what to feed box turtles

What to Feed Wild Box Turtles

• Insects; earthworms, mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers.
• Vegetables; peas, carrots, squash, okra, sweet potatoes, green beans, turnip leaves, dandelion leaves, romaine lettuce, collard greens and mustard greens.
• Fruit; peaches, blackberries, apples, plums, raspberries, mulberries, pears, mango, bananas, cherries, and melons.

Full Answer

How do you take care of a box turtle?

• Make sure your terrarium’s water and air temperature is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit and that your baby turtle has access to both land and water.
• Make sure the water isn't too deep. ...
• Even the smallest turtles should have a terrarium or aquarium no smaller than 29 gallons, no shorter than 4 feet long, 18 inches wide and 18 inches tall.

More items...

What kind of worms do box turtles eat?

Your pet box turtle can eat:-

• Earthworms
• Super worms
• Mealworms
• Waxworms
• Silkworms
• Blood worms

What do box turtles eat and drink?

• The leaves of rhubarb, potato and tobacco plants.
• Avocado peel, seeds and leaves.
• Tomato leaves and vines.
• Poison ivy.

How do box turtles get their food?

Box Turtles actively search for food and will eat most things they find by extending their neck and biting down hard. Adults eat several times each week. They enjoy eating mushrooms, insects, earthworms, crayfish, gastropods, myriapods, frogs, carrion, slugs, snails, and other dead animal matter.

What do you feed a wild box turtle?

They are omnivores, and they need a balanced diet of protein (meat), fruits and vegetables. In the wild, Eastern box turtles' diets can include a wide variety of food sources such as flowers, roots, fungi, berries, snails, slugs, insects, fish, and frogs.

What can you not feed a box turtle?

Food Avoid to Feed Box turtlesBread, bakery products, and pasta.Candies, chocolate, and other products containing sugars.Processed meat and canned food.Avocado skin and pits.Tobacco leaves and products.Rhubarb.Tomato and potato leaves.Dairy products.More items...

What human food can turtles eat?

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 often should box turtles eat?

An adult box turtle should be given meals at least three times per week, with meals every other day or every third day. Consult with your veterinarian if you're not sure about the frequency. Juvenile and baby box turtles should be fed daily and given vitamin and calcium supplements at least three times a week.

What is a turtle's favorite food?

Plant food sources. Plant-based food sources for your pet turtle should mostly be leafy greens like collards, dandelions, and mustard greens. Some of these vegetables, such as chives, parsley, and spinach, contain high levels of chemicals called oxalates, which you should avoid.

Do box turtles eat lettuce?

As a rule, dark, leafy greens should make up the largest part of the diet. Yellow, red, and orange vegetables can also be included. Avoid light green vegetables, including iceberg or head lettuce and celery, as they are composed mainly of fiber and water with few nutrients.

Can I feed my turtle 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.

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.

What fruits and vegetables can turtles eat?

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. “For fruits, consider shredded apples and melons, as well as chopped berries,” recommends Dr. Starkey.

Do box turtles eat carrots?

Carrots: Yes. Carrots are nutritional and can be fed alongside leafy greens. Box turtles tend to like brightly colored red, orange and yellow vegetables.

Do box turtles like to be held?

Turtles prefer to be alone, and they never welcome being picked up and handled. Because turtles aren't affectionate, don't like to be held, stroked or cuddled and don't play with toys, many people lose interest and cease to take proper care of them.

What can I put in a box turtle habitat?

In their tank, your turtle will need lots of leaves and logs to hide in. This will help to replicate their natural environment. They will also need a shallow pool of water to soak themselves in. The water should be no deeper than the turtle's chin because, unlike most turtles, Box Turtles cannot swim.

What animal-based protein foods I can offer my turtle?

When offered, some appropriate animal-based protein sources include grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms, wax worms, silkworms, moths, slugs, earthworms, and hard-boiled eggs. Commercially available reptile pellets provide an excellent protein source. Live prey, such as crickets and various worms, should either be raised inside by the owner or purchased from a pet store, bait store, or reptile breeder. Collecting insects from outside to feed pet turtles is generally not recommended, as fertilizers and insecticides on insects can be toxic to turtles.

What do box turtles eat?

Box turtles are omnivorous, meaning that they eat both plant- and animal-based foods. Some box turtles, like the ornate box turtle, eat insects. They have a sharp eye and keen sense of smell. Young, growing box turtles, up to 4-6 years of age, tend to be primarily carnivores, while adults tend to be herbivorous (eat only plant matter).

