What can you feed your pet turtle? What to feed a turtle at home

Land turtles have long been popular as pets. It is interesting to watch them, they live long enough, recognize their owners and also move quite quickly. In order for a land turtle to feel good at home and not get sick, it must be taken care of and fed properly.

Types of land turtles

Living on land turtles are divided into about 300 various types , but not everyone can adapt to home conditions. They adapt well and are distinguished by their unpretentiousness the following types land turtles:

Each species on this list has a high ability to adapt to different conditions habitat and requires the same maintenance.

Features of keeping a land turtle

At home Can a turtle be kept in a terrarium?, aquarium or plastic box. The main condition when choosing a house for a pet is durability, otherwise the turtle may escape.

One animal requires a terrarium measuring 60x130 cm. In a cramped space, the pet will either obsessively start digging in the corners or become lethargic.

Because the land turtles love to dig, it is recommended to cover the bottom of the pet’s home with a layer of earth with coconut shavings. Sand is not suitable in this case, since turtles eat it, thereby clogging their stomachs. For your pet to dig, the soil layer must be deep.

Turtles like to hide in a shelter, so the terrarium should be equipped with some suitable box, half a pot, etc. The shelter should be of such size that the pet can turn around in it.

The air temperature in the terrarium should be 25C–27C. In addition, it is necessary to equip a separate place heated by a lamp, where the temperature will be within 30C–33C.

Living in sunny countries, turtles at home need an additional source of UV lighting. To do this, you can buy a special lamp for reptiles at a pet store. Without UV rays in the pet’s body, vitamin D3 will not be produced, which means calcium metabolism, which is needed for shell growth, will deteriorate.

What to feed your turtle?

In the wild, turtles get their own food. They feed on various algae, grass, roots and berries. At home, the owner’s task is to provide the pet with a diet that includes vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for growth and development.

Land turtles eat mainly plant foods. But it is not recommended to feed your pets the same foods. The diet should be varied.

You can feed your turtle:

1. Greens: clover, wheat germ, dandelions, coltsfoot, parsley, lettuce, tradescantia, aloe.
2. Vegetables: carrots, cabbage, peas, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets.
3. Berries: cherries, currants, raspberries, grapes, strawberries.
4. Fruits: apricots, bananas, plums, oranges, apples, tangerines, pears.

To make it easier for the turtle to eat, fruits are cut into small pieces. Soft bananas and berries can be given whole. Be sure to remove the seeds from the fruit, otherwise the turtle may choke.

The pet's diet should include protein food . These could be slugs, worms or boiled meat. Do not feed pet cockroaches or crickets to your turtle. You can buy red worms for them at the pet store.

Calcium plays an active role in maintaining the shell in good condition. Therefore, cottage cheese, semolina or buckwheat porridge should be introduced into the diet of a domestic turtle every week.

Approximate daily diet for a land turtle:

• any fresh sprouted greens (parsley, oats, etc.) – 50 g;
• fresh beets – 30 g;
• cabbage leaves – 30 g;
• fresh carrots – 20 g;
• boiled potatoes – 30 g;
• minced meat – 5 g;
• white bread – 20 g;
• vitamin supplement ( fish fat or other) – 1 g.

Turtles need water. For this You need to place a bowl of water in the terrarium. Sometimes turtles knock over the bowl and spill the water; in this case, in order not to dilute the humidity, the bowl can be removed and the pet can be offered a little something to drink every day.

Some pet turtles drink during baths, which should be given to them every week. For other pets, drinking water once a month is enough.

Products prohibited for turtles

Poor nutrition can lead to irreversible changes in the liver in a pet, and shorten its life. Therefore, food products for feeding a land turtle at home must be selected carefully.

Turtles should not be fed:

What to feed your pet turtle in winter?

IN winter period turtles are less active than in the summer, so they may eat less. The amount of food for your pet may decrease, but the diet should be just as varied.

Since not all products are available in winter, and some fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs are very expensive, You can feed your pet beets, carrots, cabbage, boiled eggs, raw meat.

How to properly feed a land turtle?

It is necessary to feed your pet at home at the same time every day.. It's best to do this in morning hours. He will get used to this schedule and will wait for food himself. In addition, when feeding a pet turtle, it is recommended to follow some rules:

Feeding turtles too often leads to obesity and improper formation of the pet's shell, too infrequently - to exhaustion and death.

Adhering to the basic rules and recommendations, It’s quite easy to organize the feeding of a land turtle at home. The main thing is to feed your pet only approved foods and not give prohibited ones. A well-fed pet that has received tasty and vitamin-rich food will always be happy and active.

