Keeping a turtle that thrives necessitates understanding all aspects of what do turtles eat, but unfortunately, most owners have a poor understanding of nutritional requirements and what they mean.
One such problem is the prevalence of live food as a primary food source, which can be hazardous to the health of the turtle long-term.
Most turtles enjoy the task of chasing their food, but the mental stimulation is not worth the health risks, since they can eventually cost the turtle its life through infection by parasites or other issues.
The biggest issue related to live foods is generally the source, since most owners purchase cheap feeder fish instead of spending ten times as much on a pet-quality fish.
These fish can be purchased for pennies, which is economic because turtles will eat several dozen fish at one sitting if the owner allows them to do so.
However, these fish are inexpensive because they can survive under very basic care conditions.
Instead of dying in their overcrowded tanks, they suffer from chronic stress that opens their immune systems to parasitic infection, which they pass on to the turtle after consumption.
These parasitic infections are fatal in turtles if untreated, and can cost the owner a small fortune in veterinary bills.
In addition to harboring parasites, the majority of feeder fish species are high in fat, which makes it more likely that turtles will suffer from obesity if this is their primary source of nutrition.
Feeder fish are also significantly low in nutrition, which makes it more likely that turtles will become malnourished if they rely on feeder fish for nutrition.
These issues can be avoided by replacing the feeder fish with a reliable staple diet that addresses the specific nutritional concerns of the turtle.
Along with the nutritional hazard, feeder fish also make turtle keeping more difficult for the owner.
Most turtles are very messy eaters and will leave small pieces of fish body floating in the water after a meal, which decompose quickly and lead to the water becoming toxic with ammonia and nitrites.
Turtles also defecate more frequently after a meal of feeder fish, which pollutes the water and requires heavier filtration.
All this translates into extra work for the turtle owner to keep his pet turtle´s habitat free of potential hazards.
For the safety of the turtle, owners need to understand what do turtles eat and recognize that feeder fish are not an appropriate source of nutrition for their pet.