The first question that arises for those who want to have a pet turtle is: what to feed? land turtle? All recommendations for choosing a diet for turtles kept in captivity can be found in this article.

Let's talk about what to feed a land turtle so that the food is both tasty and healthy. All types of land turtles are considered herbivorous. But in nature, some species often diversify their diet with insects, worms and other animal food. The most popular turtle in captivity, the Central Asian turtle, does not require animal food.

“Plant food is so delicious!”

In the summer, you shouldn’t think long about what to feed your land turtle. Feel free to bring her:

dandelions,

• plantain,

  bluegrass and lawn grass,

  thistle,

• coltsfoot.

Fresh greens are necessary for turtles, as they contain a lot of fiber. But you need to collect plants for the turtle’s lunch not in the city limits or near the roads. Additionally, you should give vegetables and fruits(and greens, preferably from your own garden):

• carrots with tops,

  pumpkins and zucchini,

  mild pepper,

• tomatoes,

  eggplants,

• apricots,

• succulents, aloe,

  prickly pear without needles.

The diet of a land turtle should be varied. What else can you feed your pets? For variety, but in small quantities can be given:

edible mushrooms,

• pea leaves,

• celery,

• sprouts of legumes and grains.

IN winter time can be given specialized feed for land turtles, thawed vegetable and herbal mixtures, some turtles readily eat hay from dandelions.

What should you not feed your land turtle?

You can’t feed your turtle the same thing; diversify its diet. But these products should not be given at all:

potato,

spicy and pungent herbs,

• fruit pits,

  citrus peel,

  poisonous meadow (buttercup) and indoor plants (Dieffenbachia, azalea, etc.),

  milk and dairy products,

  eggs and eggshells,

  meat and fish,

  bread and other human products,

  cat and dog food.

Many breeders recommend giving their pets minced meat , it really contributes speed dial weight. But this is only necessary before hibernation or for reproduction. You should stick to a mostly plant-based diet.

Vitamins for turtles

When discussing what to feed a land turtle, do not forget about vitamins. The best way preventing a pet’s vitamin deficiency is varied diet. But the turtle needs calcium supplements and ultraviolet light for its absorption.

Place a piece in the terrarium white chalk, perhaps he will interest her. If not, then you need to purchase special supplements for turtles. They should be given strictly according to dosage. Dropping vitamins like Trivit into a turtle's food on the eye is dangerous.

Feeding a land turtle

And now you have decided what you will feed your baby. Now let's talk about how best to do this.

Fruits and vegetables should be clean, it is better to cut them into small pieces.

For proper digestion, the turtle needs a good warm up. It is better to feed the turtle a couple of hours after it wakes up.

A flat feeder can be lowered into the terrarium in a warm corner where the turtle has already warmed up.

After three hours, you can remove any uneaten leftovers. Once a day enough for the turtle.

Adult turtles can be fed once every 2-3 days.

There is no need to install a drinking bowl for Central Asian turtles. Tropical turtle species, on the other hand, require water, but they can absorb it through their skin while swimming.

Dreaming of becoming the owner of a marine reptile, visitors to pet stores often opt for the red-eared turtle. This animal does not require careful care, but feeding the turtle must be approached with care. special attention. The harmless reptile is a real predator, so you need to feed it not only plant food, but also protein food, which will make red-eared turtle healthy.

Despite the fact that red eared turtles unpretentious in food and are omnivorous creatures, the basis of reptile nutrition should be food with high content squirrel.

An approximate diet for a red-eared slider includes the following components:

• Meat and animal by-products.
• Various types of fresh fish and seafood, dried factory feed.
• Plant foods - greens, fruits and vegetables.
• Insects.
• Mushrooms.

In addition to this list of products, additional nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals is necessary for the healthy development of the turtle. This is especially true at the stage of growing up of an individual, whose growing body needs microelements. If your pet eats regularly fresh meat, fish and vegetables, taking vitamins is not mandatory. However, some owners, trying to save on keeping their pet, feed the turtle exclusively with semi-finished products, which have very dubious benefits. In this case, a course of vitamins is vital.