In vain, many people believe that turtles living at home are somehow different from other pets; people simply know little about the peculiarities of their maintenance and care, as well as what they feed turtles, these wonderful pets.

Home

Three types are sold in Russian pet stores and markets aquatic turtles– red-eared, European swamp and trionics.

The red-eared turtle (sea or African decorative) has a slightly greenish or dark brown shell, on its head behind the eyes there are red stripes called ears, and there are membranes between the legs.

The marsh turtle has a brown or black shell, sometimes strewn with yellow spots or small lines; the skin of such a turtle is dark, with yellow specks.

The funny Trionix turtle is soft-bodied with a light beige shell in adults, and dark beige in babies. Surprisingly, the shell of this turtle is covered with skin (which is why it got its name), and instead of a nose it has a small proboscis. This is not all of its amazing features - Trionix Long neck and on the paws there are membranes and sharp claws white. The temperament of a turtle, let's say, is not very friendly, rather aggressive, and it prefers loneliness, so it needs to be kept in a single copy. Adult turtles can reach 30 centimeters, and they live up to 40 years, although the marsh turtle is considered a long-liver among them - it can live up to good conditions about 70 years old.

How to feed

To create a comfortable and “happy” life for turtles, they must be fed correctly, and since feeding them correctly, this means not only what to do, but also how to do it. The whole difficulty is that you need to teach the turtle to eat on the shore, that is, it must understand that in order to eat, it must go ashore.

Another problem is that most of the food that is offered to red-eared friends is bloodworms, meat and squid only contain the amount of protein necessary for tortillas. Factory-made granulated food may contain the required amount of fats, proteins and vitamins. However, all types of food do not contain the amount of calcium that all turtles need. This problem is solved in two ways, and at the same time the question of what to feed the pet turtle is solved.

First of all, you need to start luring the turtle ashore. First, the food is placed near the sloping bank at the water's edge. Gradually, having placed the food, diluted with a small amount of water, in a small saucer, they begin to move it away from the water to an increasing distance. The turtle begins to understand that in order to eat, it must crawl onto land.

Turtles are also fed on the shore in a different way, by planting them in any shallow container with water. In this case, it is very convenient to sprinkle calcium salts and vitamins in powder form onto the food.

The fact that turtles love to eat in water, and only in their “native” home - an aquarium, is known to all owners, but this type of feeding has many significant disadvantages. Food, especially of animal origin, immediately deteriorates in water, and not only clogs the water, but also destroys biofilters.

If you still cannot train your turtle to eat outside the aquarium, then you must adhere to a certain rule, namely, remove leftover food from the water 30 minutes after the start of feeding (usually this time is enough for the turtle to get enough).

What do they eat

One way is to feed the tortoise so that it gets required amount calcium, is to add small amounts to her food in large quantities Not fatty fish, with bones, periodically feed live aquarium snails, such as Ampularia spp., or land snails - Helix aspersa. Despite their small size, turtles can eat small fish whole aquarium fish, for example, guppy. Also, in order to increase the amount of calcium, turtles are fed defrosted fish, cut into small pieces. It is best to feed fish from the perch family (herring and mackerel are undesirable).

In large specimens, fish must be removed big bones, and chop the remaining fillet along with the vertebral bones and serve with other food. Fish that are too fatty, such as capelin, sprat, sprat, herring, are best kept in a hot water(80 °C - 2 minutes). Turtle owners should know that if the question arises of what to feed red-eared turtles at home, then meat is the most the right food of all kinds. This type of food is fraught with the development of rickets and hypovitaminosis A in turtles of all varieties.

Meat is allowed to be added little by little to the “correct” food for those turtles that grew up on granulated factory food, because some types of food do not have enough protein. And one more thing that tortilla owners should know - if a turtle is accustomed to raw meat, then they will not want to accept other food, and this is very harmful to their health.

Treats

In addition to the constantly necessary food, turtles need to be given various treats (naturally, in their understanding). As a rule, turtles of all types are very fond of living special food- earthworms, bloodworms, tubifex worms, karetru. Young turtles love such supplements very much, and it is very useful and necessary for them, especially after fasting, which may be associated with illness or hibernation(in winter, turtles can sleep from 10 weeks to 5 months, it all depends on the size of the individual).

They love turtles and the meat of squid and shrimp; they really like (and are healthy for) liver in its raw form. This, of course, is not the main type of food, but if you add liver to the food at least once a week, then you don’t have to give vitamins.

