November 12, 2019

Turtle Food Recommendations

Turtle Food

Turtles are one of the most popular reptilian pets in the United States. Millions of Americans keep them as pets, and the reason why so many people loved them is because of its low maintenance lifestyle. A clean fish tank and a nutritious diet are the primary requirements of keeping a turtle as a pet.

Many pet shops across the United States sell commercial food pellets that are given to the turtles. However, if you do not want to leave your home to regularly buy their food pellets, you can go online instead and visit Amazon.

The e-commerce giant has a wide selection of turtle food products that you can buy. Some of these products are also sold at a lower price, compared to the pet shops. If you have a lot of time on your hands, start browsing Amazon and search for the top turtle food offered on the website.

If you’re not good at comparing items, we are here to help. We compiled the five best turtle food products on Amazon, based on the ratings that it received and the number of satisfied customers who left their reviews on the site. Reading the information below could help you decide which product to buy.

There are hundreds of similar products that you can buy online, but the things below are guaranteed to give your pet a nutritious diet.

Top 5: Turtle Food Reviews

Zoo Med Natural Aquatic Turtle Food Hatchling Formula (15 oz)

The Zoo Med Natural Aquatic Turtle Food is considered as the number one turtle food product on Amazon, and it offers three variations depending on the size of the pellet and the amount of protein that it has. This product is suitable for baby turtles, juvenile turtles, and adult turtles.

The manufacturers are proud to say that their product is all-natural, and it is tested inside the laboratory to ensure that the turtles will receive all of the nutrition that they need.

Features:

  • The product offers a Hatchling, Growth, and Maintenance varieties that differ in pellet size and protein content.
  • The pellets float on water, making it easier for the turtles to see their food.

Pros

  • Turtles loved the taste of the product, and many owners recommend it.

Cons

  • The pellets float on the surface of the water for a short time. Then, it sinks to the bottom, contributing to the dirt.
  • Continuous build-up of sunken food pellets inside the water tank will make the water dirty.
  • Regular cleaning for the water tank is required if this is the product you are giving your turtles.
Zoo Med Gourmet Aquatic Turtle Food, 11 -Ounce

This Zoo Med Gourmet Aquatic Turtle Food by Royal Pet Supplies Inc. product is another favorite among turtle owners. This product is rich in protein, and it will help your turtles grow fast.

Mealworms and dried shrimps were added into the product to make sure that the protein content is high. Cranberries are also mixed into the product to give additional nutrients.

Turtles that are about two to six inches should eat this product because of its high content of vitamins and minerals. It does not contain artificial preservatives and other harmful chemicals, and it is a must-try.

Features:

  • The product is made mostly from organic materials, and it has no artificial preservatives and colors.
  • It is filled with vitamins and minerals, filling the nutritional needs of your pet.

Pros

  • Turtles loved the taste of this food, especially with all the flavors mixed in.
  • It helps your pet grow faster.

Cons

  • Some pet owners complain that the product contains too much cranberries.
  • The product might contain a little bit of sediment.
Tetra ReptoMin Floating Food Sticks for Aquatic Turtles/Newts/Frogs

The manufacturers behind this product are considered as experts when it comes to creating nutritious pet food. They have been in the industry for five decades, and they continue to innovate products that are used mostly for pets.

The Tetra Reptomin Floating Food Sticks is one of their most popular products, and people are buying it because of its quality and affordability.

Turtle owners across the United States have been purchasing this product for more than three decades, and they are not disappointed with how it helps their pets grow healthy and strong.

Features:

  • The food pellets are shaped like a short stick, and it floats above the water.
  • The product is enriched with calcium and vitamins.
  • It also contains protein that has been clinically tested.
  • Different package sizes for this product exist.

Pros

  • The container is large, and it can feed the turtles for three to four months.
  • Very affordable.

Cons

  • The pieces can break easily, especially if it is soaked in water.
  • The leftover pellets can accumulate inside the tank and contribute to the murkiness of the water.
  • The water tank should be cleaned frequently to remove the dirt.
Fluker's Buffet Blend Aquatic Turtle Food , 7.5-Ounce

This Fluker's Buffet Blend Aquatic Turtle Food product offers a lot of nutrients to your pet. It is enriched with vitamins and minerals, and the manufacturers put in a lot of proteins. Some of the ingredients that you can find are freeze dried mealworms and freeze dried shrimps.

Additional calcium is also mixed into the product to ensure that your pet will continue to develop a hard and durable shell.

Features:

  • The formula is specifically made for aquatic turtles.
  • Each product contains a mixture of pellets, freeze dried mealworms, and freeze dried shrimps.
  • Feeding this product to your pet will enable them to receive a balanced diet.