It is important to remember that the diet of turtles largely depends on their age. Young individuals under one year of age take necessary elements for the development of the organism in products of animal origin. It is recommended to feed an adult turtle more varied, adding plant foods to the diet.

Meat

When purchasing an aquatic turtle, the owner of the reptile should be prepared for the fact that healthy food for a pet you will have to spend money. The diet should include meat and offal as the main source of protein and vitamin A. Turtles like to eat the following types of meat:

• rabbit meat;
• lean poultry;
• beef.

Fatty pork and lamb are contraindicated for turtles. Meat is occasionally given raw, but more often the product must be boiled so that it does not enter the animal’s body. pathogenic bacteria. Regular consumption raw meat may lead to the development of rickets.

In addition to small pieces of boiled beef or poultry, red-eared turtles happily eat offal such as liver and heart. Food is easily digested and has a beneficial effect on the health of the individual’s skin. In some cases, large turtles may eat a small mouse.

What fish to feed red-eared turtles

One of the most important components of a healthy turtle diet is sea and river fish. Anyone will do low-fat variety The main thing is to process the fillet correctly. The food should be completely free of bones and offal. Experts advise pre-holding the fish in hot water to rid the product of harmful substances.

Red-eared turtles love to hunt small fish. They happily eat guppies, crucian carp, swordtails and other inhabitants of home aquariums. A real delicacy for these reptiles is seafood, which does not require pre-treatment and served raw. Sea cocktail for the red-eared reptile may consist of the following ingredients:

• green shrimp;
• shellfish;
• squid pieces;
• octopus meat;
• snails and much more.

To ensure that your turtle regularly receives the required dose of calcium, try to pamper your pet more often with pieces of sea fish and other seafood. IN natural environment habitat, the diet of aquatic turtles consists of more than fifty percent fish, which must be taken into account when keeping the animal at home.

Insects

On a hot day summer season The diet of the red-eared turtle at home is significantly enriched various types insects Red-eared pets eat grasshoppers, small bugs, and smooth caterpillars with appetite. At any time of the year, you can buy mealworms, daphnia and corerta in stores.

The owner of a turtle who decides to treat his pet to caught cockroaches is acting very recklessly. The fact is that their body may contain poison, which the residents of the house used to try to get rid of unwanted insects. Once in the body of a turtle, poisonous substance often leads to death.

In order for the turtle to eat well and its diet to include a variety of foods, it is necessary to include insects in the diet. However, care must be taken to ensure that beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers are not exposed to poisons. It’s better not to risk it and buy quality food at a pet store.

Animal feed

The red-eared slider is a predatory reptile, so its diet must include animal products. The owner of the shell can be fed the following types meat and fish food:

• boiled and raw lean meat (poultry, veal, lamb);
• sea ​​and river fish processed with hot water;
• seafood (octopus, squid, mussels, etc.);
• various types of insects;
• small mice.

The consumption of protein and calcium, which are the main components of animal feed, is especially important for young animals. The condition of the red-eared slider directly depends on what the red-eared turtle eats. skin animal, its bones and general health pet.

Plant food

In the second year of life, experienced turtle breeders gradually introduce most foods into the reptile’s diet. plant origin. These include:

• fruits (apples and pears, some varieties of citrus fruits, peaches and plums);
• vegetables (broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, legumes, carrots, beets, etc.);
• green plants (meadow grass, lettuce);
• occasionally mushrooms in small quantities (champignons, boletus mushrooms);
• aquarium algae and dried seaweed.

As the animal matures, it is added to its diet. herbal ingredients. Despite the fact that a variety of algae and grasses seem to be the safest food for a turtle, some representatives of aquatic and terrestrial flora can harm your pet. Red-eared reptiles eagerly eat algae growing in the aquarium. Most often, breeders place spirogyra sprouts, duckweed and pond algae in aquariums. But the juice of the poisonous elodea will poison the turtle, and the animal may die.

