What Do Turtles Eat? The Complete Feeding Guide for Pet Aquatic Turtles
TL;DR
Pet aquatic turtles are easy to feed and easy to overfeed. Get the balance and the routine right and the rest takes care of itself.
- Pellets, greens and protein. A quality turtle pellet is the foundation. Add leafy greens or aquatic plants every day, plus protein from worms, insects and feeder fish.
- Feed once a day for 15 minutes. Offer all your turtle will eat in 15 minutes, then remove the leftovers. Leave the greens in for grazing.
- Babies eat more protein; adults eat more plants. The schedule stays the same as your turtle grows. The balance on the plate changes.
- Fruit is a treat. Small pieces, once a week or less, and never citrus.
- Some greens are occasional only. Spinach and parsley are high in oxalates, which block calcium.
- Calcium and UVB are not optional. A cuttlebone or calcium block plus a UVB bulb is what prevents metabolic bone disease.
Aquatic turtles are easy to please at feeding time. Most will paddle straight to the glass the moment you walk into the room, and many will eat almost anything you drop in. That is exactly why turtle diets go wrong so often: a turtle that eats everything will happily eat the wrong things, too, and it will beg like it hasn't eaten in a week even when it ate an hour ago.
It's nice to feel appreciated, but they're just begging. Turtles can get used to you and eagerly swim over when you approach, but that doesn't make them pets for handling. They're still not for cuddling, and because turtles commonly carry Salmonella, wash your hands after feeding or touching anything in the tank.
This guide covers what pet aquatic turtles eat, including red-eared sliders, yellow-bellied sliders, cooters, painted turtles and map turtles: what goes in a balanced diet, how often to feed, how the diet changes with age, quick yes-or-no answers for common foods, and what never to feed. Box turtles and tortoises eat very differently, so if you keep one of those, ask our team about their diet instead.
What Do Pet Aquatic Turtles Eat?
Most pet aquatic turtles are omnivores. A healthy diet has three parts: pellets, plants and protein, with fruit as an occasional extra.
Turtle Pellets: The Foundation
It is nearly impossible to completely replicate the diet your turtle would get in the wild. Because of that, nutritionally balanced turtle pellets are an essential part of their diet. A good pellet supplies the vitamins and minerals, including calcium, that other foods miss. Choose one made for your turtle's age: Zoo Med makes a Hatchling Formula, a higher-protein Growth Formula for juveniles, and a Maintenance Formula for adults.
Vegetables and Aquatic Plants
Leafy greens belong in the tank every day, and for adult turtles they make up most of the diet. Good everyday choices are collard, mustard, turnip and dandelion greens (the flowers too), kale, endive, escarole, and romaine, red leaf or green leaf lettuce. Zucchini and squash are good additions, chopped small. Many turtles also love aquatic plants such as duckweed, water lettuce and anacharis, which they can graze on between meals.
A few vegetables are fine in small amounts but should not be staples. Spinach and parsley are high in oxalates, which bind calcium and keep your turtle from absorbing it. Broccoli is healthy as part of a rotation, just not every day. Carrots and bell peppers add color and variety when shredded or chopped small.
Protein
In the wild, aquatic turtles eat insects, worms, snails, crayfish and small fish. At home, good protein sources include earthworms and nightcrawlers, crickets, dubia roaches, bloodworms, aquatic snails from a clean source, and feeder fish such as rosy red minnows, feeder goldfish and guppies. Turtles prefer live food if possible, and many will only eat in the water, where they feel safe.
Two cautions. Feeder fish are a great part of the mix, but don't make goldfish or rosy red minnows the only protein your turtle gets: both contain thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down vitamin B1, and goldfish are fattier than other feeders. Rotating in worms, insects and pellets solves it. And dried shrimp, dried krill and dried mealworms are treats. Turtles love them, but they are not a balanced diet on their own.
Fruit
Fruit can be safely given to your turtle as a treat, but it is not a primary part of their natural diet, and they do not need all that sugar. Offer small pieces once a week or less. Apples (without seeds or core), bananas, strawberries, blueberries, melon and grapes cut into small pieces are all good choices. Skip citrus: oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are too acidic.
