large pet turtles Article

Box turtles or box tortoise can be differentiated from other turtles by their dome shaped shell which has a hinge at the bottom which helps the reptile to close the shell firmly in order to protect itself from other predators. These turtles have a life span of 35 to 100 years and sometimes even more. These turtles as pets, have become very popular, but the problem is that the whole process of box turtle care is difficult and that capturing these turtles is an offense. Now the question is what do box turtles eat? Given below are some information about the basic diet of the box turtle, what they feed on when they have been kept captive or when they are out in the wild.

Diet of the Box Turtles

While talking about what do box turtles eat and drink, let us first learn something about the eating habits of these turtles. What do turtles eat? These turtles are omnivorous which means that they eat everything, insects, snails, snakes, rodents, roots, fish, frogs, fungi, salamander, birds, eggs of other animals and what not. Their sharp eyes and powerful sense of smell helps them to hunt for food.

The first few weeks after they are born, these turtles are carnivorous, but later when they grow into adults, they turn mainly into herbivorous, but that does not mean that they feed on green plants. If you have a box turtle as a pet, then the most difficult thing that you have to face is feeding them, specially the nutritious food. The food habits of these turtles depend on certain factors such as the temperature as well as the lighting. If these factors are not met then there are chances that the box turtle might go on a hunger strike. They eat what they want and do not depend on their metabolism or unlike the warm blooded animals they are not forced by their metabolism to eat. You can entice the turtles to eat by giving them live food such as earthworms or snails etc.

What Do They Eat: In Wild and In Captivity

Wondering what do box turtles eat in the wild? Well they eat what they get and what they want, provided it’s edible. They eat fruits, snakes, snails, fungi, insects like crickets, slugs, silk moth larvae, grasshoppers and so on. Some of these box turtles also eat other small animals or reptiles like frogs, salamander, snakes, snails etc. If you have these turtles as pets and are wondering what do box turtles eat in captivity then remember, that they mainly feed on those animals which are high in protein content. Their diet also includes fruits and vegetables, in a large amount. The fruits usually include strawberries, apples, grapes, cherries, pears, plums, oranges, figs and so on. Vegetables include broccoli, squash, carrots, radish, clover, okra, peas, cabbage etc. This will now answer your question what do box turtles eat. For your pet, a healthy diet would be chopped grapes, or grated carrots and earthworms. Later maybe you can move on to mushrooms and strawberries along with some sowbugs. Keep changing the box turtle food if you do not want your pet to fuss about their food.

Points to Keep in Mind

The young turtles have to be fed small quantity of food almost every single day while the adults can be fed after a gap of two to three days. The protein content in their diet should be around 50% if you want your turtles to be healthy. The next important content in the diet is vegetables and then comes fruits and dark green and leafy vegetables. Do you know what do eastern box turtles eat? They follow the same diet as the box turtles.

Now that the answer to your question of what do box turtles eat has been answered, you won't face any difficulty while feeding your at home. Just make sure that you feed them well and take proper care for pet turtles. With proper care and food your turtles will live for a long time.