Some conscientious and meticulous owners of turtles personally prepare for them a common delicacy that is healthy and tasty for tortillas. This is a feed mixture prepared on the basis of ordinary food gelatin or its vegetable substitute- agar-agar. This will not only resolve the issue of what to feed aquatic turtles, but also diversify the turtle menu as much as possible with healthy and nutritious food, which will include vitamins and minerals.

The mixture consists of cabbage (50 g), carrots (70 g), apples (50 g), fish fillet (145 g), raw eggs(2 pcs.), squid fillet (100 g), milk (150 ml). To the base, consisting of gelatin dissolved in water (30 g / 150 ml), add the entire prepared mixture and 20 drops of Tetravit, 10 tablets of calcium glycerophosphate.

Prepare in the following sequence. First pour into gelatin warm water, after it swells, steam until dissolved. Grind all prepared products in a meat grinder and mix. Vitamins and granulated glycerophosphate tablets are added to the mixture after its temperature drops to 25-30 °C. Then, the mixture is stirred again and placed in the refrigerator. Before feeding, cut the finished mixture into small cubes and allow it to warm to the optimal room temperature. The resulting amount of food is enough for ten feedings for one adult turtle. You can easily add crushed ones to the same mixture. medications, in case of illness.

As turtles get older, they begin to eat more and more plant foods, and the owners of these amazing ancient tortillas must take this into account. If algae was planted in the aquarium, then turtles, unfortunately, will quickly eat them. So in the form constant food they need to be given more and more plant food, such as algae and duckweed from real reservoirs, elodea, edogonium, water beetle, and also, lettuce, young cabbage.

How many times should you feed your turtle? Small and young turtles up to two years old eat every day, and adults can be fed once every 3 days, but very generously (this also applies to “youth”), since turtles are big “gourmets” and prefer to eat tasty, hearty and a lot.

And, lastly, correct and balanced diet turtles is a major factor in their healthy and long life. All food that the turtle consumes must be fresh and of high quality. And yet, turtles will not consume food from the refrigerator, they do not eat anything cold, so before feeding, everything must be taken out of the refrigerator in advance and the food should be allowed to warm to room temperature (or slightly warmed up).

Aquatic turtles are predators, unlike their land-based counterparts, so you need to feed the aquatic turtle accordingly, mostly with animal products. Thanks to this diet, these turtles have a higher metabolism than land species. Therefore, you need to approach the diet of an aquatic turtle somewhat differently than a land turtle.

Diet

Protein must be present in the diet of an aquatic turtle. It is vital for the health of your pet, so keep your predatory aquatic turtle on plant-based diet unacceptable. Experts recommend the following proportion of animal and plant foods:

• 70-90% of the diet should be food of animal origin, preference should be given to fish and seafood, but with great pleasure the reptile also eats meat, for example, young mice and rat pups, with rat pups being preferable.
• Up to 20% of the diet may contain food plant origin. You can feed your aquatic turtle with lettuce, plantain, clover, seaweed, carrot tops and wheat germ.
• No more than 10% of the nutrition can be dry specialized food containing vitamin D3 and other essential microelements and vitamins.

Now let's take a closer look at what to feed an aquatic turtle at home and make a list of suitable products.

Fish and seafood

The basis of the diet should be food that is habitual for the reptile, i.e. the kind that your pet eats in its natural habitat, most of which are fish and seafood.

The fish should not be fatty and should be small in size. The ideal option would be if the turtle can swallow the fish whole with bones and head. It is not necessary to give live food to the turtle, but experts recommend occasionally releasing it into the aquarium (or a special feeder) to maintain the predator instinct. live fish. It is better to cut large fish into pieces and remove the scales. The following types of fish are suitable for feeding:

• crucian carp,
• perch,
• cod,
• bull,
• blue whiting.

Fish caviar can also be offered to a turtle.

Before giving it to the reptile, fatty fish should be cut into pieces and doused with boiling water, then kept in hot water for a while. It is better to refrain from feeding the turtle the following fish:

• Tulka,
• sprat,
• herring,
• mullet,
• pink salmon,
• capelin

• Crustaceans (crayfish, crabs, squid) - in limited quantities and monitor the reaction to such food. Give only meat from the tail. Carapace and internal organs throw away.
• Raw shrimp with shell. The shell contains large amounts of calcium, which the turtle needs. Can be given in unlimited quantities.
• Frogs. Can be given in unlimited quantities. The frog must be small size, purchased in specialty store or bred specifically for feeding. It is not worth catching and feeding toads from a neighboring place for food.
• Mussels, octopuses. You can give in unlimited quantities. You can also buy from a store or from people who breed live food for sale.

