Ensuring a Balanced Diet

A good quality commercial turtle food can be your turtles' staple diet, but it's important not to feed them this food every day, as it is very rich. If turtles are fed too much too soon they can grow too fat and crack their shells. In the summer, when their metabolisms are highest, make leafy greens available every day and feed then commercial food every other day or every third day, depending on how they're growing. As the weather cools they will only need to eat every few days.

The optimal ratio of meat to vegetables for you turtles will depend on their species' requirements. Young turtles need more protein than older turtles. In general, captive turtles tend to get too much meat, so be sure to feed plenty of vegetables such as green lettuces (butter lettuce, romaine, escarole), melon, bananas, strawberries, peas, dandelion flowers and leaves (pesticide-free of course), and vegetable scraps from the evening's dinner preparation. For protein, feed your turtles earthworms (be sure they weren't raised on manure), snails, feeder goldfish and mealworms. Goldfish and mealworms should be fed to them only occasionally. Never feed your turtles hamburger meat, as it's too fatty for them.

It's very difficult to feed captive turtles a complete diet, so offer vitamin supplements once or twice weekly. Calcium is extremely important for strong shell growth. Give them a cuttle fish bone to nibble on for extra calcium and be sure their pond is afforded plenty of direct sunlight for basking and soaking up vitamin D.