There are few things as adorable as watching your pet turtle chow down on various treats. But before you feed them anything, you need to ensure that it’s safe for them.
The good news is that watermelon is completely safe for your pet turtle and offers various health benefits. Of course, the key to everything is moderation.
That’s why we broke down everything that you need to know about watermelon here, along with other tasty treats, and highlighted a few foods that you need to avoid.
Is Watermelon Okay for Turtles?
Absolutely! While there’s debate about whether you should give them watermelon at all since it’s not a part of a wild turtle’s diet, there’s little doubt that they can eat it.
In fact, most experts recommend adding fruits like watermelon to your turtle’s diet. But you still should only give them fruits in moderation. For turtles, this means fresh fruit shouldn’t make up more than 10% of their diet, and for tortoises, it shouldn’t make up more than 20% of their diet.
You should also feed them various fruits, so they get different nutrients and don’t get too used to a single fruit.
Are Fruits Bad for Turtles?
No! Fresh fruits are a natural and healthy part of a turtle’s diet. But while fresh fruits in the right amounts are excellent for your turtle, you can overdo it.
Fruits are high in sugar, and too much sugar will create an imbalance in your turtle’s digestive system. Also, if you give your turtles too many fruits, they can get selective about what they eat, which means they might not get the nutrients that they need from other foods.
What Foods Should You Not Feed Turtles?
While there are plenty of foods that you can feed your turtle, not everything is fair game. Here, we highlighted four foods that you should avoid feeding your turtle, and some of them might surprise you.
Related Topic: Can Turtles Eat Bananas?
The Ideal Turtle Diet
If you own a pet turtle, you must give them a healthy diet. The good news is that getting the right foods for your turtles is easier than you think. We highlighted the three most important ingredients that should make up your turtle’s diet here.
- See Also: 8 Human Foods That Turtles Can Eat
Final Thoughts
Don’t overthink your turtle’s diet. Give them tons of veggies, the occasional fruit, and plenty of live prey and pellets. Variety should come in the veggies and fruits, but it’s always a good idea to do a quick Google search to ensure that something is safe before adding it to their diet. Of course, give each fruit and veggie a good wash before feeding it to them.
Finally, while turtles have a rather varied diet, they’ll undoubtedly enjoy chowing down on watermelon. Not only do they love it, but in moderation, it’s also extremely good for them. Just be sure not to give them too much, no matter how cute they look!
Featured Image Credit by Fotografie – Schmidt, Shutterstock
