On this site you will find articles that cover every basic thing that a turtle owner needs to know, as well as all the advanced stuff. Flowers: Geraniums, dandelions, petunias, lilies, carnations. They are safe to feed as a snack. Spinach contains a high level of calcium, but it also contains oxalic acid which binds with calcium in the diet and prevents the tortoise from absorbing and using it. But is spinach one of them? Just not for me. I have had my turtle 15 years and he will not, under any circumstance eat veggies or fruit, he is totally carnivorous. Some people will feed it to there turtles every so often, but i personally don't recommend it. Turtles are known for eating everything that you put in front of them. This can help them survive a cold winter where less food is available. Blueberries: Yes. I'd avoid processed meats (such as lunch meat and hot dogs), dairy, and vegetables that are known to be toxic to people (such as the leaves of rhubarb), but usually the rest is OK in small amounts as part of a varied, balanced diet. He will only eat cat food (loves it! By Pet stores offer a range of turtle food products in pellets, sticks, and chunks, formulated for different types of turtles and providing balanced nutrition with appropriate vitamins and minerals to keep the turtles healthy. Turtles can eat almost all the fruits humans eat except citruses and fruits rich in potassium. Lots of water lettuce and romain for the browsers. The main diet should be about 80% grass and hay, 10% greens and 10% treats (flowers, cactus, etc). What vegetables can tortoises not eat? Though this is possible, your indoor turtle will be happier and healthier to eat regularly. Whyle turtles can eat spinach, it’s not recommended because it contains high amounts of oxalic acid and inhibits the absorption of calcium. Greens: Carrot tops, lettuce, collard greens, kale, spinach. Painted turtles mostly live in dense vegetation areas, so water plants are a big part of their diet in the wild. So turtles shouldn’t eat spinach. It has oxalylic acid in it. I do feed a varied diet of dandilion leaves, Amazon sword, elodia etc, and then either reptomin pellets, turtle and terrapin complete food, wheat germ ( to help with scute shedding ) and sometimes Cichlid floating food sticks especially for my map turtles. My 5 turtles, Tucker, Eenie, Meenie, Mynie & Mo loving their Spinach leaves & pieces of baby carrots. Nope, Spinach is a no no. My Aldabras get only grass, hay, romain on occaision and plenty o. f spine free cactus. You know what else has oxalic acid? Location (City and/or State) Southern California. Smaller turtles will eat less than larger ones, and this is reflected in the idea that you should feed your turtle about as much food as would fit in his head and neck. Whyle turtles can eat spinach, it’s not recommended because it contains high amounts of oxalic acid and inhibits the absorption of calcium. But too much phosphorus can also make the shell a lot softer, and as a result much weaker when it comes to defending the turtle from predators. To clarify, I don't feed spinach to my 75 or so tortoises and well over a thousand aquatic turtles simply because I can't stand the taste. While spinach is very nutritious and provides a wealth of vitamins and minerals, it also contains a compound called Oxalic acid in relatively high quantities. So let’s take a look at what calcium does for musk turtles, what phosphorus does for them and what is a good calcium to phosphorus ratio. Oxalates would likely clinically impact mineral metabolism only if mineral intakes were marginal. Otherwise, you feed your turtle twice a day with a small portion each time. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. I guess what I'm trying to say is this. So spianch is not the best option for your turtle. Turtles can be great pets, ... Small amounts of spinach and broccoli are also good choices. There are very few foods that should never be fed to a reptile. Food Pellets. Apple in small amounts is OK, too, just as a treat. However, you can give them baby Spinach but only in a condition that is giving them once in 15 days or a month. Instead the best thing that you can feed your turtle is a balanced diet, that contains pellets, fruits, vegetables and meat. No, spinach is not something you want to feed to your turtle. What is the best food for turtles? http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/cal_ox.html. Vegetables fall in the treat category. You can give your hamster a full serving of spinach if they’re already accustomed to eating vegetables and fruits. This is generally a good thing since they won’t refuse the food you give them. This should help some. Vegetables: Corn, beans, beets, carrots, peas, squash, yams. My lover girl loves it. link to How Fast Are Turtles? They tend to eat insects, small fish, and commercially available turtle food that’s higher in protein than equivalent products available for most tortoises. But spinach is not the only vegetable that you should avoid. Painted turtles will eat fish, tadpoles, and worms if they can catch them, and they’ll scavenge for carrion. To supplement their calcium intake, offer them cuttlefish bone. I personally like to feed my musk turtle greenleaf and redleaf salad, they are not too expensive and he seems to like it. As some of these are difficult to obtain regularly, you can offer them turtle diets such as ReptoMin Food Sticks. A 1:1 ratio means that the amount of calcium is equal, or almost equal to the amount of phosphorus. It has oxalylic acid in it. There is nothing out there that can be named the best food. oxalic acids is what binds to calcium, impeding calcium absorption right? And when I’m cooking something with vegetables I usually cut a couple of smaller pieces and feed them to my turtle, just to mix things up a little. Calcium is essential for every animal in this world that has bones. My Redfoots get alot of protein through fish and frozen thawed rodents as well as a variety of melons and berries. Here is a list of some of the most common vegetables and their Calcium to Phosphorus ratio: With the help of this table you should be able to get a general idea of what vegetables you should feed your musk turtle. Now, having said that, one website for aquaculture feed states that WATER HYACINTH has "about 2.5% salts of oxalic acids", while spinach has about 970 milligrams per 100 gram serving, and carrots have 500mg per 100g serving, and Romain 300mg per 100g serving. In short, we can say that calcium is great for turtles and phosphorus is not so great for turtles in high quantities. They are nutritious and keep your turtle healthy by providing them with the necessary vitamins they need. A desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) diet is comprised mainly of safe grasses and weeds, leafy greens, with small amounts of hard vegetables and moist fruits. Oxalic acids impair the absorption of calcium that is very important in desert tortoise growth and development. Turtles have a lifespan of over 30 years, and you should always get their diet right; otherwise, keeping them may turn to be a nightmare. If I'm remembering the right thing the same article I read also pointed out spinach has so much calcium that the acids bound some calcium but there was some left over, though admittedly not much. It has oxalylic acid But they will eat it so be careful.Just not good for them. Most vegetables have a calcium to phosphorus ratio, this ratio can be 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 1:2, etc. TurtleOwner.com is owned and operated by The Turtle Owner Team. Yes turtles can and should eat fruits. And since the shell of a turtle is made out of bones, the calcium is even more important for turtles than for any other animal.