Like any other food, vegetables, fruits and mushrooms need to be processed and cut into small pieces. Some inexperienced owners try to feed their red-eared pets berries with seeds or even orange peel. Even if an animal eats an inedible dish, it can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Artificial feed

Professional breeders of red-eared pets treat artificial food with a fair amount of skepticism. Everyone knows that natural food much healthier than semi-finished products. In addition, most manufacturers, creating ready-made feed, do not take into account the characteristics of the turtle’s body, and minimally modify dry fish food, selling it under a different name. Of course, you shouldn’t feed a sea turtle such a dubious product.

Currently, a variety of foods for red-eared turtles are available on the shelves of pet stores, but only a few manufacturers create truly high-quality products with a balanced composition. Even high-quality food in the form of flakes, capsules or tablets should constitute a minimal part of the red-eared reptile's diet. The best way out of the situation is hand made food made from vegetables, fruits and fish, which will become a healthy food for the red-eared slider.

Vitamins and mineral supplements for turtles

Sometimes even feeding exclusively natural products does not guarantee that the red-eared slider's body will develop correctly. An important stage The maturation of this reptile is the formation of bones and shell. To strengthen the skeleton, experts advise feeding turtles once a week with food containing vitamin supplements.

Bone meal is most often used as a source of calcium, necessary for the construction of skeletal and shell cells, a pinch of which is added to reptile food. Juveniles need a daily dose of calcium, while an adult turtle will only need one teaspoon of flour per week. If the owner of a water turtle does not have the opportunity to feed his pet healthy flour, you can use ground raw egg shells for this purpose.

How often to feed your red-eared turtle

The frequency of feeding of a sea turtle depends on several factors, the main ones being the animal and its individual characteristics. Thus, feeding adult red-eared turtles will take a minimal amount of time from their owners. The older the reptile gets, the less often it is fed. For some individuals, one serving per week is enough. However, there are some nuances.

If your pet's diet preferably consists of plant-based foods, the frequency of feeding increases. Meat and fish need more time to digest; besides, animal food saturates the turtle’s body for long time. However, you should arrange the flora of the aquarium so that your pet can snack on algae if desired.

How many times a day should you feed your red-eared slider?

A turtle of any age only needs one portion of food per day. Very young individuals are fed daily, eventually increasing the period of abstinence to a week.

What to feed baby red-eared turtles

What a little turtle eats determines its future health. The diet of young animals must include seafood. It is useful for armored babies to hunt aquarium fish. Turtles can be given clams and pieces of shrimp, but the food is always served raw. You cannot feed small red-eared turtles with products of plant origin - such food will not bring the desired benefits.

The first year of life of red-eared reptiles is very important for the formation of the skeleton and strong shell. For the healthy development of the body, babies need calcium and vitamin A, which is aimed at renewing skin cells and creating keratinized tissue. The turtles are fed daily, adding bone meal to the portions. In addition to fresh fish, you can purchase combined dry food for young animals at a pet store, after consulting with the seller.

What should you not feed your red-eared turtle?

Despite the fact that this armored reptile is considered an omnivore, there is a certain list of foods that are strictly contraindicated for these animals. The list of foods harmful to turtles includes the following components:

• poisonous land plants and algae (Elodia, Ambulia, Legendandra);
• plant and animal products containing large number oscalates, phosphorus, purines (tomatoes, cabbage, raw liver, fatty meat, etc.);
• poisonous and poisonous insects;
• locusts and grasshoppers with serrated stalks;
• fatty meat and fish;
• bread, potatoes, etc.

Many of the above foods contain substances that can lead to the development of diseases such as gout, goiter and iodine deficiency in the turtle. The seemingly beneficial phosphorus interferes with the absorption of calcium, which also applies to oscalates.

How to properly feed a red-eared turtle

Even knowing the exact list of what red-eared turtles eat or don’t eat, we can assume a number of dangerous mistakes. The most common disease of armored reptiles is common overeating. The owner of the animal needs to develop a strict feeding schedule for the pet in order not to succumb to the provocations of the cunning little face that is just begging. However, if it is obvious that the turtle is hungry, it must be fed.

