What Do Turtles Eat? - Animals | HowStuffWorks

• Science
• Tech
• Home & Garden
• Auto
• Culture
• Health
• Money
• Animals
• Lifestyle
• Entertainment

• Quizzes

Submit Search Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close ​ HowStuffWorks Newsletter Mobile Newsletter chat close Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat dots Mobile Newsletter chat avatar Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe

Advertisement

HowStuffWorks Animals Wild Animals Reptiles Turtles What Do Turtles Eat? By: Laurie L. Dove

• Share Content on Facebook
• Share Content on LinkedIn
• Share Content on Flipboard
• Share Content on Reddit
• Share Content via Email

What a turtle prefers to eat, whether in the wild or as a pet, will depend on its age, size and species. The one thing that remains a constant is that, like humans, most turtles appreciate variety. Although they tend to be omnivorous, eating both plants and animals, each of the more than 300 species of turtles is known to have specific preferences for what they like to eat. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

Advertisement

Contents

1. What Do Pet Turtles Eat?
2. What Do Sea Turtles Eat?
3. What Do Land Turtles Eat?

What Do Pet Turtles Eat?

If your pet is a land turtle, plan on feeding it a varied diet of dark leafy greens, vegetables and fruit, as well as animal protein. You don't necessarily need to go hunting for insects and small animals, however. You can purchase earthworms, crickets and feeder fish at most pet supply retailers. In a pinch, you may also feed a high-protein form of wet dog food or specially made protein pellets. Keep in mind that if you come across a bag of mealworms, they make great treats for turtles but do not have much nutritional value. Most pet turtles will appreciate any of the ingredients you might expect to see in a salad such as blueberries, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce or strawberries. If your turtle doesn't seem interested in a particular food, try another one. One turtle may not like apples, but will eat bits of hard-boiled egg.

Advertisement

What Do Sea Turtles Eat?

Sea turtles, also known as aquatic or water turtles, are either omnivores (eating plants and animals), herbivores (plants only) or carnivores (animals only), depending on the species to which they belong. Of the seven sea turtle species currently in existence, only flatback, loggerhead and olive ridley sea turtles are omnivorous, dining on everything from jellyfish and seaweed to fish and shrimp. Green sea turtles are herbivores, eating seagrass and algae, but only as adults. When young, green sea turtles add meat to their diet. Hawksbill and Kemp's ridley sea turtles are carnivores that prefer sea sponges and crab, respectively. Leatherback sea turtles, on the other hand, often are called gelatinivores because they only eat invertebrates like jellyfish.

Advertisement

What Do Land Turtles Eat?

Land turtles, also known as terrestrial turtles or tortoises, are omnivores who prefer to eat a range of foods. Adult land turtles generally like a balanced diet of beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, grubs and snails as well as berries, flowers, fruit, grasses and mushrooms. Young turtles, however, prefer a protein-heavy diet because of the intense growth period that takes them into adulthood. Whatever the age, land turtles may even make a meal of a relatively fresh carcass such as that of a dead frog, rodent or other small mammal.

Advertisement

Now That's Interesting

With good nutrition and a healthy habitat, certain turtles can live for decades. Sea turtles can live as long as a century and land turtles can live even longer. A land turtle named Jonathan, who turned 190 years old in 2022, holds the Guinness World Records title of "oldest living land animal."

​ Cite This!

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article:

Copy Laurie L. Dove "What Do Turtles Eat?" 24 May 2022.HowStuffWorks.com. <https://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/what-do-turtles-eat.htm> 19 December 2025 Close Citation Related Links Up Next How to Feed Baby Turtles Explore More You May Like What's the Difference Between a Tortoise and a Turtle? Explore More Keep Reading Mary River Turtle Is Last of Ancient Lineage Explore More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Loading...

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement