What does a pet turtle eat?
Discover, in this article, the food needs of the turtle. What you should offer him to eat and also the diet to follow. There are, in fact, simple and fairly precise rules to follow and respect to ensure a balanced and healthy diet.
Your turtle needs to feed, this is a fact not to be discussed. a quality, well-balanced diet not only strengthens their immune defenses, but also offers them a completely normal life without any health concerns. So what should you feed him daily? What are his needs? Are there things to avoid for good health?
The tortoise is classified as a herbivorous reptile. However, she eats, in nature, all that she finds. She is a real opportunist, imagine she can feed on insects! The ideal for this creature is to offer it a varied and precise menu, a menu that contains 10% fruit and 90% vegetables and 0% protein from animal sources. We must totally forget this last type of food because turtles have a digestive system that does not accept a meat diet. Vegetables and fruits fully meet their nutritional needs.
The tortoise is used to looking for something to eat continuously in nature. Once at home, do not feed it in large quantities.
The vegetables
Vegetables are considered the basis of the turtle's diet, which gives it a high fiber content. There are highly recommended plants in the turtle's diet such as clover, plantain, dandelion, watercress, lamb's lettuce, and nasturtium. These plants help him to have good health. There are other foods the tortoise may ingest such as bindweed, mallow, and sedum. Also, althea flowers, turnip greens, radish tops, and curly endive are good food for the tortoise.
Turtles are vegetable guzzlers. They really like to eat endives, spinach, zucchini, and beets.
It is necessary to vary this nutrition daily for a good diet. Do not hesitate to change your turtle's menu every day, which will make him want to eat.
The fruits
Fruits are among the foods that must be present in your turtle's meals, but not every day, you can give him fruit once in three. Generally, turtles prefer: raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, melon, kiwi, grapes, tangerines, pears, apples, currants, and watermelons.
A vitamin supplement
In order to avoid a lack of essential elements in your turtle, it is advisable to introduce, in the meal, a vitamin supplement, especially calcium, once a week. You can add it as a powder or as granules. Calcium helps to solidify your turtle's shell and also allows good reception of the sun's rays.
Foods to avoid
There are foods to avoid in your turtle's meals because they are either toxic or dangerous. These foods include: amaryllis, mahogany, avocado, cypress, chervil, jasmine, holly, daffodil, oleander, lupine, hyacinth, mistletoe, hemp, mimosa, rosemary, mandrake, lily of the valley, wild sorrel, tulip, and tobacco. Also, we must forget not to give lettuce which causes kidney problems.
In summary, your tortoise needs a herbivorous diet of 10% fruit and 90% vegetables. This diet must be supplemented with a vitamin and especially calcium supplement once a week. Also consider pellets for your turtle if it is sick or still young. Don't forget to present the meals always fresh.