The turtle feeder should not be overcrowded; too much food can also lead to overeating. Having fed the pet to its fullest, after a while the owner notices that the animal has become lethargic and passive. In this case, you should contact your veterinarian. If you still think that the reptile does not have enough food, it is better to give preference to algae and other products of plant origin. The health and longevity of a turtle directly depends on how much food the pet regularly consumes.

It is important to know how to feed a turtle in such a way that its body receives all necessary substances. In addition to the variously composed a complete diet owners of armored pets should not forget about vitamins. To make the skeleton and shell of the sea creature stronger, it is worth feeding your pet with bone meal once a week.

If, nevertheless, it becomes necessary to look for the cause and begin treatment.

What can overfeeding cause?

Owners of red-eared reptiles often come to veterinarians complaining about the apathy of their aquatic pets. At the same time, the animal’s diet consists of natural products, and the diet is very varied. The problem is that animals eat too often or too heavily. Large portions of food often lead to disastrous consequences, one of which is digestive disorders.

Starting a red-eared sea ​​creature, it is necessary to think through the animal’s diet in advance. Despite the fact that turtles require a variety of food, their portions are negligibly small and pets eat very rarely. Even the laziest animal lover can have an adult turtle, which he will have to feed once a week. However, do not forget that the animal should not be overfed, nor should it be abused with dry food.

Land turtles are the most popular species of reptile. Pets are unpretentious in keeping. IN natural conditions turtles independently obtain their own food - food of animal and plant origin. But when buying a home, the owner of the animal takes on the responsibility of what to feed land turtles at home.

The diet of land turtles must be varied and have everything necessary for the body reptiles substances and trace elements.

The most popular types of land reptiles kept in people's homes among owners are:

• Central Asian (steppe).
• Mediterranean (Greek).
• Egyptian.
• Balkan.
• Musky.
• Leopard (panther).
• Elephant (Galapagos).
• Star (Indian).
• Serrated (yellow-legged).
• Red-headed flathead turtle.
• Radiant turtle.

What to feed a land turtle at home

Based on their food intake, turtles are divided into three groups - predators, omnivores and herbivores. Each of these reptiles has its own specific diet and list of products for consumption. Therefore, when purchasing a land animal, you need to find out which food group it belongs to.

There are no predatory land turtles.

Omnivores: Balkan, Mediterranean, musky, flat.

Herbivores: star-shaped (Indian), Central Asian, Egyptian, elephant (Galapagos), toothed (yellow-legged), red-headed, radiant.

For example, when purchasing the common Central Asian tortoise, it should be fed only grasses, vegetables and fruits because this species is a herbivore.

Omnivores

The food consists of equal parts of herbs and protein foods.

What to feed a land omnivorous turtle:

1. Animal food.
   • Mice and rats.
   • Small frogs.
   • Insects (woodlice, tubifex, beetles, caterpillars).
   • Snails and slugs.
   • Fish and seafood.
2. Plant food.
   • Vegetable crops.
   • Fruit.
   • Berry crops.
   • Underwater plant species.
   • Forbs.

Herbivores

Herbivorous reptile species consume food of plant origin. 70–80% of their diet consists of lettuce and dandelion leaves, cabbage leaves.

What do land turtles from the group of herbivores eat additionally:

• Vegetables and root crops. This fresh carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers.
• Fruits - bananas, apples, pears, peaches, oranges, tangerines.
• Berries - grapes, strawberries, currants, blueberries, watermelon.
• Mushrooms. Champignons are well digestible.
• Forbs - coltsfoot, lawn grasses, sorrel, plantain, peas.
• The land turtle eats supplements in the form of bran, yeast, and sunflower seeds.
• Food for land turtles.

How to feed

In the process of feeding a land reptile there are certain rules.