Meat and insects

Insects can be used as additional food; you should feed an aquatic turtle insects no more than once a week. For individuals under two years of age, you should refrain from feeding with insects. Insects can be stored in the refrigerator and offered to reptiles after defrosting. Dry, live and stunned insects are also suitable. In any case, you should monitor your pet’s reaction to such food.

The following types of insects are suitable for a turtle's diet:

• Grasshoppers and crickets. A rich source of calcium, it is better not to offer it live to your pet.
• Any non-venomous species of snails. An excellent source of protein, can be easily grown for feeding at home. Can be given live.
• Cockroaches. Of course, catching a domestic cockroach is not worth it. Inquire about the availability of marbled cockroaches at the pet store and offer them to your pet. You shouldn't give it to a turtle.
• Worms. An ordinary earthworm, well washed from the soil, as well as a mealworm. Although some breeders do not recommend feeding worms to turtles, complaining about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

From meat products, you can offer the turtle chicken or other lean poultry meat. Beef can be given occasionally. Chicken or beef liver The turtle will also like it. Fatty meats such as lamb or pork should be avoided.

You should include meat products in your turtle's diet no more than once a week.

Plant food

You should feed your sea turtle at home plant food no more than two to three times a month. Food of plant origin should be offered exclusively to adults over two years of age.

This is due to the fact that with age, turtles accumulate the required amount of protein and do not require such intensive growth as young individuals. It is also worth understanding that your turtle may refuse plant food, for example, it will treat such food with contempt, and most likely will leave it untouched.

As plant food, you can offer your pet plants that are suitable for feeding:

• Young leaves of dandelion, plantain, nettle.
• Sprouted wheat, young shoots of carrots.
• Young cabbage leaf or salad.
• Various seaweeds, dry seaweed.
• Cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin.
• Apples, banana, pear.

Prohibited Products

Foods that should not be fed to a sea turtle include:

• fatty fish and meat, as well as fatty minced meat;
• dairy products (cheeses, milk, cottage cheese);
• eggs and eggshell in any form;
• crab sticks and other preservatives;
• salty, peppery food.

Where to feed and how often

When asked how much to feed domestic aquatic turtles, the answer is the same as in the case of their land counterparts. For young individuals, once a day will be enough, preferably in the morning. For reptiles that have reached the age of two, you can offer food two or three times a week; adults are also best fed in the morning, although for sea ​​turtles this is not as important as for land. If your turtle likes to eat at night, don’t deny him this pleasure.

The best way to feed an aquatic turtle at home is in a separate container. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the remains of fish and other food of animal origin will remain in the aquarium, thereby polluting it. If you do not place the turtle in a separate container, you will have to change the water in the reptile's aquarium two or even three times a week. To avoid unpleasant odor and the possible illness of the pet, the easiest way is to purchase a small aquarium for feeding the turtle, or another container where you place the turtle for the duration of the meal. After the turtle has eaten, return it to the aquarium.

Now you know what to feed your pet aquatic turtles, and we hope that this information will help your pet stay healthy for many years to come.

Turtles are now very common pets. They are interesting to watch, they are smart, remember their owner and live long enough. To prevent the land turtle from getting sick and causing problems, you need to make sure that it receives everything it needs - care and nutrition.

In the wild, turtles get their own food - they choose grass and algae, find berries and roots. At home, provide everything for the turtle essential vitamins and substances are the task of the owner.

You need to take nutrition seriously - a pet that eats from a human table will not live long and will get a bunch of diseases and stomach problems.

WHAT CAN YOU FEED?

The diet of the land turtle consists mainly of plant foods. You cannot choose and give your pet one or several selected products from those that are most often found at home - the food must be varied.

In addition, the turtle itself can become stubborn and start eating one thing, for example, zucchini - which will not be good for it.

What can you give?

• Fruits: pears, tangerines, apples, oranges, plums, bananas, apricots.
• Berries: strawberries, grapes, raspberries, currants, cherries.
• Vegetables: beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, peas, cabbage, carrots.
• Greenery and flowers: lettuce, parsley, coltsfoot, dandelions, wheat germ, clover.

The fruits need to be cut into small pieces to make it easier for the turtle to eat. Whole berries and overripe soft bananas are given. Fruit pits must be removed to prevent your pet from accidentally choking.