How Often Should You Feed Your Turtle?
Feed your aquatic turtle once a day, offering all it will eat in about 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, remove the leftover pellets, protein and fruit so they don't rot and foul the water. Leafy greens are the exception: leave them in so your turtle can graze.
The 15-minute window is your portion control. A turtle that is still begging afterward does not need a second helping. Overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes we see, and it leads to obesity, shell problems and dirty water. Some keepers feed in a separate tub of tank water, which keeps the main tank much cleaner.
Baby Turtles vs. Adult Turtles
Young turtles grow fast and need more protein. As a turtle matures, its diet shifts toward plants. The daily 15-minute schedule stays the same; what changes is the balance:
| Age | Diet balance | Pellet | Leafy greens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchlings and juveniles | Higher protein: about half pellets and protein, half greens | Hatchling or Growth Formula | Always available |
| Sub-adults | Protein gradually reduced, more greens | Growth Formula | Always available |
| Adults | Mostly greens and aquatic plants, with some protein | Maintenance Formula | Always available |
Can Turtles Eat...? Quick Answers
These are the foods people ask us about most, for pet aquatic turtles such as red-eared sliders:
| Food | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | Yes, as a treat | Small pieces; remove the seeds and core |
| Bananas | Yes, as a treat | High in sugar, so a small piece now and then |
| Strawberries | Yes, as a treat | Small pieces, once a week or less |
| Blueberries | Yes, as a treat | A few at a time |
| Melon and watermelon | Yes, as a treat | Mostly water and sugar, so keep it small |
| Grapes | Yes, as a treat | Cut into small pieces |
| Oranges and other citrus | No | Too acidic |
| Avocado | No | Contains persin, which is toxic to many animals |
| Romaine, red leaf, green leaf lettuce | Yes | Good everyday greens |
| Iceberg lettuce | Not really | Not harmful, but mostly water with almost no nutrition |
| Collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion greens | Yes | Excellent everyday greens |
| Kale | Yes | A good green as part of a varied mix |
| Spinach | Sometimes | High in oxalates, which block calcium absorption |
| Broccoli | Sometimes | Small amounts in rotation |
| Carrots | Yes, in small amounts | Shredded or chopped; the tops are good too |
| Zucchini, squash and bell peppers | Yes | Chopped small, for variety |
| Earthworms and nightcrawlers | Yes | One of the best protein foods |
| Crickets and dubia roaches | Yes | Good protein; many turtles love the chase |
| Bloodworms | Yes | Especially good for babies |
| Guppies | Yes | Natural prey |
| Rosy red minnows and feeder goldfish | Yes, in a varied diet | Not as the only protein: thiaminase breaks down vitamin B1 |
| Dried shrimp and krill | Treat only | Not a balanced diet on their own |
| Bread | No | No nutritional value, and it fouls the water |
| Cheese, milk and other dairy | No | Turtles cannot digest dairy |
| Raw chicken, beef or hamburger | No | Too fatty and not balanced; stick to whole prey |
| Dog and cat food | No | Far too much protein and fat |
Foods to Avoid
Some foods are never a good idea for a turtle: citrus fruit, avocado, rhubarb, dairy, bread and baked goods, processed or salty human food (chips, lunch meat, anything seasoned), raw grocery meat, and dog or cat food. Be careful with insects and fish caught outside, too, since they can carry parasites or pesticides. If you are not sure about a food, leave it out and ask us.
Calcium and UVB: The Other Half of a Good Diet
Food is only part of the story. Turtles need calcium for strong shells and bones, and they need UVB light to use that calcium. Without both, turtles develop metabolic bone disease: soft or misshapen shells, weak limbs and, in severe cases, death.
