Ensuring a healthy diet for your pet turtle is essential for its well-being, and it is your responsibility to provide it with the necessary nutrients since it cannot acquire them on its own. As turtles age, their dietary requirements change, and they begin to favor more vegetables than proteins.
A well-balanced turtle diet should include commercial food, different meats and live prey, aquatic plants, leafy greens, and vegetables, as well as supplements. Commercial turtle food contains all the necessary nutrients a turtle needs, especially when it is young, but it should not be the only food given to your pet.
Meat should also be a part of your turtle's diet, but it is essential to avoid feeding them raw meat or cat and dog food. Instead, cooked chicken or lean beef is recommended. Live prey, such as fish, earthworms, blood worms, silkworms, and aquatic snails, can also be included in their diet. However, it is crucial to purchase these from breeders to avoid parasites.
Aquatic plants, such as frog-bit, water lettuce, and duckweed, are also an important part of your turtle's diet. Additionally, leafy greens and vegetables like cabbage, lettuce (romaine), carrots, collard greens, green beans, mustard greens, clover, alfalfa, and squash, should be included for a balanced diet.
To ensure that your turtle's diet is complete, it is important to provide calcium and vitamin D supplements. Pellets and fresh greens and vegetables are excellent sources of these nutrients, and vitamin drops can also be added to the water.
By following this comprehensive list of recommended foods, you can ensure your pet turtle's diet is healthy and balanced, contributing to its overall health and well-being.