You are looking to offer The best diet to your earth turtle? Well done ! Yet you have surely found that this can be akin to a real puzzle. Between the multitude of information available on the net and all the aberrations that can be seen (ex: give dog food - no but allo - as the other would say), it is sometimes hard to find your way ... Don't worry, after a Long work of study, we have gathered all the necessary information that you must know. After reading this article, the food of the earth turtles will not have No secrets for you. Are you ready? So let's go!😁
What are the food needs?
has. Nutrients
The majority of land turtles are reptiles herbivores And frugivore, that is to say that their diet consists exclusively of plants. However, certain species of land turtles are also omnivores. This is the case, for example, of the steppe turtle, the crisscrossed turtle or the coal turtle. The latter will have a plant -based diet but also a few animal proteins in small quantities (ex: glasses, slugs, snails ... etc). ATTENTION : By animal proteins, we are not talking about steaks or rib steaks here, let's stay logical!😉
Ideally, the food of terrestrial turtles must constitute 90% vegetables and 10% fruit. This is generally how the diet of this animal is made up:
- low in fat (~ 10%)
- low in protein (~ 20%)
- Strong in water and trace elements
- Fiber
- Vitamins
- Minerals
It is advisable to have a calcium level twice as high that the rate of phosphorus. For food, we talk about phosphocalcic report or ca/p (Yes, very barbaric as a term it's true ... Science lessons Hello 🤓). This report must be understood Between 1.5 and 4.
As an example : Imagine that a food contains 120mg of calcium and 64.2mg of phosphorus. We pose: 120 / 64.2 = 1.87. The CA/P is therefore 1.87
In general, it is not necessary to carry out this calculation whenever you feed your turtle but hey, it is always good to know. So avoid the headlines and remember above all that your little turtle will have need various foods And comprising all the contributions mentioned in the above list. ⬆️
b. Vegetables, herbs and fruit
🥬 For vegetables and herbs, these must constitute the most of the earth turtle regime. Among the good choices, we can cite: clover, plantain, dandelion (rods, leaves and flowers), luzerne, parsley, watercress ... You can also distribute lamb's lettuce, kale, green cabbage leaves, mustard leaves, broccoli (only stems), beets…
🍉 For fruits, remember that they represent only 10% of their diet. For what ? Simply because the fruits have a mineral and vitamin content that is too low. Therefore, you will not give it that every day and in small ration. The fruits are more to be considered as a treat but are not to be overlooked (well yes you have to please it from time to time in your turtle).
Turtles are very Attracted by colorful foods, they will love in particular: strawberries, tomatoes, raspberry, apples, grapes, mango, watermelon, melon, blackberries, berries, and blueberries.
Nowadays, there are also industrial preparations All ready in pet store. Very often these preparations offer all nutritional which the herbivorous turtle needs. It should be noted that we do not yet have the necessary decline To find out if these foods can really have positive effects on your animal. We therefore advise you to remain cautious and do not not to use them over. In any case, it will always be more beneficial for a turtle to reproduce it as well as possible The food she would find in her natural environment. Despite everything, we admit that these development can be useful. They often represent a save time Non -negligible, especially for those who raise their domestic turtles indoors. Anyway, the best is to always ask your veterinarian for advice. It will always be the best placed to tell you if this or that food is more suitable than another.😷
c. Quantities and frequency of meals
A turtle does not have the same calorie needs as a human! This is why it is not useful to feed it daily. Know that 6 meals per week will be more than enough. So you can grant her 1 day of fasting so that she reproduce The natural rhythm of a turtle who would be at freedom in his biotope.🐢
What about the quantity? As a general rule, it is said that it is necessary to give it about 5% of its weight in food If it is an adulthood turtle and 10% for a juvenile turtle. For example : a turtle of 2 kilos will be entitled to 2 x 0.05 = 0.100 or 100g of food.
Vitamin supplements and pellets?
has. Vitamin supplement
It can be very difficult to establish a food program Daily that will perfectly meet the nutritional needs of your turtle. Especially when it comes to juvenile turtles, the task is sometimes even more difficult. Therefore, many experts agree that the Vitamins/calcium supplements are beneficial For most of the captivity turtles, especially if they are high indoors. This can avoid deficiencies and strengthen the shell as well as the turtle frame.
⚠️ BUT And this is where you have to be careful. These supplements will be useless or even dangerous If your turtle already has a balanced diet. Indeed, this kind of supplements can lead to a hypervitaminosis which could cause skin tears and other important problems.
b. Granules
Turtles are often very fond of it but pellets do not represent “natural” foods and are not not recommended. They can nevertheless be practical for a turtle coming out of a disease or hibernation and which would find it difficult to regain appetite for example. To keep rather in case of rescue SO.
⛔ About prohibited foods
Popular belief says that the turtle would be an animal that is greeted with lettuce all day long. Rather paradoxical when you know that lettuce is one of the not recommended plants (causes kidney problems) ... you will find below a non -exhaustive list offoods that you should not give to your turtle:
- Dairy products (yogurts, cheese, etc.)
- Lettuce
- Legumes (peas, beans, etc.)
- Mushrooms
- Dog/cat kibble
- Sweets
- Lawyer
- Mahogany
- Chervil
- Mistletoe
- Hoe
- Daffodil
- Jacynthe
- Mimosa
- Thrush
- Spinach
- bread
- meats
- but
- onions
All the foodstuffs on this list are not “dangerous” strictly speaking. On the other hand their repeated consumption see daily can have harmful repercussions in the long term on the metabolism of the turtle. Indeed all these foods do not contain the necessary contributions that we have mentioned in the first part of this article.
Tips and tips
- Always control that your turtle has the good temperature exterior or environmental because it greatly improves its digestive system (and its good health in general)
- Check that the foods you give have not been treated with pesticides
- If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to get closer to veterinary services
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Bonus : Find below a table comprising many edibles for your terrestrial turtle as well as their CA/P value for each.
