what to feed red eared slider turtles

• red-eared sliders need a pelleted commercial diet.
• Commercial turtle treats and freeze-dried krill may be given as treats.
• Non-toxic aquatic plants (anachris, water lettuce), dark leafy vegetables and sliced vegetables such as squash and carrots.
• Comet goldfish, earthworms and insects may be offered as treats.

What human food can a red ear slider turtle eat?

What Can Turtles Eat From Human Food?

• Fish. Turtles love fish. ...
• Meat. Every person that has kept turtles knows that they enjoy eating meat. ...
• Fruits. Giving fruits on a regular basis to your turtles is a great way to improve their overall health and reduce the risk of disease.
• Vegetables. Vegetables should be part of every turtle diet. ...
• Human Foods to Avoid. ...
• Final Thoughts. ...

What kind of vegetables can a red eared slider eat?

Red-eared sliders can be fed dark leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard. Vegetables such as bell peppers or carrots can also be fed. Fish that can be fed as feeders: goldfish, guppies, and minnows. The insects, worms, slugs, snails, and tadpoles are all related.

What vegetables can the red slider turtle eat?

Plant foods that can be given to the red-eared turtle in limited quantities:

• apricot
• watermelon
• banana
• cherry
• pear
• melon
• zucchini
• kiwi
• Strawberry
• raspberries

More items...

Are red eared slider turtles dangerous as pets?

Yes, baby turtles can get shell rot. This fungal infection red eared slider turtle shell rot is very dangerous. When the owner observes the symptoms of shell rot they should immediately contact the local vet and get it treated. How Do You Treat A Red Eared Slider Shell Rot?

How often do you feed red-eared slider turtles?

How often should I feed my red-eared slider? 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 fresh food can I feed my red-eared slider?

They often eat submerged plants like anacharis, water hyacinth, water lettuce, duckweed, azolla (fairy moss), and frog-bit. Other Vegetables: Carrots (both the orange vegetable and the green top), squash, and green beans.

What fruits and vegetables can red-eared slider turtles eat?

Like humans, red-eared sliders are also omnivorous and have a very varied diet. Sliders can eat many types of vegetables- such as green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, and squash- but also a wide range of fruits – skinned apples, bananas, berries, melons, nectarine, and mango.

How much should I feed red-eared sliders?

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

Can I feed my red-eared slider carrots?

Adult red-eared sliders can be fed: Dark leafy greens: romaine lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard. Vegetables: bell pepper or carrots.

What can I not feed my red-eared slider?

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

What foods are poisonous to turtles?

Rhubarb and potato leaves belong to highly toxic food for turtles....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...

How long can a red-eared slider turtle go without eating?

Baby or juvenile red-eared sliders would not be able to last more than a week or so without food, whereas older red-eared sliders will be able to last a month or two. A well-fed adult will be able to live without food for up to two months, three at an absolute stretch, but that really is not advised.

What can I feed my turtle Besides turtle food?

Animal food sources. Animal-based food sources for turtles can include processed pet foods like drained sardines, turtle pellets, and trout chow. You can also feed them cooked chicken, beef, and turkey. Live prey can include moths, crickets, shrimp, krill, feeder fish, and worms.

How long can red-eared sliders go without water?

The Red Eared Slider is semi-aquatic, just like other turtles. But unlike the rest, it tends to leave the water and bask on land for longer hours. The Red Eared Slider can live without water for up to a week or more.

Can red-eared sliders eat cucumber?

The best way to keep your turtle healthy is to offer them a wide variety of different meats, fruits, and vegetables throughout the week to make sure that all their nutritional needs are met. Cucumbers can be an excellent addition to any turtle's diet, assuming that the turtle likes them.

Do red-eared sliders bite?

Red-eared sliders may bite -- and the bite can be quite painful. The bite will probably only hurt but may be more damaging to young kids with small fingers. Keep in mind that red-eared sliders won't bite "just because." In most cases, a bite is a result of an animal being mishandled or hurt.

What do red-eared slider turtles eat?

Red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals. Adults mostly eat aquatic plants such as elodea, duckweed, water lettuce and water ferns. Adults eat so many plants they are considered herbivorous. They will only eat meat if it is readily available and there are no plants nearby.

What to feed a red-eared slider?

Good plants to feed red-eared sliders are dark leafy greens, aquatic plants, and vegetables. Feeder fish, invertebrates, and commercial turtle pellets are good sources of protein. Make sure your turtle is also getting a calcium supplement at least once a week and is not being handled after feeding.

Why do turtles regurgitate food?

Turtles are very smart and quickly learn when it is time to be fed. Turtles and many other animals tend to move slower after eating, so regurgitating food in order to escape more quickly is a common tactic. Red-eared sliders may regurgitate their food if they are handled too soon after eating.

How long should I let my turtle eat?

Any vegetables you feed should first be boiled and chopped into pieces small enough to fit into the turtle’s mouth. Let your turtle have a 15 minute feeding session. After the feeding session, just remove anything that hasn’t been eaten to keep the water clean.

How often should I feed my slider turtle?

Turtles in the wild will eat whenever they can. However, pet sliders should only be fed every two to three days because they do not have to hunt. Many people like to feed their turtles fruit, but they are very high in sugar and can give your turtle diarrhea.

