Diet Change

[Tijjer]

Does anyone have any tips on helping a box turtle change their diet by eating new foods? I've been trying to get her to eat some box turtle pellets but she refuses. I mixed in some of her old food Aquatic turtle food hoping she will accidentally eat the new food but she continues to eat the old food rather than the new. Again any tips?

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Box turtle pellets are not worth eating. Box turtles are omnivores. There's so much they can eat and variety is so good for them. Fruits, vegetables, animal protein, bugs... Give them real food.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Buy some crickets feed the new crickets the new food dry then feed the food wet to the boxy with 1-2 crickets on top .

 

[Tijjer]

Buy some crickets feed the new crickets the new food dry then feed the food wet to the boxy with 1-2 crickets on top .

How are crickets going to help? I'm confused on how crickets well help.

 

[Tijjer]

Box turtle pellets are not worth eating. Box turtles are omnivores. There's so much they can eat and variety is so good for them. Fruits, vegetables, animal protein, bugs... Give them real food.

Whats wrong with giving her Zoo med pellets? The new one I'm trying to get her to eat has the proper nutrition and I offer her some carrots and sometimes strawberries (which she goes crazy for).

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Crickets are a live food for boxy, buy feeding crickets will have the food all over the crickets and the boxy will eat the covered crickets .

 

[Tijjer]

Crickets are a live food for boxy, buy feeding crickets will have the food all over the crickets and the boxy will eat the covered crickets .

Oh I get it! So that taste and smell well rub off on the crickets and when she eats them, ok I'll keep that in mind! Would it also work with any other insects besides crickets like earthworms, mealworms, etc?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

It should work on strawberrys and insects .

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Whats wrong with giving her Zoo med pellets? The new one I'm trying to get her to eat has the proper nutrition and I offer her some carrots and sometimes strawberries (which she goes crazy for).

Pellets are fine as part of a varied diet, and they make your life simpler, but they can't replace variety. It would be like us living on shredded wheat. The primary ingredient here is soybean hulls, followed by alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, whole ground wheat, dehulled soybean meal. None of that would be part of their diet in the wild. There is even cane juice extract in this - sugar. Very few ingredients in it are things we'd feed them or they'd find by foraging, and there are only small amounts.

Why not feed fish instead of fish meal? A variety of fresh fruit instead of minuscule dried quantities?

I bought some because at the end of the winter I'd tempt my crew with just about anything to get them to eat, but I would not consider this alone proper nutrition. My boxies won't eat it no matter what I mix it into. I consider it a write off and not worth my time to get them to eat it.

If you absolutely must feed it, try soaking it in fruit juice first. But please add other foods. Do you need a list? It's surprising how much of what we eat ourselves we can share with our boxies. And don't leave out live food.

 

[Tijjer]

Pellets are fine as part of a varied diet, and they make your life simpler, but they can't replace variety. It would be like us living on shredded wheat. The primary ingredient here is soybean hulls, followed by alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, whole ground wheat, dehulled soybean meal. None of that would be part of their diet in the wild. There is even cane juice extract in this - sugar. Very few ingredients in it are things we'd feed them or they'd find by foraging, and there are only small amounts.

Why not feed fish instead of fish meal? A variety of fresh fruit instead of minuscule dried quantities?

I bought some because at the end of the winter I'd tempt my crew with just about anything to get them to eat, but I would not consider this alone proper nutrition. My boxies won't eat it no matter what I mix it into. I consider it a write off and not worth my time to get them to eat it.

If you absolutely must feed it, try soaking it in fruit juice first. But please add other foods. Do you need a list? It's surprising how much of what we eat ourselves we can share with our boxies. And don't leave out live food.

Yes I've been working with her on getting her to expand her diet but the way she was raised when I got her she mainly eats pellets and refuses to try almost anything new. I give her strawberries which she loves and she loves blueberries. I also try giving her carrots but she tends to ignore them. I never thought of feeding her fish meat. What type of fish meat would be appropriate? Tuna perhaps? Shes just a very stubborn eater. If it isn't her favorite pellets, strawberries, or blueberries she won't try it, but will sniff it and give me a look. I would love for her to eat mealworms and earthworms but sadly she refuses to try that either.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

What's on your plate? This week my box turtles have had leftover turkey, sweet potatoes and cooked carrots. They like the cooked veg & chicken or turkey from soup. Whatever fish I cook, they get a piece. So that's salmon, tilapia, cod, whatever. They'll get to try all leftover veggies. They like shrimp, crab, mackerel. Stay away from salty spicy stuff. Tuna is about the only thing I don't give them.

See if you can get the produce person at your grocery to give you over ripe unsaleable fruits. You can't lose even if the turtle rejects it. Try applesauce when you have it, pumpkin canned if fresh. Hold off on cooking with sauce or butter & give your turtle a taste of your healthy diet.