What types of plants I can feed my turtle?

Most (80-90%) of the plant material fed to box turtles should be vegetables and flowers, and only 10-20% should be fruit. As a rule, dark, leafy greens should make up the largest part of the diet. Yellow, red, and orange vegetables can also be included. Avoid light green vegetables, including iceberg or head lettuce and celery, as they are composed mainly of fiber and water with few nutrients. The inner, light-colored parts of some vegetables are less nutritious than the darker green outer leaves, so they should not be offered.

Do I need to give my box turtle vitamins and minerals?

Most veterinarians recommend lightly sprinkling the vegetable matter offered to the box turtle with a calcium powder (calcium gluconate, lactate, or carbonate) 2-3 times per week. In addition, a light sprinkling of a multivitamin-vitamin mineral powder made for reptiles is also recommended weekly, especially if it contains vitamin D 3 which can be toxic to turtles if over-supplemented. The best way to ensure reptiles are consuming the supplements is to dust them onto small portions of their vegetables, and feed those dusted portions first.

What are box turtles' water requirements?

Fresh clean water should be available to box turtles at all times. Box turtles not only drink from the water bowl but will also bathe in it. Provide water in a shallow dish, crock, or pan that cannot be easily tipped over, and ensure the dish has some sort of a "ramp" (such as a rock, log, or commercially available turtle ramp) that allows the box turtle to easily climb in and out for soaking and drinking. The water level should reach up to its chin when its head comes out of its shell. Change the water daily, and clean the water bowl frequently, as many box turtles will defecate or eliminate in their water bowls.

How to keep a box turtle hydrated?

Change the water daily, and clean the water bowl frequently, as many box turtles will defecate or eliminate in their water bowls. You can mist your turtle with a water sprayer, too, a few times a week as well to help keep it hydrated.

How old are box turtles?

Young, growing box turtles, up to 4-6 years of age, tend to be primarily carnivores, while adults tend to be herbivorous (eat only plant matter). As a guideline, your box turtle's diet should be about 50% plant-based material and 50% animal-based material. Different breeds of box turtles have slightly different nutritional needs.

What are some good foods for box turtles?

The following list is a variety of fruits and vegetables (listed in no particular order) that have good calcium to phosphorus ratios and are suitable for box turtles to have included in their diets. Dark leafy greens, such as collard greens, mustard greens, parsley, endive/escarole, dandelion greens, beet tops, spinach, ...

What do box turtles eat?

Box turtles are omnivores, which means they will eat a variety of both animal and plant-based foods. The proportions of animal versus plant-based food items will depend on both the age and the species of box turtle that you are feeding.

What is the best way to maintain a healthy diet?

Feeding a wide variety of items with an emphasis on those items with a good calcium to phosphorus ratio is the best way to maintain a healthy diet. Referring to a calcium to phosphorus ratio table of vegetables and fruits makes it easy to know what the ratios are in what you are feeding.

What is the best ratio for calcium for turtles?

The items with the calcium greater than 1.0 are those which have a good ratio and should be emphasized in the diet. As an example, bananas (a favorite of many turtles) have a ratio of 0.3:1 (which is low) so this means they should be fed in moderation.

Do box turtles eat fresh food?

There are commercial box turtle diets available that are marketed as nutritionally complete, but you should also supplement them with a variety of fresh foods.

What Do Box Turtles Eat?

Box Turtles are omnivores and so should eat a wide variety of plants and meat in captivity:

What percentage of a person's diet should be vegetable matter?

Around 30% of their diet should be vegetable matter such as leafy greens that are full of nutrients.

What is the diet of a box turtle?

Box Turtles are omnivores and require a wide variety of plants and meat in their diet. For any turtle, a healthy diet is key to having a long and happy life. The most common mistake owners make is feeding too much or too little of one nutrient. A Box Turtle’s diet is one of the most difficult aspects of their care.

What is the most important factor for turtles?

Diet is one of the most important husbandry factors for Turtles.

What do wild pigs eat?

Good examples include mayapples, elderberries, blueberries, strawberries, black cherries and frost grapes. Because of their varied eating habits, in captivity you should feed as much variety as possible.

How many times should a baby eat?

Adults should eat about three times each week and babies should eat every day.

Do baby box turtles eat salad?

