what to feed slider turtles

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

What do baby red eared slider turtles eat?

Provide your baby turtle with 1 to 2 leafy greens daily. Young red-eared slider turtles may not show interest in vegetables, but you should introduce them to their diet early. Lettuce, dandelion plants, and water lilies are safe to give your young turtle every day along with its protein and pellets.

What do you feed turtles in a pond?

Fruit; peaches, blackberries, apples, plums, raspberries, mulberries, pears, mango, bananas, cherries, and melons. 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.

What can I feed a turtle that won't eat pellets?

Then, on days when you don't give your turtle pellets, feed it a couple pieces of leafy greens and protein. Stick with high-calcium leafy greens, like green leaf lettuce and dandelion leaves, and avoid spinach, kale, and cabbage since they're unhealthy for turtles.

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.

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.

Can slider turtles eat fruit?

Fruit should only be fed to a turtle as a treat. Red-eared or yellow-bellied sliders should not be fed fruit as a major part of their diet, but it is fine to feed fruit occasionally as a treat. Wild sliders do not normally eat fruit, so their bodies are not capable of digesting the high amount of sugar it contains.

What is the best food for red-eared sliders?

Food for Red-Eared Slider TurtlesPrey 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.More items...•

What veggies can I feed my Red Eared Slider?

Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and bok choy. Iceberg lettuce should never be fed because it is not nutritious enough,1 and dark green leafy lettuce such as romaine can be fed sparingly. Make sure you feed items with appropriate calcium-to-phosphorous levels.

What kind of 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.

What foods are poisonous to turtles?

Toxicity level ranges from mild to severe, depending on the plant:Amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna)Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)Asparagus Fern (Asparagus sprengerii)Avocado (leaves, seeds) (Persea americana)Azalea, Rhododendron species.Bird of Paradise shrub (Poinciana gilliesii/Caesalpinia gilliesii)More items...•

Can I feed my red-eared slider lettuce?

2. Lettuce. Red-eared sliders love leafy vegetables and lettuce is an easy and healthy vegetable for your animal. However, you should avoid iceberg lettuce, as it contains almost no nutritional value and it is an empty food for your pet.

What can I not feed my red-eared slider?

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

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.

What do baby turtles eat?

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:

What are some good vegetables to eat?

Some good veggies are spinach, kale, collard greens (although you may want to boil them first), broccoli stems and tops, etc. Here is a list:

Is it hard to feed baby turtles?

In conclusion, feeding baby turtles is not too difficult, and it can be a lot of fun!

Can turtles eat pellets?

And of course, Commercial pellets should make for a filler in your turtle’s diet (made specifically for turtles to meet mineral requirements)

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!

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.

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 ...

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.

Can you feed a turtle bread?

NO! You should NEVER feed a wild or pet turtle bread, or any processed foods for that matter. Man-made foods that are high in sugar and flour (like candy and bread) are very bad for a turtle’s stomach. Turtles are not adapted to eating processed foods and eating them can do serious damage to their digestive system.

Do turtles eat land?

Aquatic turtles have a hard time eating on land, and if you leave the food on land, they will probably drag it to the water anyway. You also need to make sure the food is cut into bite-size pieces, and any fruits with skin (like melons and grapes) need the skin removed.

How to feed a turtle food?

The simplest way to put this method into practice is to find a small container, like a medicine cup, a shot glass, or a bottle cap. This container has to be approximately the same size as the head of your turtle, without the neck. Then you fill that container to the top, and then you feed the food inside the container to your turtle. And that’s all.

What do red eared slider turtles eat?

Red Eared Slider turtles are omnivores, which means that they will eat fruits, vegetables, as well as meat and insects. A well balanced diet for a pet red eared slider turtle will be mainly based on pellets, with the occasional fruits, vegetables, and dried insects.

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

And if it ever happens that you forget to feed your turtle once, don’t worry. In the wild red eared slider turtles can go weeks without eating. So your turtle won’t be affected at all.

Why aren't turtles eating fruits?

Most fruits are good to eat, but there are some that aren’t good for turtles due to the high amount of phosphorus or citric acid that they contain . Citric acid irritates the stomach of a turtle, and phosphorus blocks the absorption of calcium shock is essential for a healthy bone structure and shell.

Why do baby turtles eat so much?

Out of all the age groups, baby turtles need to eat the most often. This is because they need a lot of energy to grow. When turtles are at this stage in life they experience the fastest growth rate. And to be able to grow so fast they will need a lot of energy that they will get from eating.

How many species of turtles are there?

Turtles are diverse animals that are categories in over 300 species and subspecies, and most of them have a different color and a different pattern on their shell and skin. Some of those patterns can...

Can you put salt on turtle meat?

And for safety you might want to cook the meat. Just make sure that you don’t add any condiments to it. While for us condiments add to the taste, for turtles make little to no difference in taste, and can actually harm them. So no salt, pepper, or any other kind of condiment on the meat.

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 to feed a baby red-eared slider?

They are more prone to diseases, they need special attention and they need to be fed more regularly.

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.

What do you need to do for a turtle?

One of the most important things you need to do for your turtle is to give it the right combination of foods in the appropriate quantities. Let’s explain everything step by step.

Do baby turtles eat plant based food?

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.

Do baby red-eared slider turtles need supplements?

In addition to their regular diet, baby red-eared slider turtles need supplements, as well.