Among protein foods, some turtles often prefer insects - worms, slugs. You can and should also give pieces of boiled meat.

If your turtle doesn't want to eat a particular food, you don't have to put it off forever - you can try giving it after a while. Sometimes the turtle begins to eat previously unloved food with pleasure.

Video: how to feed?

How to feed?

1. Young turtles are fed every day, older ones, starting from a year - once every couple of days.
2. It is necessary to feed your pet at the same time. The turtle will get used to receiving food, for example, in the evening - and will already wait for its portion.
3. You shouldn't put a whole bowl - it's better not to arrange Buffet and give different foods every day, or give no more than two to choose from.
4. The remaining pieces of food should be removed as soon as the turtle eats and takes a break from eating so that they do not spoil.

In addition to a good balanced diet, turtles need calcium. Once every six months, you can buy vitamins at a pet store, and also put a cuttlefish bone in your pet’s terrarium.

DO YOU NEED TO DRINK?

Turtles, like any other animal, need water. All turtles drink differently.

Some people get drunk during bathing, which must be done once a week, while others only get drunk once a month.

You can go to the turtle's terrarium put a bowl of water. If she knocks it over and spills water, the bowl will need to be removed so as not to create excess moisture in the pet’s house. In this case, you can offer the turtle a little drink every day.

FOOD IN WINTER

In winter, turtles most often remain as active as in summer. Some may hibernate, which is undesirable - at home this is not necessary and can have a negative effect. However, turtles can eat less during the cold season.

There are significantly fewer products in winter than in summer, so the diet comes down to some of the most available products. These are: cabbage, carrots, beets, raw meat, cucumbers, eggs.

Otherwise, the turtle needs to be fed as in summer - the more varied the food, the better.

WHAT NOT TO FEED?

There are foods that can be treated to a turtle with caution and once a week, but there are also those that cannot be given at all. If there are no dangerous or harmful products (but, nevertheless, none among the permitted products), it is better not to take risks and not give your pet unknown food.

What can you give a little at a time?

• Spinach, peas, white cabbage, mustard, beans, radishes, tomatoes, asparagus, pineapples, mushrooms, fatty fish, grasshoppers, lamb, pork, potatoes, celery, onions, pears, cherries, nuts.
• You can give your turtle tomatoes or pears as a treat occasionally.

What should you absolutely not give?

These products should not be given to the turtle and must be taken away if it suddenly finds or picks them up on its own.

This does not always mean that the pet will die after eating them - however, diseases and food content may develop certain substances will affect the pet's health.

What's on this list?

1. Unfamiliar plants- among them there can always be literally poisonous ones.
2. Peel, peel, pit.
3. Canned food- the turtle’s stomach is not suitable for digesting them.
4. Dry food and supplements for other pets, such as cat and dog food.
5. Food from the human table- porridge, cheese, sausage, boiled and fried. The turtle will not be able to digest this food and will get sick.

Video: what to feed?

By adhering to the basic rules, it is not difficult to organize the turtle’s nutrition so that it does not cause trouble. These pets eat much of the same food as their owners - which means you don't have to buy them special food.

The main thing is to adhere to the list of permitted products and not allow the turtle to get products from the list of undesirable and prohibited products. A well-fed turtle that has received all its vitamins is happy and active.

Before purchasing a new exotic pet, you need to learn more about it in order to know how to properly care for the animal and what to feed it. The red-eared slider is an omnivore. She needs animal and plant food. To raise a healthy turtle, you need to ensure a varied diet. What to feed a red-eared slider?

For red-eared turtles, animal food should make up 70% of the total daily diet. Turtles love meat (horse meat, beef, poultry), fish and seafood, and are not averse to eating insects.

Meat

It is preferable to feed lean beef, rabbit meat, and pieces of poultry. It is not recommended to feed pork and lamb, as these foods are too fatty and will be difficult for turtles to digest. The diet should contain offal: heart, liver, navels. Meat can be given raw or boiled, after cutting into small cubes.

Some turtles happily eat small mice.

But do not forget that constant feeding of raw meat leads to hypovitaminosis A and develops. Therefore, food should be varied.

Fish and seafood

Suitable for feeding low-fat varieties. The fish is cut into pieces and taken out large bones and put it in the feeder.

Attention!

IN raw fish contains the enzyme thiaminase, so before feeding it to the turtle, you need to put the fish in hot water for a couple of minutes.

In its raw form, you can give it a “sea cocktail”, which includes green shrimp, pieces of octopus and squid. Snail meat (large pond snail, reel, marise) and pieces of squid are a good addition to food, but you should not make them the main food.

