Your pet turtles’ health and lifespan depend on the habitat they live in and the type of food they eat. With a lot of options available in the market, it becomes challenging to find the best food options for turtles. If you are a reptile lover and planning to bring a turtle home, you should know what type of diet they need. Turtles are among the most affordable and loving creatures to have as pets. They enhance the overall look of your home and are also quite entertaining and calming to watch as they swim. Though there are several species that you can own as a pet, their nutritional needs vary widely. To help you out, we have listed down the best turtle foods in 2021 below.
If you have young turtles, consider giving them the JBL Staple Food for Water Turtles. It is made from natural ingredients that are beneficial for the overall health of your growing pets.
This natural food with food sticks contains fish and is suitable for turtles 10 to 50 cm in size. It is made of natural ingredients that will supply the nutritional requirements of your pets. It also promotes healthy shell growth because of the natural calcium content in the shell of crustaceans present in the food. You can feed growing turtles two to four times a day, while adult animals can be fed four to five times a week.
This turtle food is suitable for all life stages of your pet turtle. It contains the right amount of nutrients needed for a healthy and balanced diet.
It is made from natural ingredients such as krill, gammarus, and shrimp that your turtles will surely love. It also has all the essential vitamins and minerals that turtles need in order to thrive. It has calcium to promote healthy shell development. The spirulina and shrimp shell smell enhance the colors of the food to make it more appetizing. Lastly, it is lightweight so it floats so as to encourage the natural feeding behavior of your pet.
The Tetra Reptomin Sticks are healthy and tasty food for your water turtles. These sticks have high-quality natural ingredients for the overall health of your pets.
Chock-full of essential nutrients, this turtle food promotes healthy growth and development for your water turtles. They have optimum calcium content for healthy shell formation. It also helps in making their bones stronger. Plus, the high protein content of the sticks will ensure that all your water turtles will stay happy and healthy. It is suitable for all life stages.
The Supa Turtle Food is a complementary food with other fresh food for your pet turtles. It is a very delectable treat for your shelled friends.
It contains the highest quality ingredients of River Shrimp, Shrimp Flakes, Gammarus, and Tubifex. It will not contaminate the water as it is cleaned with the highest possible standard ensuring that your pets will be very healthy. The feed comes in a resealable plastic bucket that seals its freshness. It is suitable for all life stages so your pets can really enjoy their mealtimes.
The Exo Terra Aquatic Turtle Adult Food will keep your turtles healthy day by day. It contains natural ingredients for the dietary requirements of your pets.
It is a nutritious pellet made with Gammarus and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is suitable for adult aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles. The vitamins, calcium, and protein in each pellet will make your turtle maintain a hard shell. It also has Vitamin D3 that is essential for the proper absorption of calcium. The Advanced Yeast Extract in this turtle food also supports a healthy digestive system for your pets.
Turtles are excellent companions and pets as they don’t need much care and attention. However, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t put effort and time into giving them an ideal environment. If you want your turtles to be healthy and active, it is essential to take care of their nutritional needs.
Though the quantity of food that your turtles need can vary from species to species, this detailed buying guide will help you choose the best turtle foods.
Turtles need a balanced diet that can fulfill their nutritional needs. For this, you should know what the best turtle foods should have.
Baby turtles need a set amount of essential nutrients. The more protein content the hatchlings get, the stronger and healthier they will be. The protein requirement of adult turtles is not high as they eat more leafy and green substances. Hatchlings need 70-80% of protein, while adults need up to 25% protein content in their regular diet.
Turtles consume a wide variety of food in natural habitats. So, a commercial product should have all these natural ingredients, including insects, fish, and plants, to be among the best turtle foods.
Calcium is a much-needed ingredient to ensure that your pet turtle is healthy and strong. If this is not present in the turtles’ diet, they will suffer from an array of health problems like egg-bound female turtles, softshell, lack of vitality, etc.
It is important to take out time to consider settling for a product that is enriched with vitamins. Vitamin C helps in boosting the immune system, allowing your turtles to easily combat common infections. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to swollen eyelids, nasal discharge, and lack of interest in food. Hence, it's essential that you pick a food option that is rich in essential vitamins and minerals.
As a turtle parent, you should know that feeding a baby turtle is completely different from feeding adults. As younger turtles are in a growing stage, they need a diet that is high in vitamins and proteins. Besides this, baby turtles have to be taught to eat food by using a certain type of diet.
However, as your pet will be officially an adult after 18 months, you should level down the protein quantity in the diet. Adult turtles should be fed fewer proteins and more veggies, as their protein requirement decreases and their nutritional requirement increases with age.
Turtles should be fed differently in terms of frequency and quantity. You should only feed your pet turtles twice a day to avoid overfeeding. Also, offer them a small amount of food so that they eat it up all and there are no leftovers to cloud the water.
If you are trying to choose the best turtle foods, you should know which one offers the best quantities of vitamins and protein. Additionally, you should also check the overall nutritional value that it can provide for your pet turtles.
For hatchlings and baby turtles, you must choose protein-rich foods. On the other hand, adult turtles should be fed vitamin-rich foods. Some basic guidelines that you should consider for feeding turtles are as follows:
The type of food that turtles eat varies widely. Thus, it is best to combine commercial and natural foods for pets. Here are the most common types of turtle foods that you will come across:
Pet turtles love treats like freeze-dried insects as these are packed with essential vitamins and proteins. Besides this, fruit and vegetable chunks should be added to their diet as they grow up.
Turtle sticks contain ample protein, vitamins, and minerals in excellent proportions to promote healthy growth and development. Turtle food sticks also contain calcium to support shell development and prevent your little pets from having a calcium deficiency.
No matter the age of your aquatic turtles, you should feed them pellets as a staple food. Though this type of food is most common among young turtles, it can be fed to them throughout their life. The frequency and quantity are reduced as the turtle develops and matures.
A: The feeding requirements of adult turtles differ from that of juvenile turtles. Hatchlings need food rich in nutrients at least three times a week. So, you should feed them daily. On the other hand, adult turtles don’t need much food. Feed them daily in small proportions, or serve them treats at least every third day.
A: As turtles are omnivores, they can eat most human food as long as they can get some nutritional benefit out of it. Turtles can eat meat, fruits, fish, vegetables, eggs, etc.
A: The amount of food that your pet turtles need depends on their species and age. The preferences and eating habits of various species differ greatly. However, you should serve them an amount of food that they can finish within 15 to 20 minutes.
