what do you feed a vegetarian box turtle?

Question

my daughter's turtle will not eat anything except romain lettuce.

Answer 1

so keep giving it lettuce try giving it stuff like carrots or slices of apples and see if it eats any of that if not just stick with the lettuce

Answer 2

Are you sure it's a vegetarian? Wild box turtles are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. When I used to find box turtles on the road I would take them home and keep them for the summer and let them go in the winter. They love worms and slugs, and I have seen them eat raw chop meat and canned cat food. The nightcrawlers that you buy as bait for fishing are cheap and depending upon where you live easy to find. They also like fruit, strawberries and black berries are good, but you could probably feed them most kinds of fruit. It isn't healthy for them to only eat romaine lettuce, it's not very nutritious. The first thing you should do is determine exactly what kind of turtle it is. "Box" turtles are wild turtles, they aren't typically sold as pets. Did you buy it at a pet store? If so, they should be able to tell you. Or did you find it and adopt it as a pet? Research turtles at the library or on the internet. Go to Borders or Barnes & Noble and buy your daughter a book about turtles, if she is going to have one as a pet it's a good idea for her to learn as much as she can about them. If all else fails take the turtle to a veterinarian that specializes in reptiles and exotic pets. They will be able to tell you what kind of turtle you have and what you should feed it. If it's only been eating romaine lettuce it's health may be suffering already and it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have a vet examine it anyway. Good luck!

Answer 3

Are you feeding a box turtle or a tortoise? Box turtles are not vegetarian by nature and should have a fair amount of animal protein in their diet. Earthworms, mealworms and crickets are the usual options but small amounts of canned cat food or cooked chicken can also be offerred. A diet of just romaine will result in a severely deformed and sickly turtle. Try him on colourful fruits and vegetables like red berries and cooked sweet potato. Reluctant feeders may have to be taken off food for a couple days before they are willing to try new things. A powdered calcium/vitamin supplement is also recommended to avoid deficiencies in the diet.

Answer 4

I got minnowd for my painted turtle. You can give vegetable stuff to a box turtle and pet stores sell turtle food.

Answer 5

slugs, insects, snails, worms, leafy greens such as escarole, dandelions, endive, mustard, and collards, NO lettuces or spinach! They aren't good for him.
Hard mixed veggies such as an orange flesh squash the harder the better(acorn,pumpkin,butternut) fresh green beans, fresh peas, parsnip, and green bell peppers, NO broccoli or cauliflower, or avocado!
Fruit such as figs, papaya, mango, pear, and berries. NO bananas, only very rarely as a treat.

Answer 6

although the above answers are awesome, i wanted to add=
turtles should be offered a varied diet..daily..or they will refuse to eat other foods. make sure youve got proper uv lighting and vitamin powder also