1. You should not feed your pet frequently. Young animals are fed during the day once a day. Feeding in the evening is allowed, but must be done 3-4 hours before the animal goes to bed.
   Pets older than 2-3 years are transferred to less frequent meals - once every two days.
2. Animals must be fed at the same time. Then the body will get used to this regime and will excrete in abundance gastric juice. This promotes better digestion of food.
3. Food should be served in small portions. These animals are not prone to overeating, so the owner himself adjusts the pet’s diet. For example, if after eating the turtle has pieces of uneaten food, then you should give less.
4. Stress will negatively affect your turtle's digestion. Do not disturb her or make sharp sounds.
5. Do not hand feed your turtle.

Food in winter

Land turtles at home feel the change between winter and summer. The daily diet also changes throughout the year. In summer, the reptile consumes an abundance of juicy fruits and berries. With the onset of winter, the meager food of land turtles becomes more familiar to the body. Therefore, in the cold season, the diet consists of soaked hay and grain. Fruits and roots should not be so juicy.

Prohibited Products

IN daily diet reptiles available contraindicated products. This list of foods causes various diseases in them, such as liver disease. When preparing a feeding diet, you should carefully select food products.

List of foods that should not be fed to turtles:

• Some insects (for example, crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches).
• Certain plants (onions, garlic).
• Fried, smoked food and other human food.
• Some indoor plants(for example, ambulia, azalea, dieffenbachia).
• Dairy products.
• Certain greens (eg spinach, herbs).
• Cherry.
• Egg shells.
• Food intended for other animal species.
• Lemon, orange, tangerine peel.
• Uncooked potatoes.

You should also not feed your land turtle the same foods every day. The animal's diet should include everything essential microelements and substances, vitamins, calcium.

Drink

These reptiles do not require daily water intake. Required liquid reptiles get it by consuming succulent food - greens, vegetables and fruits.

They have the ability to absorb the right amount of water through the pores of the skin. It will be enough to place a water tank in the terrarium 1-2 times every week for 15 minutes. The water level should not be too high, about halfway through the shell. The head is located above the surface of the water. The reptile will not suffer from thirst. The water balance in the body will be at a stable level.

Sample menu and additional components

The menu for your pet should be prepared in advance so that you don’t have to worry about the lack of certain products in the diet.

Sample menu:

• 50 g of green stems are given every two to three days.
• Beet pieces should be given. No more than 30 g per day.
• 30 g cabbage leaves once every 1–2 days.
• Boiled potatoes in the amount of 30 g per day.
• Proteins enter the turtle's body through the consumption of bloodworms, worms, and lean meat pieces. There should be no more than 5 g per day.
• White bread – 20 g per day.
• Vitamin supplements, e.g. fish oil. There should be no more than 1 g per day.
• Porridge – semolina, buckwheat, cottage cheese. Do not give more than once a week.

Errors

1. Feed your reptile too often. This will cause overeating and indigestion.
2. The reptile body is adapted to consume a certain type of food. You cannot feed a herbivore only meat, and a carnivore only fruits and vegetables.
3. Giving your pet food too rarely. The individual will be weak, lethargic, inactive and susceptible to disease.

If the rules for feeding land reptiles are followed, they will have good health and longevity.

Perhaps one of the most unpretentious and calm pets is the land turtle. This slow, but very cute and charming animal does not make noise, practically does not cause any inconvenience to its owners, and is not a carrier of various diseases dangerous to humans. And caring for cute turtles is not at all difficult and does not require daily hassle.

It is believed that on average a land turtle in captivity, that is, at home, can live up to 40 years. But unfortunately, often due to improper care and feeding, pets do not live to be 10 years old.

Let's find out how to properly care for a land turtle, as well as what and how often it should be fed.

Basic rules of care

Experienced veterinarians say: almost all the diseases that turtles suffer in captivity are associated with the fact that they are kept outside the terrarium. Firstly, a turtle, crawling around the house, becomes unprotected from the teeth of dogs and cats, often living in the same apartment; the owners can step on it, accidentally put a stool, drop some heavy object, etc.