Turtles do not get along in an aquarium with fish. Crucian carp, guppies, goldfish, carp, swordtails serve as food for them. The turtles eat them with pleasure.

Insects

In summer, turtles can be offered grasshoppers, beetles, non-shaggy caterpillars, and bloodworms. Mealworms are available at pet stores, so they can be purchased and given during the winter.

As for feeding cockroaches, especially those caught in the kitchen, it is better to refrain from such an undertaking, because these insects can crawl to you already poisoned.

The diet must include dried or live gammarus. From time to time you can feed coretra and daphnia. At this time, you need to turn off the filter for 15 minutes.

Plant-based food

Plant foods are necessary for all turtles, but with age they become most diet.

Grass

Animals love plantain, clover, vetch, dandelion leaves and rhubarb. In addition, they can be given lawn grass, coltsfoot, sprouted barley and oats.

Fruits and berries

It is recommended to cut plums, apples, pears, bananas, peach, mango into small pieces and offer them to the turtle as a treat. Tangerine, orange, apricot and melon are also suitable for feeding animals.

Aquarium plants

It is preferable to plant duckweed, spirogyra, water beetle, and pond algae. The turtles do not allow the plants to grow even a little - they are instantly eaten. You should refrain from planting elodea! The plant secretes poisonous sap and poses a danger to animals.

Vegetables

The diet should include bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants. You can’t do without pumpkin, radishes, legumes, carrots and beets. Broccoli, celery, and dry seaweed are given as additional food.

Mushrooms

Pieces of boletus, champignons, and russula are recommended to be given to animals no more than once a week.

Attention!

Human food is not suitable for turtles! They will also happily eat food intended for other animals, but it will not benefit the turtles. It is forbidden to feed citrus peels or give berries with seeds.

Artificial feed

Pet stores provide pet owners with a huge selection of food for land and aquatic turtles. It is sold in capsules, granules, tablets and flakes. A large number of The food produced by manufacturers does not always meet the needs of a particular species. Often, turtle food is modified fish food. Some animals are irritated Strong smell, and they pointedly turn away from him. There are foods in which the content of calcium, protein and vitamins does not meet the needs of turtles. But some animals are happy to eat only food. Among the manufacturing companies, JBL, Sera, Nutra Fin, Tetra have proven themselves well.

Homemade food for red-eared turtles

If store-bought artificial food is not suitable, you can prepare your own treats for turtles.

Feed composition:

• cabbage – 50 gr.;
• carrots – 70 gr.;
• no fish fatty varieties– 145 gr.;
• apples – 50 gr.;
• squid meat – 100 gr.

Cooking method. All ingredients should be passed through a meat grinder, add 2 eggs, gelatin diluted in hot water (per 150 ml - 30 g) and milk in a volume of 150 g. Mix thoroughly, let cool and add 20 drops of Tetravita. The shelf life of the food in the refrigerator is 1 week. Before feeding, the mixture is cut into pieces and given to the turtle.

The prepared food is enough for 10 feedings, per 1 turtle with a shell length of 15 cm. If the animal is sick, you can add medicine. Gelatin can be replaced with agar-agar. This will prevent the cubes from quickly melting in the water.

Feeding turtles food for cats and dogs. "Pros and cons"

Red Ears really like combined foods, but they are intended for feeding warm-blooded animals and are not suitable for turtles. The food contains a completely different set of substances that are useful for cats and dogs, but completely useless for turtles.

Do turtles need mineral and vitamin supplements?

Young animals develop bony skeleton and the shell is being built, so they need calcium. Ground bone meal should be added to food daily. For a small turtle, one pinch will be enough; for older specimens, add 1 tsp. in Week.

Bone meal can be purchased at a pet store. If this is not possible, the calcium requirement can be met by adding crushed eggshells.

Vitamin feeds have short term storage Therefore, you should not give them to turtles after the expiration date.

How often and at what time should you feed your turtles?

A difficult question that cannot be answered unequivocally. Much depends on the age and size of the animal, and on the food you feed.

For young animals up to 1 year old, plant foods and artificial feed are suitable. Feeding should be daily.

From 1 year and older you can feed every 1-2 days. If the turtle prefers plant foods, it is recommended to feed it daily. The amount of food also depends on the age of the turtle.

Proper feeding is the main condition for normal development red-eared turtles. Every owner should feel his pet, choose the right food and give him what he likes and what is healthy.

Feeding a red-eared turtle - Video