Baby box turtles have a very similar diet to adults – however they can be picky eaters and should be fed everyday. They should eat the same salad as adults, but need it chopped into smaller pieces. Getting your baby turtle to eat a healthy salad-mix can sometimes be difficult.

Why are box turtles so popular?

It’s also essential to provide them with the right diet. They make popular pets because box turtles are generally docile pets that don’t need a lot of maintenance. And although they have quite an exotic look, most people like them because they or more specifically their shells, come in various designs and colors.

What do box turtles eat?

In the wild, box turtles are omnivorous creatures. They eat veggies, fruits and small invertebrate insects. When box turtles are at their development stage, they need extra protein in their meals. What to feed box turtles include a gut – loaded diet. Hatchling box turtles are almost exclusively carnivores until they reach a certain age.

What is the dorsal shell of a turtle?

The dorsal shell or the top shell is known as the carapace, while the bottom or ventral part is known as plastron. A turtles shell is covered by scutes which are the bony plates. The scutes are usually being shed in large patches, and not like snake species where they shed their skin in one piece.

How long do box turtles live?

There are many hatchlings that die due to exposure during their first winter. The average life expectancy for box turtles in the wild seems to be around 50 years. As a matter of fact, there’s anecdotal evidence that suggests that some specimens can either live to be over a hundred!

What is the receptacle of a cloaca?

They also have a receptacle which is also known as cloaca. This is the receiving compartment of their reproductive, urinary and gastrointestinal systems. The cloaca empties externally through the vent on their tail’s surface.

How to keep a pet healthy?

One of the things to keep in mind if you want to keep them is their environment. These creatures need enough exposure to real sun. If your pet can’ t have enough sun, you have to provide an artificial light source for them to stay healthy. It’s also essential to provide them with the right diet.

Is a hatchling box turtle a carnivore?

Hatchling box turtles are almost exclusively carnivores until they reach a certain age. In this article, you’ll learn what to feed box turtles.

How you can feed vegetables and fruits to your box turtle?

The fruits and vegetable that you offer should be fresh and pesticide-free. Clean the items before offering them to the turtle. It is best to offer only organic items to your pet turtle.

How much the box turtle should be fed?

Box turtles should be fed three times a week when they get matured. Though this is a general direction, you must consult the veterinarian before feeding the turtle these many times. Also, there should be the right kind of food, and you must check the availability of the food that you can feed your box turtle with.

What fruits can box turtles eat?

Safe fruits for box turtles are papaya, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, apples and cucumbers. There are some items like broccoli, cherry and cucumber which can cause diarrhoea if fed too often or in high amount, so offer them moderately. The same goes for strawberry and watermelon, which are loved by the turtles otherwise.

Can box turtles eat vegetables?

Though these creatures can eat both animal and plant-based food, they can consume a wide range of fruits and vegetables. There are certain things that you should keep in mind while offering food to your boxed turtle.

What do Wild Turtles Eat in Ponds?

Again, this depends on the type of turtle and the habitat it lives in. Turtles are omnivores and will eat almost anything they can get their mouth on.

What do turtles eat?

But in general, it is safe to feed most wild turtles earthworms, grasshoppers, crickets, peas, chopped up apples, carrots, pears, romaine lettuce and most leafy greens (like collard, mustard, and parsley). Different types of turtles need different diets ...

Where can I find crickets?

You can easily find crickets, earthworms, mealworms, guppies, and rosy red minnows at your local pet stores and bait shops. I have even found earthworms at my local Walmart! Pet stores also often have duckweed, water hyacinths, and water weeds. Fruits and veggies can be found at your local grocery store!

What are some foods that snapping turtles can eat?

Here are some foods that are safe for wild snapping turtles; Aquatic Plants: duckweed, water hyacinths, water weeds, water fern, water lettuce, yellow pond lilies, and bog moss.

Why are sea turtles different from freshwater turtles?

Sea turtles are like freshwater turtles because they too have a unique diet for each species, but they are also very different. Some sea turtles keep the same diet throughout their entire life while others change what they eat when they grow into adulthood. A sea turtle’s diet varies by age and species.

What kind of food do turtles eat?

Pellets: when you identify the type of turtle you found, you can check pet stores (in-store and online) for pelleted food made specifically for that kind of turtle! Pellets can be a great food because they contain both plant and animal matter!

Can turtles eat carrots?

Carrots are an excellent vegetable for turtles! If you are feeding a wild turtle or a pet turtle, you should grate the carrots into bite-size pieces so they can eat them. Be careful not to feed too many carrots to a wild turtle though.