The fix is simple. Keep a cuttlebone or a calcium block in the tank, feed a quality pellet, and give your turtle a basking spot with a UVB bulb. Replace the bulb as the manufacturer recommends, since UVB output fades long before the bulb burns out. Our metabolic bone disease guide covers the warning signs, and our reptile lighting guide explains UVB in detail.
What Do Turtles Eat in the Wild?
Wild aquatic turtles eat whatever their pond, lake or river offers: aquatic plants and algae, insects and larvae, snails, worms, crayfish, tadpoles, small fish and even carrion. Young wild turtles eat mostly animal food, and adults of many species eat more plants as they age.
If you have found a wild turtle, the best thing you can do is leave it where it is, or help it across the road in the direction it was already heading. Please do not feed wild turtles bread or other human food, and do not take one home. Wild turtles rarely do well in captivity, they can carry Salmonella, and in many states keeping a native turtle is illegal without a permit.
Bringing It All Together
Feeding an aquatic turtle well comes down to a short list. Make a quality pellet the foundation, and match it to your turtle's age. Keep leafy greens or aquatic plants in the tank every day. Add protein from worms, insects and a variety of feeder fish, more for babies and less for adults. Feed once a day, give it 15 minutes, and pull the leftovers. Keep fruit as a treat, skip the foods on the avoid list, and pair the diet with calcium and a UVB bulb.
Do those things and your turtle has everything it needs to grow a strong shell and live a long life, and sliders can live 50 years or more. If you want a second set of eyes on your turtle's diet or setup, talk to our team at The Tye-Dyed Iguana, and our red-eared slider care sheet covers tank setup, temperatures and lighting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do aquatic turtles eat?
Aquatic turtles eat a mix of commercial turtle pellets, leafy greens (dandelion, collard, romaine) and aquatic plants, and protein sources (earthworms, bloodworms, insects, feeder fish). Juveniles eat more protein, while adults need more vegetables. Variety is key to balanced nutrition. Feed in the water, as most species need to eat while submerged.
How often should I feed my aquatic turtle?
Feed your aquatic turtle once a day, offering all it will eat in about 15 minutes. Remove leftover pellets and protein after that so they do not foul the water, but leave leafy greens in for grazing. Babies and adults follow the same schedule; what changes with age is the balance, with babies eating more protein and adults more greens.
What do baby turtles eat?
Baby turtles eat the same kinds of food as adults in different proportions: a hatchling pellet, small protein foods such as bloodworms and chopped earthworms, and finely torn leafy greens. Babies need more protein than adults. Feed them once a day, all they will eat in about 15 minutes.
Can turtles eat lettuce?
Yes, but the type matters. Romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuce are good everyday greens. Iceberg lettuce is not harmful, but it is mostly water with almost no nutrition, so it should never replace darker leafy greens.
Can turtles eat fruit like apples, bananas and strawberries?
Yes, as an occasional treat. Offer small pieces once a week or less, remove apple seeds and cores, and skip citrus fruit, which is too acidic for turtles.
Can turtles eat spinach?
Occasionally. Spinach is high in oxalates, which bind calcium and keep your turtle from absorbing it, so it should not be an everyday green. Collard, mustard, turnip and dandelion greens are better staples.
What should you never feed a turtle?
Never feed a turtle citrus, avocado, rhubarb, dairy, bread, processed or salty human food, raw grocery meat, or dog and cat food. Insects and fish caught outside can carry parasites or pesticides, so stick to feeders from a clean source.
Cited Bibliography
- The Tye-Dyed Iguana. "Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Care Sheet." thetyedyediguana.com
- The Tye-Dyed Iguana. "The Complete Reptile Feeding Guide: Diets, Schedules, and the Mistakes That Make Your Pet Sick." thetyedyediguana.com
- The Tye-Dyed Iguana. "Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles: The Silent Threat and How to Prevent It." thetyedyediguana.com
- The Tye-Dyed Iguana. "The Ultimate Reptile Lighting Guide: UVB, Basking, and How to Get It Right." thetyedyediguana.com
- The Tye-Dyed Iguana. "An Aquascape Guide for Turtle Tanks." thetyedyediguana.com