What do marsh turtles eat, how to feed at home

At home, marsh turtles eat mainly fish (2/3 of the diet), as well as beef and chicken offal. To a lesser extent, they are given vegetable food – leaves of dandelions, lettuce and other plants. Young turtles eat 1-2 times a day, and adult turtles eat daily or even with breaks for several days. Feeding is done only in the aquarium.

What to feed marsh turtles

Under natural conditions, marsh turtles feed on small fish, frogs, and mollusks. The animal also eats insects – larvae, worms, wood lice. Another component of the diet is plant foods (mainly algae and other aquatic plants). Therefore, feeding at home should approximately correspond to the natural way of life.

From animal food, the turtle is given:

• various types of low-fat river fish;
• squid;
• shrimps;
• earthworms;
• snails;
• shellfish;
• frogs;
• crustaceans (daphnia, bloodworms, crustaceans);
• raw beef offal: heart, liver;
• it is also allowed to feed raw chicken heart, breast fillet (but not chicken liver).

As plant food, you can give:

• leaves of white cabbage;
• lettuce leaves;
• dandelion leaves;
• watercress

In the weekly diet, it is correct to observe the following ratio: 70% fish (hake, halibut, pollock and many others), 20% meat (mainly offal) and 10% plant foods. Experienced breeders note that adult turtles are more in need of plant food. Therefore, its mass fraction can be increased to 20% by reducing the content of fish to 60%. Giving plants to young individuals (up to 3-4 years) should not be done at all. Their menu should consist entirely of fish and other animal products, with the proportion of fish reaching 80%.

It is also important to observe the general rule that the bog turtle is fed frozen food or live insects, crustaceans. The pet should not be given dry food, since these animals are mainly aquatic and love to eat foods with a high moisture content.

It is good to put live small fish, crustaceans, earthworms into an aquarium with a turtle so that it hunts them on its own and satisfies its hunger. If you use mixtures of Tetra, Setra, JBL, they must first be soaked.

How to Pee to a Turtle

The animal feeds exclusively in water, as it needs additional security. However, you do not need to throw pieces of fish or liver into the aquarium – then the water will quickly become clogged, and the remnants of food will quickly rot. The best way to feed a pet is with tweezers.

To train the turtle in this method, follow these rules:

1. Feeding is organized at the same time. In a few weeks, the animal will form a conditioned reflex and develop its own rhythm of life.
2. While serving food, the tweezers with 1 piece are gently extended to the pet – she will take it and swim away under the water, since the eating itself will be in the aquatic environment.
3. Before approaching, it is advisable to call the turtle so that it remembers the voice of the owner.
4. Feeding on the floor and generally on land is excluded – the whole procedure is carried out exclusively in an aquarium filled with clean water.
5. If the turtle took a bite but didn’t eat it, it’s best to leave it alone for a while.
6. At the end of feeding, it is advisable to follow the remnants of food and remove them from the aquarium.

Experienced breeders note that the European bog turtle is more intelligent than terrestrial species. She reacts to the appearance of the owner, to his voice. But the turtle often does not respond to the voice of another person, even if he purposefully calls her. Sometimes the animal takes food even from the hand, but this is more the exception than the rule.

Together with food, the marsh turtle must also be given vitamins. 2 times a week, a pet can be given a pinch of bone meal (it contains calcium, phosphorus, necessary for growth and strengthening of the shell), sprinkling it on beef liver.

Feeding frequency and serving size

The main food is fish, which is given daily. Vegetable food and offal, meat are given once a week – preferably on the same day. Feeding is mainly carried out daily (once a day), but sometimes there are days when the animal refuses to eat. Young animals eat often and in large quantities (up to 2 times a day), and older individuals can easily do without food for several days in a row.

Serving size is defined as half the volume of the shell. You can take a piece of raw halibut, visually estimate the size of the turtle and cut off half the fish. You should not accustom the animal to large portions: overfeeding is harmful to health, and food leftovers will quickly clog the aquarium.

What not to give bog turtles

The animal is fed only with those products that are described above. Prohibited foods include:

• any dairy products;
• red fish (salmon, trout, salmon, etc.);
• fatty white fish (capelin, sprat, herring);
• gills and other entrails of large crayfish;
• fatty meat, any animal fat;
• caterpillars and other insects of unknown origin.

It is unacceptable to give the turtle “caught” food: flies, cockroaches, as well as the first insect that comes across. They can be poisoned or poisonous, which can cause the animal to get sick and even die.

If at home you feed the marsh turtle with fish, crustaceans and other “live” food, observing the above ratios, the pet will feel very good. She will not only get the necessary calories, but also replenish the reserves of vitamins, minerals and other useful substances. Thanks to a balanced diet and accurate dosage, the risk of developing various diseases is significantly reduced, so the turtle has every chance to live a full, long life.