What do turtle eat?

Inexperienced owners of turtles make the same mistakes: malnutrition and feeding regimen. All this leads to the fact that the turtle canlive not 30 years, but only 2-3 years. The cause of death of a turtle can be called a liver or kidney failure. But this is in the worst case. Also, improper feed leads to the fact that the turtle develops rickets, the bones become weak, and the carapace grows curve. All because of the feed that the owners give their turtles.

Here a few rules that should be followed by all the owners of turtles:

• young turtles should be fed every day. An older animal will be fed enough 2-3 times a week;


• do not make your animal starve. But you do not need to overfeed it either;


• Do not confuse diets of land and water turtles. Water red-bellied turtles need meat in the diet, and only vegetables on land;


• Do not forget to add to the diet of the turtle vitamins and calcium.

Feeding the land tortoises

So, with the rules of feeding the turtles figured out. Now it is worthwhile to write in more detail what the turtles eat. All land tortoises (Central Asian and Mediterranean) eat only vegetables, fruits and plants. It should be noted that the turtle diet should be balanced. Without leaves of plants, turtles can not be left for long. Also, you can not feed the animal for a long time with the same products.

Here is the list of products that will make up basic ration of a turtle: non-poisonous plants for animals, dandelions, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, cucumbers, bananas, pears, carrots, eggplants, peppers.

But the main food should be diversified with other products. These products include additional plants: clover, a small amount of sorrel, plantain, lawn grass, alfalfa, timothy, sprouted oats, barley. From vegetables it is also possible to give beans, green onions, radish. Fruit: sliced ​​plum, peaches, apricots, melon, bananas, oranges and tangerines. Berries: raspberries, strawberries, strawberries, blackberries, watermelon,blueberry. Also, in a small amount you can give the tortoise non-poisonous mushrooms (champignons), bran, dry sea kale, dry yeast, young sunflower seeds.

The main products can be given every day. And here products from the supplementary diet should not be given more than once a week. Without a dry feed turtle can do, but if you decide to introduce it into the diet, then it should be given very little and rarely.

Nutrition of red-bellied turtles

Now it is worthwhile to tell about what the turtles that live in water eat. The nutrition of such turtles also has its own characteristics. To begin with, it is worth remembering that young individuals it is necessary to introduce protein food. But from the age of 2-3 years, the emphasis should be on vegetable food, but protein can not be excluded in any case.

Very small red-bellied turtles should be given in food tubule, bloodworm, earthworms and concentrates for aquarium fish (dry daphnia and dry gammarus). The older tortoises should be fed with meat: chicken, beef, fish. Raw fish can be given no more than once ina week. Boiled fish (which should be held in boiling water for a minute) can be given more often. Fish should not be too greasy, so the turtle does not fit capelin, sprat or mackerel. Be sure to include in the diet of a young turtle turtles: they contain a lot of calcium, and the animal will really like this kind of food. Once a week, let the rubella turkey beef heart and liver.

Adults should be given vegetative food: leaves of lettuce, dandelion, cabbage (slightly),banana, beets, carrots, apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, pears. Remember that if there is a shortage of plant food in the diet, the turtle will begin to eat seaweed in your aquarium.

It remains only to mention, than you can not feed turtles. Such food includes cereals, milk, eggs, cheeseand yogurts. In nature, there is no such food for turtles, therefore their organism is completely unsuited to it. It is also not advisable to give potatoes to turtles. Any kinds of cabbage should be given in strictly limited quantities. Also, watch out for any fruit pits in the tortoise's diet. Bones contain cyanide acid, which is very dangerous for the health of your pet. Be sure to remove the bones from the fruit.