Shell Shock - Feeding Your Turtle

Feeding Your Turtle

1. Do not overfeed your turtles.

    It will make a mess of your tank and the turtles may grow too fast, this puts them in danger of cracking their shells.

2. Remember, to feed your turtle vegetables and fruit.

    I feed my turtles romaine (leaf) lettuce, carrots, skinless grapes, etc. Feel free to experiment with what your turtle likes. Vegetables are especially good for older turtles.

3. The joys of live food!!!

    Live food such as crickets (our turtles favourite), feeder goldfish or guppies, earthworms (as long as they weren't raised in manure - ie. from bait shops), meal worms and grammarus (maggots). Be careful not to feed live that is not to big for your turtle to eat. Also, make sure that it doesn't crawl out of the tank and escape. Be prepared for floating body parts. Make sure if you use feeder goldfish, that they do not remain alive in the tank for too long.

4. Do not feed your turtle raw (or even cooked) hamburger or chicken!

    Don't feed your turtles anything you wouldn't eat yourself, excluding stuff like bugs, earthworms and goldfish of course :) But hey... some people have a thing for chocolate covered grasshoppers. Seriously, if it looks rotten or smells like it has gone bad, then don't feed it to your turtle.

5. It is best to stick to a natural diet.

    A natural diet consists of vegetables, fruit, and some live food, supplemented by commercial turtle food (usually in the form of pellets).

For a detailed turtle diet and feeding schedule please refer to Valerie's Turtle Feeding Pages