Turtle Foods: Pellets, Shrimp & Other Prepared Diets

[findi]

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo.
Today’s commercial turtle foods are, thankfully, light years removed from the yesteryear’s dried “ant eggs” (actually ant pupae). While natural foods remain important, some remarkable advances now provide turtle keepers with an important safety net, and simplify the process of providing our pets with a balanced diet. Today I’ll review some well-researched prepared diets that are valued by zookeepers and experienced private
Note: The excellent products described below should be used as part of a well-rounded diet….in my experience, up to 50% for some species, more or less for others. We do not, as far as I know, have long-term research concerning diets comprised entirely of prepared foods. Whole freshwater fishes remain the best source of calcium for Sliders, Painted Turtles, Snakenecks and most other semi-aquatic turtles. Depending upon the species, fresh greens, produce, earthworms and other foods may be essential as well. Please see the articles under “Further Reading” and post questions below for information on complete diets for specific turtles. Today I’ll focus on Zoo Med products, as they have an extensive product line that is backed by over 2 decades of research. I’ll cover prepared foods from Tetra, Hikari and others in the future. turtle owners alike.
Read the rest of this article here Turtle Food: Pellets, Shrimp and Prepared Diets | That Reptile Blog
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My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank

 

[PetoftheDay]

Sadly, my Painted Turtle was terrified of the teeny "feeder fish" a roommate's girlfriend bought her as a treat. She was so scared she forgot she had a place to climb out of the water for safety, and repeatedly banged her shell frantically against the front of the tank trying to swim away from them. We rescued the poor dear, and scooped out the fish, who lived a long life in a fish only tank, and Rudy went back to prepared, unthreatening foods and some greens.

 

[TessieB]

My turtle will eat anything that doesn't outrun him. Unfortunately, he is a turtle, so I have to 'disable' his live food.

Thanks for the info!

 

[findi]

Sadly, my Painted Turtle was terrified of the teeny "feeder fish" a roommate's girlfriend bought her as a treat. She was so scared she forgot she had a place to climb out of the water for safety, and repeatedly banged her shell frantically against the front of the tank trying to swim away from them. We rescued the poor dear, and scooped out the fish, who lived a long life in a fish only tank, and Rudy went back to prepared, unthreatening foods and some greens.

Hi..adding live food to an aquarium or cage sometimes does that, even though the animal would eat such foods in the wild...have seen this even with 18+ foot long reticulated pythons, in zoos abroad where live foods were provided to snakes. Other than a few specialists....mata matas etc, turtles rarely catch fast moving fish in the wild; Painted turtles invariably take pre-killed fish; as they are the most impt calcium source for semi-aquatic species, it would be a good idea to try. Best, Frank

 

[findi]

My turtle will eat anything that doesn't outrun him. Unfortunately, he is a turtle, so I have to 'disable' his live food.

Thanks for the info!

Tnaks, glad you enjoyed. Yes, other than mata matas, alligator snappers, snakenecks and a few others, turtles are not great fish-hunters. Disabled or pre-killed are the rule in large zoo exhibits as well. best, frank