
[1]https://www.jbl.de/en/blog/detail/291/food-for-turtles%3Fcountry%3Dus
[2]https://www.petmd.com/reptile/nutrition/what-do-turtles-eat
[3]https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/%3Fplant%3D229%26c%3D8
[4]https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/turtles-aquatic-feeding
[5]https://www.petcoach.co/question/%3Fid%3D458711
[6]https://www.tortoise.com/blog/the-abcs-of-turtle-and-tortoise-feeding
[7]https://www.medvetforpets.com/sulcata-tortoise-background-care-recommendations/
[8]https://petkeen.com/can-turtles-eat-potatoes/
[9]https://animals.mom.com/plants-poisonous-box-turtles-2354.html
[10]https://www.medvetforpets.com/sulcata-tortoise-background-care-recommendations/
[11]https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/turtles-aquatic-feeding
[12]https://cedarcrestvets.com/guide/turtles-diet/
[13]https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/%3Fplant%3D788%26c%3D8
[14]https://www.safarivet.com/care-topics/reptiles-and-amphibians/turtle-and-tortoise/nutrition/
[15]https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/turtles-box-feeding
[16]https://tortoise.org/general/descare.html
[17]https://www.lllreptile.com/articles/51-russian-tortoise/
[18]https://www.turtleholic.com/do-turtles-eat-worms/
[19]https://www.caudata.org/threads/red-wigglers-toxic.22892/
[20]https://www.thesprucepets.com/what-should-i-feed-my-red-eared-slider-1238363
[21]https://timberlinefresh.com/learn/reptiles/caring-for-box-turtles/
[22]https://myturtlestore.com/freeze-dried-blood-worms/
[23]https://www.atshq.org/what-do-painted-turtles-eat/
[24]https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/how-to-feed-baby-turtles.htm
[25]https://www.fishtankreport.com/what-do-baby-painted-turtles-eat/
[26]https://animals.mom.com/what-do-baby-painted-turtles-eat-12224923.html
[27]https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/turtles-aquatic-feeding
[28]https://mashable.com/article/turtles-eating-strawberries-videos
[29]https://reptile.guide/turtle-eating-strawberry/
[30]https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/plants-toxic-to-turtles.htm