What do box turtles eat?

Question

I HAVE A BOX TURTLE AND WAS WONDERING IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE FOOD ASIDE FROM NIGHTCRAWLERS. IVE TRIED THE PELLETS AND HE WONT EAT THAT EITHER. ALSO IF HE CONTINUES TO NOT EAT WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS TO TAKING HOM SOMEWHERE BEFORE HE DIES WE'VE HAD HIM FOR ABOUT THREE MINTHS AND HIS APPETITE HAS DROPPED DRAMATICALLY. THANK YOU FOR ALL HELP!!!!!

Answer 1

Diet is one of the most crucial factors in maintaining a healthy box turtle. Getting a turtle to eat or to eat the proper nutritious foods is often the hardest thing a turtle owner must learn to do. Each feeding should include a food item from several food groups. For example, include a protein, a vegetable and a fruit, or a protein, a fruit and a green leafy vegetable. REGULARLY—Natural live, whole foods like pesticide free earthworms, slugs, waxworms, beetles, grubs, sow bugs. Boiled, chopped chicken, feeder fish or beef heart.
OCCASIONALLY—Low-fat soaked dog kibble, soaked puppy Milkbones®, low-fat premium canned dog food, cooked lean steak, mealworms and crickets that have been gutloaded with enriched food. Prepared box turtle food products.
RARELY—Boiled egg, tofu, low-fat cat kibble.
NEVER—due to the possiblity of contamination, fat content and salt: Raw meats, fatty meats or processed meats.


VEGETABLES make up about 30% of the diet. Use only the part of the vegetable that is colorful as it contains the most nutrition. Use fresh vegetables whenever possible, and steam or grate hard vegetables before offering to the box turtle.


REGULARLY—Summer and winter squashes, peas in the pod, sweet potatoes, okra, grated carrots, green beans, wax beans and cactus pads with ALL spines removed.
OCCASIONALLY—Mushrooms, corn on the cob and tomatoes.
RARELY—Sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, beets and cauliflower.


FRUITS make up about 10% of the diet and are dessert for your turtles. Most turtles love fruits and each seems to have a favorite. Try to find your turtle’s favorite. If it is a finicky eater, use the fruit to entice it to eat other foods. Chop the fruit into small pieces and mix it with things the turtle should eat but won’t. This way, with every bite of fruit it will also eat the required food. I sprinkle vitamins on the fruit as well.


REGULARLY—Grapes, fresh figs, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, apples, crabapples, strawberries, cantaloupe, kiwis, cherries and persimmons.
OCCASIONALLY—Bananas and watermelon.


LEAFY DARKY GREENS make up the remaining 10% of the diet. Dark leafy greens contain fiber and many minerals and vitamins. Greens help keep the turtle gut healthy through their cleansing action. Always provide your turtles with greens.


REGULARLY—Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, carrot tops, wheat grass and turnip greens.
OCCASIONALLY—Romaine, red leaf lettuce, endive.
RARELY—Parsley, kale, Swiss chard.
NEVER—due to the high oxalic acid content or poor nutritional value: Spinach, rhubarb leaves and iceberg lettuce.

Answer 2

American Box turtles are omnivores and will enjoy fruits, fungi, veggies, greens, mollusks, worms and insects.

Provide a high calcium source all the time--e.g. cuttlebone, boiled eggshells, plaster block--so that the turtle can munch when it feels the need for more calcium.

They are opportunistic feeders that eat almost anything edible that they find. Feed the turtle on a flat rock rather than from dishes of any kind. This more natural approach will prevent the beak and toenails from becoming overgrown.

Try these-
a salad of chopped grapes
dandelion,
grated carrot,
a delightful topping of earthworm.

This should convince your turtle that you are a good provider.

A couple days later, try-
a mushroom and a strawberry on a turnip leaf,
a few sowbugs on top,
lightly garnished with calcium powder.

Feed every morning. Offer slightly more food than your box turtle can eat in a day, and allow your pet access to its food for the entire daylight period.

Your turtle will say...
Mmm, mmm, good!

Answer 3

1st- what kind of box turtle? There is a subtle difference between the diet of the Eastern, Three-toed, and Ornates due in part to tehir natuive habitats.

2nd- in the wild, most box turtles eat about 75% insects, bugs, worms, snails, etc. and the rest is mostly 'fodder'- grasses, leaves, found fruits, berries, fungi, etc.

Variety is key to a healthy box turtle, but I have to wonder if there are other issues at work here.

Are you providing the turtle the right space, heat, humidity, lighting, etc? Box turtles are actually pretty sensitive to their habitat and won't eat if they are stressed by being too wet or too dry, too hot or too cold, etc.

Check the site below for good care articles, then check your cares against the experts. I suspect that once your set-up is better, the turtle's appetite will pick up!

Answer 4

Box turtles diets should not include onions. They can eat earth worms, slugs, squash, apples, berries,bananas,collard greens, hard boiled eggs and plain cooked chicken.They also can be fed pet store land turtle food but not exclusively. They are individuals and will chose what they like. Hope this helps. I have been hatching and raising turtles for 30 years.

Answer 5

98ta pretty much hit it on the nail. They need a mixed diet. Just feeding him night crawlers will make him sick. His appetite dropping like that probably means that your enclosure set up is wrong. Check out this page. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com Click on the care sheets link and pick the type of turtle you have. Make sure your following the care instruction exactly as they are written. If anything is off like temperature lighting and anything else your turtle will probably die. If you can't fix the turtles enclosure the way it should be You should probably give the turtle to someone who can.

Answer 6

My box turtles do eat nightcrawlers, but they also eat meal worms, and they love snails. Do you have a pond for your turtle? We built a 24x24 pond out of quick dry plastic cement. It was really cheap. After we built that pond my turtle really came to life. He likes to eat his food in the pond. Try grapes and black berries too. Make sure he has enough shade. We built a small wooden box and put peat moss in it. He loves it. Keeps him warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. Good luck. P.S. Don't feed him ice berg lettuce, it has no nutritional value at all. Red leaf or romaine is healthier.

Answer 7

box turtles are known to eat boxes thats how they got there name lol no seriously they will eat flies and lettuce and sometimes greens and leafy things read up on them and learn...

Answer 8

They definitely love lettuce. As for taking him somewhere, if you want to let him go in a natural environment, look for a nearby trail, where he could be free, and get his own natural food.

Answer 9

trust me i have 2 box turtles veggies,macaroni-n-cheese,&store bought turtle food



ya girl summer schuller

Answer 10

I don't know but I read a book about them once, you could try to find a book about them or do an online search!!!!

I HOPE MY ADVICE HELPS YOU A LOT!!!!!!!