what to feed a slider turtle

Adult sliders turtle can be fed:

• Dark leafy greens: romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard.
• Vegetables: bell pepper or carrots.
• Feeder fish: goldfish, guppies or minnows.
• Insects, earthworms, slugs, snails or tadpoles.

Full Answer

How often to feed a red eared slider?

What do red eared sliders eat?

• Keep offering daily vegetables. They will probably occasionally eat these. If they still don’t, don’t worry.
• Offer them pellets every other day. Once a week or so you can give them a different protein.
• You can read more specific recommendations in my article on Red Eared Slider baby care.

Do all red-ear slider turtles eat fish?

Living in the wild, red eared slider turtles feed on aquatic vegetation, little fish , and material that is decaying such as frogs and dead fish. The young turtles are mainly carnivorous and become more omnivorous as they grow into adults. As pets, red eared sliders and other aquatic turtles can be fed daily as hatchlings and juveniles, reducing the feedings to every other day as adult turtles.

How old DO slider turtles have to be to mate?

Red-Eared Slider Turtle

• Sounds. Although, there have been many reports from red-eared slider owners that they often get hissing sounds, but, the fact is, the sounds do not come from their mouth.
• Adaptations. ...
• Predators. ...

Should you feed cucumbers to slider turtles?

Cucumbers should not be fed to s slider turtle in large quantities but it is ok to give them one every now and then for a treat. They have high water content which will give them diarrhea if you feed them to much of it.

How often should I feed my slider turtle?

The frequency of feeding depends on the age and size of your red-eared slider. Smaller or juvenile turtles will eat heartily every day. As they get older, adult turtles may be offered a good-sized portion of food every two or three days.

What do small slider turtles eat?

They especially enjoy eating the following feeder insects, arthropods, and invertebrates:Mealworms.Earthworms.Shrimp.Snails.Tadpoles.Crickets.Small fish.

What can turtles eat from human food?

They especially like leafy green veggies, so kale, collard greens, and mustard greens are both healthy and delicious for them. They'll also chow down on carrots, squash, green beans, and peas. As far as fruits go, you can give them bananas, apples, and pears, among other things.

How much do I feed my slider turtle?

A good rule of thumb is to feed as much as your turtle will consume in 15 minutes.

Can turtles eat lettuce?

Is Lettuce Safe for Turtles? There isn't any type of lettuce that should be poisonous to a turtle. They can eat all kinds, and many varieties — like romaine and radicchio — are both nutritious and delicious for them. Iceberg, on the other hand, is basically just crunchy water.

Can turtles eat water lettuce?

Turtles will most likely try to eat anything green in your tank but these plants are their particular favorites: azolla (fairy moss), anacharis or waterweed, water hyacinth, duckweed, frog-bit, and water lettuce.

What food kills turtles?

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.

How Long Can turtles go without eating?

A young turtle (less than six months old) can't go a day without eating. A so-called “sub-adult” turtle (six months to one year old) can't go more than a day without eating. An adult turtle should eat, on average, every 2-3 days.

Do turtles eat bread?

Turtles Can't Digest Bread Since turtles eat animal and plant-based matter, you might not think about dairy being such a bad choice. However, dairy products contain lactose, which your turtles cannot break down in their system, as their bodies do not have the correct enzymes to make that happen.

What fruits can turtles eat?

Fruit should be fed more sparingly than vegetables, since they are often preferred by box turtles over vegetables and tend to be less nutritious. Fruits to offer include apples, pears, bananas (with skin), mango, grapes, star fruit, raisins, peaches, tomato, guava, kiwis, and melons. Fruits that are particularly ...

What vegetables can turtles eat?

The best veggies are chopped dark leafy greens such as kale, collard, and mustard greens, Dr. Starkey says. Shredded carrots, squash, and zucchini are great foods that turtles can eat, too. You can also go with edible aquatic vegetation such as water lettuce, water hyacinth, and duckweed.

Do turtles drink water?

Yes, turtles do drink water. Water is essential for the many of their vital metabolic processes. Water is very important for may process inside their body, as it provides them with the required energy to carry out their day-to-day actions.

Feeding Habit of Turtles

Aquatic turtles in the wild eat fish, and “feeder fish” may be purchased from pet stores or bait stores to feed pet turtles. Depending on the size of the turtle, fish such as goldfish, guppies, or minnows may be offered.

Slider Turtles Diet

The nutritional requirements of sliders turtle change as they age and grow. While sliders of all ages are omnivorous, juvenile sliders require more animal protein for growth, and fully grown adults eat more plant matter to help prevent obesity.