Secondly, it is very easy for a reptile to catch a cold. Let's say you decide to ventilate the bedroom and open the balcony wide, while the turtle rests peacefully under the radiator.

Due to a draft, an animal can easily get pneumonia, which will take a long and difficult time to treat. In addition, the carapace (reptile shell) collects dust and dirt from the farthest corners of the apartment.

It is also worth noting that reptiles often suffer from hypovitaminosis (lack of several or one vitamin). This can occur not only due to nutritional deficiency, but also as a result of a lack of UV radiation, because, as you know, some vitamins are produced by the body independently, under the influence of sunlight.

That is why the turtle must live in its own house - a terrarium. For one or two reptiles, a container measuring 50x30x40 cm is suitable, the bottom of which should be filled with a mixture of clay and sand or dry sawdust. There is no point in piling up the terrarium with various toys and unnecessary items, since a land tortoise must constantly move even at home.

The temperature in the terrarium should be maintained with a 75 W incandescent lamp,
installed at a distance of 25-30 cm from the bottom. Lighting should be provided by a fluorescent lamp.

The temperature should be between 27-29° C, and at the heating point, that is, under the lamp itself - about 35-38° C.

The food container must not be placed under a lamp.

Each turtle (if you have several) needs its own individual shelter. You can purchase a special house for a reptile at any veterinary store. However, you can make it yourself: to do this, just saw a ceramic flower pot in half and sand the edges so that your pet doesn’t get cut.

Once a week you can give your turtle a bath day. You need to bathe her in a basin with warm water(at a temperature of 26-29°C). The water level should reach the reptile's neck. It is recommended to clean the shell with a soft toothbrush, which should not be pressed too hard so as not to damage the cover.

What should you feed your land turtle at home?

In nature, turtles choose their own suitable food, depending on the time of year and age.

If necessary, they obtain for themselves the minerals necessary for the formation and strengthening of the carapace. At home, this responsibility falls entirely on the shoulders of the owner.

First of all, you should find out what species your pet belongs to.

All land turtles are divided into two types:

• omnivores;
• herbivores.

The menu of omnivores should consist of half plant foods and half protein.

The main diet of omnivorous turtles:

• chicken or beef liver(once a week);
• vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, carrots);
• fruits (apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots, etc.);
• greens (fresh or semi-dried salads, flowers, herbs, succulents, edible leaves);
• mice.

A herbivorous land turtle, of course, only needs to be fed plant foods.

Basic diet:

• 80% of the total diet should be greens (lettuce, flowers, herbs, etc.);
• 15% - fresh or defrosted vegetables;
• 5% - not too sweet fruits (apples, plums, bananas, etc.).

Once a week, herbivores are allowed to indulge in non-poisonous mushrooms (russula, champignons, chanterelles).

You can also include soybean meal, bran, dry seaweed, unroasted young sunflower seeds.

New owners are concerned with the question of how many times a day they need to feed a land turtle. Veterinarians say that you should feed your reptile once a day, preferably at the same time.

You should not give your turtle too much food, as overfeeding can lead to improper growth of the shell and body. A poor diet, on the contrary, causes exhaustion and death of the reptile.

Ideally, a pet should consume as much food per day as it can eat within half an hour. The approximate volume of the daily portion should be no more than half the reptile's shell. Under no circumstances should food be processed thermally. The food temperature should be at room temperature. All food must be finely chopped so that it is convenient for the turtle to chew it.

Advice . Don't give your turtle only what it likes. The diet should be rich and balanced. If you teach her to “sort out” foods, she will only eat what she likes, and this, in turn, will definitely have a negative impact on her health.

In nature, reptiles do not drink water, but get it from fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs. But, nevertheless, in the turtle’s terrarium there should always be a drinking bowl with clean, unboiled water, since captivity cannot be compared with natural conditions.

IN mandatory The turtle needs to be given vitamins and calcium. Land reptiles are given minerals in powder form, after mixing them with the main food. In order for your pet to independently replenish the calcium balance in its body, place a calcium block for parrots in the terrarium.