How do red-eared sliders hunt?

Red-eared sliders hunt by either sitting motionless, waiting for a fish to swim by and then snatching it, or by chasing and snapping up any bugs that land in the water. Adults will also swim along the bottom of ponds or lakes and eat aquatic plants or algae.

How often should I feed my turtles?

Adults should be fed a hearty amount of food once every two days. A big handful of leafy greens, a pinch of turtle pellets, and a couple worms or insects should be plenty. Adults eat a lot less meat, so make sure you offer plenty of dark leafy greens, vegetables, and aquatic plants.

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 baby red-eared slider turtles need?

In their juvenile period, baby turtles most need proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It’s vital for their growth and development. In general, red-eared slider turtles are omnivores, which means their diet should consist of animals and plants. However, the diet of baby red-eared slider turtles should lean more on the animal side.

What do baby turtles eat?

However, don’t overdo it. Make that just a small part of their diet. Small feeder fish, bloodworms and shrimps are all great choices.

What is the best pellet for a baby turtle?

Commercial pellets are an excellent choice for a baby turtle. They are packed with the right combinations of nutrients, specially designed for your turtle needs. Juveniles need more proteins in order to grow and develop.

Do baby turtles eat plants?

Baby turtles will rarely accept foods that are not from animal origin. As they get older, their diet will shift from animal-based to plant-based. Don’t hesitate to give them plants once in a while, even though they refuse it to eat.

Do red-eared slider turtles survive?

They are more prone to diseases, they need special attention and they need to be fed more regularly. And unfortunately, many of them will not survive the first years of their lives.

Can you feed a red-eared slider?

Red-eared sliders are messy animals. If you feed them regularly, which you should definitely do, your turtle tank will get dirty sooner than later. To make your life easier, set up a separate small plastic container where you can feed your turtle. When your turtle finishes eating its meal, just put it back in the tank.

Do baby turtles survive the first year?

And unfortunately, many of them will not survive the first years of their lives. That’s why in that period you need to be careful, and you need to make sure that your turtles have the best possible conditions for living. In their juvenile period, baby turtles most need proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Background Information

Don’t let the name fool you… Red-Eared Sliders don’t actually have ears, well, at least not in the way we’re accustomed to! With no outer ear, these turtles rely solely on a middler inner ear structure for their auditory needs.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Diet & Feeding

The easiest way to keep your turtle happy? By offering a varied diet of course! You see, Red-Eared Sliders could technically survive on pellets alone, but you would be doing their bodies a major disservice by not offering them feeder foods (animal/insect protein), veggies, and vitamins in addition to pellets.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Habitat & Tank Setup

A happy and well-stimulated Red-Eared Slider will be one that LOVES its tank. You can help promote that homey feeling by adding in fake plants, caves, and other accessories for them to explore and experience.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle General Health Information

Although most Red-Eared Slider health concerns can be prevented with proper diet and husbandry, it is virtually inevitable that at some point or another your turtle may become sick. As such, you’ll want to pay special attention to areas such as the shell, face, and eyes, which are typically where early signs of sickness will be most evident.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Handling & Bonding

Want to bond with your red-eared slider but aren’t sure how? Fear not! There are plenty of activities you can engage in with your turtle, such as hand feeding, to promote bonding WITHOUT having to pick them up.

Is A Red-Eared Slider Turtle Right for YOU?

If you’re on the hunt for an entertaining medium to large sized aquatic turtle and have the budget to create a large and appropriate tank setup, then consider the Red-Eared Slider Turtle a fabulous option for you!

What do you feed a red eared slider turtle?

And since the shell of a turtle is made out of bones, the calcium is even more important for turtles than for any other animal. Vegetables are one of the main sources of calcium that a Red Eared Slider turtle has, so making sure that you feed them vegetables with high amounts of calcium is important.

Why doesn't my red ear slider eat?

The only reason it doesn’t eat is because it’s used to other types of food, that are not as healthy, but a lot more tasty. After a couple weeks or a month of using this method, your Red Eared Slider turtle will start eating vegetables soon enough, and in the end it will also start to enjoy some of them.

Why do turtles have a lot of phosphorus?

Phosphorus is what gives turtle shells a little flexibility, which is great because this little extra flexibility makes them more resistant to bites and other types of impact. But too much phosphorus can also make the shell too soft, and as a result much weaker when it comes to defending the turtle from predators.

How to stop turtles from eating meat?

Start by reducing the amount of food that you give it and replacing it with vegetables. If it still doesn’t eat, replace more of its food with vegetables. Do this until it starts eating the vegetables.

Can red ear slider turtles eat vegetables?

Red Eared Slider turtles can eat almost every type of vegetable, the only ones that should be avoided are those with a high volume of phosphorus and those with little nutritional value.

Do turtles eat vegetables?

In general vegetables are regarded as great food sources that can help any person or animal maintain good health, but turtles don’t benefit in the same way from vegetables as we do. Some of the vitamins and nutrients from vegetables that help people remain healthy have little to no beneficial effect for turtles.

Is it safe to feed turtles with a 1:1 ratio?

So a vegetable with this ratio is not that great for turtles, but it’s not harmful either. But if possible such a vegetable should be avoided.