What Can Turtles Eat from Human Food? Including Food List

If you just got your first pet turtle one of the first things that you are asking yourself is what do turtles eat? And can they eat the same food as we eat? When I got my first turtle I also asked myself the same questions, and to find out the answer I decided to do some research, here is what I found out.

Turtles can eat almost everything that humans eat, but some foods can be dangerous for them if they eat too much. In general, turtles should avoid processed foods, as well as fruits and vegetables with high quantities of phosphorus.

Here is a list of food groups that both humans and turtles can eat:

• Meat
• Fish
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Eggs
• Insects

Here is a list of foods that humans eat but turtles can’t eat:

• Bread
• Bakery Products
• Pasta
• Sweets

*At the end of the article, you will find a long list containing which vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, and meats that turtles can eat.

In general, turtles can eat almost anything that is made out of plant matter or meat, but as I said some of them can do more harm than good if they are eaten in large quantities. So in the rest of the article, I am going to cover some of the most common food groups that we eat, and how good or bad they are for the turtle, and which specific items should be avoided.

Meat

Turtles love meat, and they will eat any kind of meat that you present them, as long as it’s fresh. In general, meat is good for turtles, but too much of it can cause problems.

Meat contains a lot of proteins, turtles use those proteins mainly to grow their shell. But if the turtle eats too many proteins the shell will start to suffer, because it will start pyramiding.

Pyramiding is a disease that accelerates the growth of the shell, but because there is a limit on how fast the shell can grow in length, the remaining protein will start to form pyramid-like shapes on the scutes of the shell. The bad part about this disease is that it’s irreversible, the good part is that only severe cases will actually affect the turtle, and if a turtle shows signs of pyramiding, changing its diet will stop it from developing any further.

Another thing that you should avoid when it comes to meat is meat with a lot of fat. Too much fat can cause a turtle serious health problems. So if possible try not to feed your turtle bacon or a steak.

One other important thing about turtles and meat is that they can eat both cooked and raw meat. In general, I try not to feed my turtle raw meat because there is a chance that it might contain bacterias that you can eliminate by cooking it. It’s just a safety measure, so if you don’t want to risk giving your turtle bacterias I would suggest you give your turtle-cooked meat instead of raw meat.

Fish

Turtles are used to share the same habitat with fishes, and also to eat them. Just like with the meat turtles will eat any kind of fish that you present them.

But just like with the meat, you should avoid giving your turtle fishes that have a lot of fat.

Another thing that should be avoided when it comes to fish, is to give your turtle wild-caught fish. A wild-caught fish, especially if it’s raw, will definitely have a lot of bacteria that can hurt your turtle. Even if in the wild they share a habitat, your turtle is not from the wild so they are not used to the bacteria present there.

Fishes with a lot of bones should also be avoided. Turtles have no way of removing the bones from the fish so they will end up swallowing them. And when they do so there is a chance that the bones will cause some damage on the inside.

The best way to get fish for your turtle is to go to the pet shop and ask an employee for some feeder fish for your turtle. Usually, they should know what you are asking for. But just in case you are unlucky and the employee doesn’t have any idea what you want, here are two lists, one containing fishes that you should avoid, and one containing fishes that are good for your turtle.

Here is a list of feeder fishes that you should avoid:

• Goldfish
• Rosy Red minnows
• Carp
• Gizzard Shad
• Feathered minnows

Here is a list of fishes that are safe for your turtle to eat:

• Bluegills
• Bass
• Crappies
• Guppies
• Killifish
• Platies

Just make sure that the fishes are small enough so your turtle can catch and eat them easily.

Fruits

Fruits are beneficial for turtles, but you have to feed them in small quantities. Fruits shouldn’t make up for more than 10% of the diet of a turtle. This is because fruits don’t have a calcium potassium ratio that is too good for turtles, but besides that turtles definitely benefit a lot from them.

Turtles can eat almost any kind of fruit that you can eat, but with a few exceptions. Those exceptions are citruses, and fruits with a lot of potassium. Citruses contain citric acid which can irritate the stomach of the turtle, and fruits with high potassium are not healthy for the shell.

If you want a list of fruits that you should avoid, you should read this article: Can Turtles Eat Fruits? (with Pictures and Videos), after you are done with this one.

Vegetables

In general, turtles can eat almost all the vegetables that humans can eat, but again there are a few exceptions that end up doing more bad than good.

The first exception is iceberg salad, unlike most salads, iceberg salad doesn’t have too many nutritional values. So when a turtle eats iceberg salad it’s only filling its stomach up, but other than that it gains almost nothing from it.

The other exceptions are vegetables that contain high amounts of oxalates. Oxalates are substances that inhibit the absorption of calcium in the bones. Since the body of a turtle is almost entirely covered with bones, calcium is very important for them, and you don’t want to disrupt its absorption at all.

Here is a list of a few vegetables that contain high doses of oxalates:

• Spinach
• Chard
• Beetroot
• Rhubarb
• Potatoes
• Endive

Bread and Other Bakery Products

If you give a turtle bread or any other bakery product it will eat it, but it’s not good for them. Bakery products offer them no nutritional value and sometimes they can even cause digestion problems.