Feed the land turtle purchased food too often it is impossible, since no specially adapted nutrition in its own way nutritional value cannot compare with natural products. To choose food, consult with an experienced veterinarian, he will recommend what type of food is right for your turtle, based on its age, health condition and breed.

As a feed for land reptiles, you can give grass meal from alfalfa. It should be consumed in this way: pour a few tablespoons of clean flour drinking water room temperature and mix with the main food. This product contains much-needed microelements for animals, as well as vitamins E, B1, B2, A and D.

If it is not possible to feed the turtle during the day, it is best to give it food in the evening, a few hours before bedtime.

Turtles are animals that can go without food for a very long time, several days or even weeks, but despite this, they should be fed regularly.

You can determine whether a turtle wants to eat by next sign: Hungry animals constantly examine the bottom of the aquarium or terrarium.

Often, a newly purchased turtle does not eat because it cannot get used to the new environment and unfamiliar conditions. In this case, the animal needs to be given peace, not touched for a while and not making noise in the room where it is located. Sometimes a turtle’s lack of appetite is due to the fact that it cannot get used to a new diet, therefore, when purchasing a turtle, the owner must find out from the seller what he fed the animal, and at first give the pet its usual food. The turtle should be accustomed to new food gradually.

If, in addition to the purchased turtle, there are other pets in the terrarium, it is advisable to quarantine the new animal in a separate room and observe it for several days, after which you can place it in a common terrarium.
When keeping several turtles in a terrarium, you need to ensure that larger and stronger individuals do not oppress the weaker ones and allow them to approach the feeder.

Aquatic turtles are fed mainly animal food. Small young turtles can be given bloodworms, tubifex, dried daphnia and gammarus, earthworms, as well as concentrates intended for aquarium fish.

Large adult aquatic turtles, in addition to the above foods, can be offered raw or boiled chicken and beef. It is recommended to feed them raw fish occasionally. Before feeding fish to turtles, it should be boiled for 1-2 minutes as it contains the enzyme thiaminase.

The diet of aquatic turtles must include insects: mealy bug larvae, cockroaches, various beetles, etc.
With age, aquatic turtles begin to eat not only animal, but also plant foods, mainly algae, so growing algae to decorate an aquarium or terrarium is pointless. Plants for feeding turtles can be grown in a separate aquarium. They give turtles almost all algae, with the exception of poisonous ones - elodea and limnophils.

If there is a pond near your home, you can collect duckweed from its surface and give it to turtles from time to time, after rinsing it with boiled water.

Both animal and plant feed are poured directly into the water. Even though aquatic turtles eat quickly, pieces of meat or fish left in the water begin to rot and become unfit to eat. Therefore, animals need to be given only as much food as they can eat in 15–20 minutes, otherwise the water in the aquarium will have to be changed after each feeding.

If possible, turtles can be periodically given live aquarium fish (guppies, swordtails, goldfish). This will allow aquatic turtles to express their hunting instincts at home.

Land turtles feed mainly on plant matter. They can be offered cabbage, lettuce and dandelion leaves, carrots, beets, apples, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. From time to time, the diet of land turtles should include boiled chicken egg. In addition, the animals are given calcium supplements daily and, if necessary, various vitamins.

Both land and aquatic turtles need to be fed in moderation because overeating will not benefit them. If the turtle is full, there is no need to give it additional food. Young, growing turtles should be fed 1-2 times a day, adults - 1 time a day and preferably not fed 1 day a week.

Constant refusal of food is considered common for turtles if it is associated with inappropriate selection of food, seasonal changes, unsuitable living conditions, various diseases. By correcting the first three reasons, you can restore your normal diet. The situation is more complicated when the animal refuses to accept food due to poor adaptation or some disease.

In this case, stimulation of nutrition and artificial feeding are indicated.
To stimulate nutrition, vitamins and physical methods are used. The recommended vitamin is B-complex.
From physical methods The following are suitable for nutritional stimulation:
– slight increase in temperature;
- well ultraviolet irradiation;
– thermal baths.

