what to feed pet slider turtle

Providing Good Nutrients for Your Red-Eared Slider

• Animal Protein. As protein is a part of your pet’s dietary needs, you will include this in its meal but make sure you do not feed it with more than ...
• Plants. There are a variety of plants you can feed your turtle and they should make up 50% of the total diet.
• Vitamin Supplements. ...

Full Answer

What do red eared slider turtles eat?

Pet red-eared sliders will feed on just about anything you give them, but it is recommend that you feed them a commercial turtle food or pellet for proper growth and health benefits. On occasion, you can offer them leafy greens, freeze-dried shrimp or krill, crickets, superworms, rosy red minnows, and even pinky mice. Thanks!

What is the best food for turtles?

Some of the best turtle food includes: Some fresh foods to feed your pet turtle depending on the species include: #Protein: Boiled eggs, mealworms, snails, crickets, earthworms #Vegetables: Corn, beans, beets, carrots, peas, squash, yams

What do you feed a baby turtle with parasites?

Larger turtles can be offered larger prey, such as tadpoles or feeder fish, though some experts warn that feeder fish may carry parasites and other undesirables, and some fish (like goldfish) are too fatty to be fed regularly. 1 Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and bok choy.

What can I feed my slider turtle?

Pet red-eared sliders will feed on just about anything you give them, but I recommend feeding them a commercial turtle food or pellet to benefit proper growth and health. On occasion, you can offer them leafy greens, freeze-dried shrimp or krill, crickets, superworms or earthworms.

How often should slider turtles eat?

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.

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. If you feed your turtle in a separate container, it is easier to monitor how much and how fast your turtle eats.

How long can a slider turtle go without food?

Healthy adult red-eared sliders can go without food for a few weeks up to two or three months at most.

Are turtles always hungry?

Summary. Your turtle is always hungry because they are opportunistic feeders by nature and do not know when they will get their next meal. You will need to learn how to ignore this behavior and stick to a regular feeding schedule. Overfeeding your turtle should be much more of a concern to you than underfeeding it.

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.

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.

What can red-eared sliders not eat?

Avoid These Red-Eared Slider FoodsFeeder fish.Crickets.Earthworms.Crayfish.Ghost shrimp.Krill.

How often should I clean my turtle tank?

At least once a week: Replace some of the water in the tank with clean water. Even if your turtles' swimming water looks fine, it could be high in ammonia or nitrite. Every two to three weeks: Clean out the whole tank and refresh the filter.

What fruit 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 can I feed my red-eared slider turtle Besides turtle food?

VarietyPrey Items: Earthworms, crickets, waxworms, silkworms, aquatic snails, bloodworms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, and mealworms. ... Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and bok choy. ... Aquatic Plants: In an aquarium or pond, you can add aquatic plants that turtles usually love to snack on.More items...•

Can you overfeed a turtle?

While it's hard to resist, overfeeding a turtle can lead to serious consequences. Coates warns that obesity and hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) are two conditions that are related to overfeeding pet turtles.

How many times should I feed my red eared slider?

You can feed your turtle daily. Hatchlings can be fed protein daily. Juveniles can fed protein every other day. Adult turtles should be fed once or twice a week, less as they age.

Can red-eared sliders eat out of water?

You must know by now that Red Eared Sliders cannot survive for more than a week outside of water. However, there are instances when it can go up to six months. This only happens during winter, when the creature is brumating.

Why is my red eared slider not eating?

Vitamin A Deficiency Vitamin A deficiencies are common in red-eared sliders when they don't have enough Vitamin A in their diets. This can cause disruption to their normal functions and result in a lack of appetite. This often occurs in captive red-eared sliders.

What to feed a baby turtle?

So, here are some pointers on how to feed baby turtles: #1 First, Feed land baby turtles, a combination of commercially produced food and fresh leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, and make sure you chop the food into tiny pieces. #2 Feed your aquatic baby turtle in a smaller feeding tank. Aquatic baby turtles are sloppy eaters, and they ...

What do water turtles eat?

Water turtles can feed on vegetables and fruits. Also, provide live food to the turtle. This is an integral part of their diet so be sure to have a regular supply of animal-based food for your turtle, including live feed. These live foods include crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and other small grubs and insects.

How to keep baby turtles from eating?

Aquatic baby turtles are sloppy eaters, and they relieve themselves in the middle of their meals. Therefore, they are bound to dirty their aquarium. #3 Give your turtle feeder fish and crickets for some meals. #4 Feed baby turtles two or three times a day. #5 Remember to leave your baby turtle’s food in the tank for half an hour ...

How to feed a turtle live crickets?

Feeding your turtle live crickets can seem a little tricky, but it helps to replicate how a turtle would eat in the wild. Feeding an aquatic turtle small live fish helps to stimulate the turtle and give him some exercise. Using vegetables that float is preferable to those that sink for an aquatic turtle. If you dust your food with ...

Why should you clean your turtle's food?

Whenever you give them food, you should make sure to clean the feeding area. This is because leftover food decay, and this is not healthy for a turtle.

Do turtles eat the same amount of food?

No two turtles will eat the same amount of food, so recommendations on the amount to provide have to be generalized. In that case, it’s important to note that young turtles should be fed often. Juvenile turtles, a term that most describes baby turtles, need lots of food and need to be fed most often than mature turtles.

Can turtles eat yogurt?

First of all, don’t feed them the same food over and over again because they can easily get attached and refuse other foods. You should also avoid giving dairy products such as milk, yogurt, or cheese to turtles. They cannot digest dairy, and this may cause illness.

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.