To treat Vitamin A deficiency, a veterinarian may recommend Vitamin A treatments injected or taken by mouth. Avoid vegetables with low nutritional value like lettuce and celery. Turtles need lots of foods with vitamin A, so choose plants like carrots, squash, bell peppers, and other red, orange, and yellow vegetables. Symptoms of too little vitamin A in turtles include a decrease in appetite, eyelid and ear swelling, kidney failure, and lung infections. Turtles are prone to vitamin A deficiency if their diet isn’t right. Feeding your turtle live prey also lets them hunt and get exercise. At minimum, tanks should be 30 gallons for turtles up to 6 inches long, and up to 125 gallons for turtles over 8 inches long. To avoid overfeeding, make sure your turtle lives in a big enough space to move freely. Overfeeding your turtle can make them gain excess fat, causing them trouble when pulling their arms and legs into their shell. Turtles can become obese just like humans and many other animals.
Research the nutritional needs of your turtle’s species, and contact your veterinarian with any questions or concerns. Different species of turtles have varying dietary requirements. Many turtle owners also choose to chop a mix of vegetables to feed them, so the turtle isn't just eating one type and avoiding other nutritious plants they might not like as much.īe species specific.
If you have a land turtle, place its food on a flat, hard surface like a rock, or on grass. Aquatic turtles only eat underwater, so you’ll need to place food in their water tank.
Aquatic turtles and land turtles have different preferences when it comes to how they eat their food. As a general rule, especially for pellets and other non-living foods, only let your turtle eat as much as they can within about 20 minutes and then remove any leftovers. The amount of food to give your pet turtle depends on its species. Feed an adult turtle once every day or two, and a juvenile one to two times a day, though this can vary depending on the species. You can also feed them non-toxic aquatic plants like water hyacinth, water lettuce, and duckweed. Some of these vegetables, such as chives, parsley, and spinach, contain high levels of chemicals called oxalates, which you should avoid.įruits can include apples, cantaloupe, bananas, berries, and mangoes. Plant-based food sources for your pet turtle should mostly be leafy greens like collards, dandelions, and mustard greens. Make sure you get insects from a pet store or undeveloped field, or raise them yourself, to ensure quality and safety. Live prey can include moths, crickets, shrimp, krill, feeder fish, and worms. You can also feed them cooked chicken, beef, and turkey. Animal-based food sources for turtles can include processed pet foods like drained sardines, turtle pellets, and trout chow. The percentage of animal and vegetable foods your pet turtle needs depends on their species.Īnimal food sources. Younger turtles between about 7 to 10 years old usually need a larger share of animal-sourced foods. A typical adult pet turtle diet should include animal products, vegetables, and fruits. Generally, pet turtles are omnivores, meaning that they eat both meat and plants. The right diet for your turtle depends on their size, species, age, habitat, and other details. Without an appropriate feeding plan, your turtle could get sick or die, so it’s important to understand what to feed them, how often, and what to do if they don’t eat. Pet turtle care doesn’t involve as much hands-on training as dogs and cats, but turtles have particular needs like appropriately-sized tanks, UVB light, and the right kind of diet. Turtles are unique pets that are entertaining to learn about and watch.
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