If all of these methods are ineffective, it is necessary to resort to artificial feeding, which over time helps restore nutritional function. Sometimes artificial feeding is carried out for a very long time, until the end of the animal’s life. Oddly enough, sometimes such animals are quite active, live a long time and are even able to reproduce.

Any animal kept at home, in addition to basic nutrition, periodically requires all kinds of vitamins and mineral supplements. And for a turtle during the period of growth and formation of its shell, these supplements are vital.

Every day, turtles are fed bone meal, which can be purchased at pet stores. One adult requires 5 g of bone meal per day.

Check with your retailer to see if any new specialized vitamin supplements for turtles are currently on sale.

Most species of freshwater turtles happily eat earthworms. In the summer, they can be easily dug up in the forest or at a summer cottage, and for the winter, worms are usually stored in the right amount, why they are caught and placed in boxes on thick layer leafy soil. Worm boxes should be kept in a cool place with moderate humidity. You can feed the worms any food waste.

The most common live food for turtles is mealworm larvae. They should be given no more than twice a week: hard chitin causes certain difficulties in digesting food, and this circumstance often causes inflammation of the gastric mucosa in turtles.

The beetleworm is bred in low, well-ventilated tin boxes, which are placed in a fairly dry and warm (not lower than 27 °C) room.

A mixture of dried and crushed birch leaves is used as a substrate. You can feed the beetle with food waste, as well as swollen oatmeal.

The most the best food For turtles, crickets are considered - brownie and steppe. To keep crickets, boxes with a wall height of at least 30 cm are used. Heating lamps with a power of 25 W are installed in the boxes. As soil, you can use sifted soil with crushed birch leaves.

Crickets are fed with pieces of vegetables and greens. There must be water in the device. Good food for reptiles are wax moth and flies, but breeding them at home is very difficult. In the summer, you can set traps for these insects, and with the onset of cold weather, switch the turtles to other food.

Plant foods should be present in the diet of turtles, since they are the main source of vitamins and minerals.

Plant foods primarily include vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets, leafy vegetables), fruits (apples and pears) and berries.

Cabbage contains active vegetable protein, vitamin C and carotene. Carrots are a very valuable source of vitamin A, have a beneficial effect on digestion, and stimulate appetite. Beetroot has similar properties. Leafy vegetables should also be included in turtles' diets as a source of vitamins and minerals. For some diseases (for example, constipation), they are given as a laxative. As a rule, when treating hypovitaminosis C and stomatitis, berries are included in the animal menu.

Dry food can be offered to aquatic turtles once a week. Some owners have adapted to giving their pets regular dry food for cats and dogs, despite the fact that their composition is not suitable for turtles. However, if your pet has been eating them for a long time and tolerates them well, there is no point in giving them up.

IN lately Specialized food for turtles has appeared on sale, with the addition of vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of granules. These feeds are a mixture of natural dried feeds in the form of granules or plates.

When choosing dry food for aquatic turtles, carefully read the composition, since low-quality food does not contain vitamins. As a rule, most food is made from fishmeal, and experienced turtle owners prefer not to buy it at all. Be that as it may, dry food is given no more than three times a week. Prepare for the fact that your pet may refuse dry food: an animal accustomed to other food is unlikely to immediately begin to eat new food.

The diet of most turtles is very varied: they can eat food of both animal and plant origin. However, young turtles prefer live food.

With age, their preferences change, and they switch to plant foods. This is due to the fact that young animals require calcium and amino acids for development, which are not found in plant foods, and in adults there is no urgent need for them. In addition, when hunting, young individuals spend a lot of energy, and these losses must be replenished.

Turtles readily eat meat cut into small pieces. First, it should be immersed in boiling water for a few minutes.

It is not recommended to serve meat that has not undergone heat treatment, as this can cause salmonellosis. You should also not feed turtles lamb and pork. Turtles give the greatest preference to fish, which, before giving to their pets, is dipped into boiling water for several minutes.