So they can eat them but they definitely shouldn’t.

Pasta

Just like with the bakery products, they can eat them but no kind of pasta is good for the health of the turtle. So don’t feed your turtle pasta.

Sweets

Turtles should definitely not eat any kind of sweets. They are very bad for turtles and they can cause a lot of health problems. So avoid keeping any kind of sweets near your turtle, because they will try to eat them, but you shouldn’t let it do it.

Snacks

In the snacks category, I include everything like potato chips, biscuits, popcorn, etc.

Turtles should definitely not eat them. This is because they contain a lot of salt or sugar and a lot of chemicals that are very bad for turtles.

Just like with the sweets, your turtle will try to eat one if it’s near it, but you have to stop your turtle from doing so, almost every kind of snack can be bad for a turtle.

Nuts 

Nuts, just like some vegetables contain high amounts of oxalates, which disrupt the absorption of calcium. So turtles shouldn’t eat nuts.

Dairy Products

Turtles cannot digest dairy products so they shouldn’t eat them. If they eat them they will end up with health problems.

But just like with every kind of food, turtles will try to eat them, because they don’t know that dairy products are not good for them. So it’s up to you to make sure that you don’t allow your turtle to have the chance to eat them.

Eggs

Yes, turtles can eat eggs, as long as they are fresh, it doesn’t matter from what species they come. My recommendation for eggs is to boil and peel them first. And to make things easier for your turtle, cut the eggs into small pieces first, or at least hold the egg while it’s eating, otherwise, you will end up with something like his.

Insects

I know that most people don’t usually eat insects but in some parts of the world, especially in Asia, they can be quite popular, especially as street food. So I decided to add them to the list.

Turtles can and should eat insects. In the wild, they eat them all the time. My recommendation for insects is to feed your turtle dried crickets, here is a link to the ones that I use: dried crickets that I use.

You can also feed your turtle live insects, but they tend to move around a lot, and if you are not careful they will run free through your house.

Complete List of Foods That Turtles Can Eat

Vegetables

Almost all vegetables contain calcium and phosphorus. And as a result, most of them have a calcium to phosphorus ratio. So let’s take a look at what calcium does for red eared sliders, what phosphorus does for them, and what is good calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Most vegetables have a calcium to phosphorus ratio, this ratio can be 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 1:2, etc. A good ratio is 2:1 since this means that the vegetable contains more calcium than phosphorus, while a 1:2 is not a good ratio. So the higher the number on the right the better the vegetable is for a turtle.

Here is a table containing some of the most common vegetables and their calcium-phosphorus ratio, ordered from the best vegetables to the worst.

Fruits

Most fruits are ok for a turtle to eat, even if they contain a lot of phosphorus. The only fruits that you should avoid are citruses. They contain citric acid which will irritate the stomach of the turtle, and this can lead to vomiting, and in some cases even to problems worse than that. So avoid oranges, lemons, grapefruits, mandarins, limes, pomelo, and any other citruts.

Here is a list of fruits that contain a high amount of phosphorus. The amount of phosphorus is 100 grams.

• Raisin
• Prune
• Date
• Avocado
• Guava
• Banana
• Coconut
• Kiwi
• Persimmon
• Cantaloupe
• Apricot
• Pomegranate
• Honeydew
• Nectarine
• Mulberry
• Peach

If you want to know more details about which fruits are good for turtles and which aren’t, you should check out my article Can Turtles Eat Fruits? (with Pictures and Videos), where I discuss the subject in greater detail.

Fish

Here is a list of fish that you should avoid:

• Goldfish
• Rosy Red minnows
• Carp
• Gizzard Shad
• Feathered minnows

Here is a list of fish that are safe for your turtle to eat and live with:

• Bluegills
• Neon Tetra
• Bass
• Crappies
• Pictus Catfish
• Guppies
• Killifish
• Platies

The problem with fish is not that they are poisonous or anything like that. The problem is that they have a lot of small sharp bones that can damage the internal organs of a turtle.

When turtles eat a small fish, they don’t chew it, they simply swallow it as it is. And the spine bones of the fish can scratch them, which can lead to internal bleeding, which can be fatal. When a turtle eats a bigger fish, it will take big bites out of it, which will swallow without chewing. And the same problem will appear.

Another problem is that some fish contain high amounts of thiamine. Thiamine is an enzyme that will block the absorption of vitamin B1 which is essential for a turtle. 

So My suggestion is to avoid the fish that you buy at the supermarket for you and instead go for feeder fish sold at pet shops.

Meat

Overall all meats that humans eat are good for turtles. Due to safety reasons, it’s better to cook the meat before feeding your turtle but make sure that you don’t add salt, pepper, or any kind of condiments since they aren’t so good for the health of a turtle.

Common Questions

Can turtles eat cat food? Yes, most cat foods are made out of some kind of meat so they are also safe for turtles to eat.

Can turtles eat dog food? Yes, most dog food can be eaten by turtles. Since dog food is made mostly out of meat, turtles should have no problem eating it.

Can turtles eat fish pellets? Yes, fish and turtle pellets are not very different. They are mostly made out of the same thing, with a few exceptions. So you can definitely give your turtle some fish pellets.

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