Recommended Diet For Sliders turtle

The recommended diet for red-eared slider turtles is very varied. During the first years of their life, red-eared meat should make up for 70 percent of your turtle’s diet. As it grows, the meat percentage should reduce gradually. Adult sliders turtle will have an almost fully vegetarian diet.

General Guidelines When Feeding Red Slider Turtles

The first thing you need to do is choose a food that has both protein and vegetable base in it. Hatchlings need about 75% protein and 25% vegetables and the adults need 75% vegetables with 25% protein. Keep in mind that, initially baby Red Slider Turtles need more protein in their food. As they grow up, they need more vegetables eventually.

Feeding: What to feed a Red Slider Turtles

The nutritional requirements of red-eared sliders change as they age and grow. While sliders of all ages are omnivorous, juvenile sliders require more animal protein for growth, and fully grown adults eat more plant matter to help prevent obesity.

Food for Red Eared Slider Red Slider Turtles

Red eared slider Red Slider Turtles eat a variety of items in the wild and while we can’t exactly mimic these foods exactly for our pets, we can provide them with some options.

Proteins

Proteins for the baby sliders are the same as adults. They will come in the form of insects, Fish, and commercial food pellets.

Vegetables

Vegetables should make up a large percentage of their diet. Since turtles are omnivorous, they love vegetables.

Aquatic Greens

Your turtle would be eating a lot of these in the wild, and that’s no different in captivity. Aquatic greens are an amazing natural source for all sorts of vitamins and minerals in your baby turtle’s diet. Just like adults, baby turtles will love aquatic greens. Here is a list:

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Owner of AquariumGravel.com and also owner of actual Aquarium Gravel believe it or not! ;). Setting up beautiful aquarium sceneries and habitats since I was very young. Enjoy!

What Red Eared Slider Turtles Eat

Since red eared slider turtles are omnivorous they can eat a huge variety of ailments. So to make things simpler I will divide them in 5 categories:

How to Properly Feed Your Red Eared Slider Turtle

Over the years I’ve read about countless methods of feeding turtles. But out of all of them two stood out the most, as being the most used and the most efficient. And they are the 15 minutes method and the size of the head method.

Red Eared Slider Turtle Feeding Schedule

The first thing that you have to take into consideration when thinking how often you have to feed your turtle, or when making a feeding schedule, is the age of the turtle. Baby red eared slider turtles need a different amount of food than juveniles, and juveniles need a different amount of food than adult red eared slider turtles.

Occasional Treats

Another thing that I want to address is that you can occasionally give your red eared slider turtle treats. As long as they are not too consistent, you can give your turtle a few live fish, fruits, vegetables or dried insects, without worrying that you disturb their feeding schedule.

Final Thoughts

While red eared slider turtles can eat a lot of things, not all of them can be good for them.

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What do Wild Turtles Eat?

If you find a wild turtle like the ones I found in my pond, I know it can be very tempting to take them home. But you should NEVER touch a wild turtle. Turtles can carry Salmonella bacteria and you can get sick, so it is best to love them from a distance. Even small babies can survive fine in the wild.

What to Feed Baby Wild Turtles

When turtles are young, they need to eat a lot more protein, so younger turtles tend to be more carnivorous. As they grow up, turtles start eating less meat and more vegetation. Again, what you will feed a baby turtle depends on what kind of turtle it is, but you will want to make sure the baby is eating mostly animal prey.

What to Feed Wild Box Turtles

Box turtles are also known as box tortoises. They are one of the few land turtles found in North America, which makes their diet a little different than most water turtles. Baby box turtles should eat mostly animal prey with little vegetation, while adults should eat mostly vegetation with little animal prey.

What to Feed Wild Water Turtles

Feeding water turtles (or pond turtles) is a bit different than feeding land turtles, like the box turtle. The most common freshwater turtles are snapping turtles, painted turtles, and red-eared slider turtles. Most pond turtles are omnivores, meaning they eat both animal prey and vegetation.

What to Feed Wild Snapping Turtles

Snapping turtles are primarily carnivores at every age, but especially when they are young. I mentioned earlier that you should love wild turtles from a distance and NEVER touch them. This is especially true for snapping turtles because, as their name implies, they bite.

What to Feed Wild Painted Turtles

Wild painted turtles eat mostly animal prey when they are young and eat more vegetation as they grow older. They are still omnivores, so they need a balanced diet of animal prey and vegetation. Here are some foods that are safe for wild painted turtles;

What to Feed Wild Red-Eared Slider Turtles

This is the type of turtle I found in my pond (I named them Crimson and Scarlet)! The little guys I found are babies, which means they need to eat mostly animal prey and not so much vegetation.