Pros

  • This product is clinically tested to ensure that the turtles will love its taste while at the same time, provide them with nutrients that will help them grow.

Cons

  • The advertisement is deceiving, because inside the product, there are more pellets than freeze dried mealworms and freeze dried shrimps.
  • The pellets make the water cloudy.
Fluker's 8-Ounce Aquatic Turtle Diet

This Fluker Aquatic Turtle Diet product provides your pet with a nutritious diet filled with vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat. The pellets float on water, making it easier for your pet to see.

Features:

  • The product is enriched with protein.
  • The pellets float, making it more convenient for your turtles when they eat.

Pros

  • The product makes turtles grow stronger and healthier.
  • Turtles loved the taste of this product.

Cons

  • The red pellets included in the packaging are not made from natural materials – instead, it is made from an ingredient known as Red Dye #40.

Buying Guide

Your turtles can eat fruits, vegetables, and even insects. However, you can’t be sure that these foods are available throughout the year. There are times when fruits and vegetables are sold at an expensive price, and you don’t want your pet to go hungry.

The good thing is that companies are manufacturing commercial food pellets for your pets all year round, supplying them with nutrients and keeping them healthy. The nutrients contained in these products help your pet grow stronger and being shielded from different diseases.

Top Pick

If you are looking for the best turtle food on Amazon, we recommend the Zoo Med Natural Aquatic Turtle Food. This product consistently bagged the recognition as the number one turtle food on the website, and many people have shared their experiences after purchasing it.

Zoo Med Natural Aquatic Turtle Food Hatchling Formula (15 oz)

For many turtle owners, this product is a must-have and the animals loved it too!  In addition to the great quality that this product has to offer, pet owners are also saying that it is affordable and can last several weeks before needing to buy a new one again.

Best Value

When it comes to the product’s value, the Tetra Reptomin Floating Food Sticks for Aquatic Turtles, Newts, and Frogs get the crown. This product is the cheapest item on this list.

Tetra ReptoMin Floating Food Sticks for Aquatic Turtles/Newts/Frogs

You should check out what others are saying about this product, and you should also give it a try and see if your pet will like it too.

You can be assured that the turtle food sold at Amazon is of high quality. If you managed to decide which brand you are going to buy, head on to Amazon today and start your purchase!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Turtles Eat?

The food eaten by a turtle depends on their species. Turtles can be herbivores or omnivores. Herbivore turtles only eat fruits and vegetables, while omnivore turtles eat a mixture of fruits, vegetables, insects, and pet food pellets.

The most common pet turtle species in the United States is the red-eared slider, and they are classified as omnivorous turtles. You can give them a mixture of fruits and vegetables, or you can also give them pet pellets.

Make sure that you will follow a food ratio given by veterinarians to ensure that your pet turtle is eating a balanced diet. For example, 25% of your pet turtle’s diet should be composed of commercial pellet food. Insects and small fish should also be given to your pet turtle, comprising 25% of their diet. The remaining 50% of their diet is composed of fruits and vegetables.

On the other hand, if you have a tortoise or a land turtle at home, give them a herbivore diet. Their diet should be composed of 20% fruits and 80% vegetables.

The diet of baby turtles also differs from the matured ones. Make sure that you give the baby turtles a diet filled with protein, as it is an important nutrient to help them grow. Baby turtles in the wild eat a lot of insects, and it helps them to become larger.

What Are the Essential Nutrients Needed by My Pet Turtles?

To keep your pet turtles healthy, you should give them food that is food in protein, vitamins, minerals, and fat. Calcium is one of the most important minerals that your pet turtles need. This mineral will help them strengthen their shells, which is made of bone.

If your pet turtle’s diet is unbalanced, it can lead to serious problems. One of the most common problems experienced by turtles would be the deterioration of their shells, mostly due to a poor calcium diet. Make sure that you are giving them the right amount of nutrients to keep them healthy.

How Frequently Should You Buy Turtle Food?

An average food pellet can last from four to six weeks if given to an average-sized turtle. If they are bigger, you should expect to buy another pellet sooner than expected.

You should also consider the turtle’s age when giving them their food. If your pet is a juvenile, they are required to eat every day. Once they become mature, you can give them food every other day or at least four to five times per week. A cup of food is enough for your pet turtles.

Can You Feed Your Turtles with Human Food or Other Pet Food?

Turtles can eat a small amount of meat, but it is recommended that you give them live fish instead. There are nutrients found on a live fish that are not present in cooked meat.

When it comes to pet food eaten by dogs and cats, you should not give it to your pet turtle. These pet food products are high in protein, and it can result in food poisoning and other harmful effects on your turtle. Stick to commercial pellets made for turtles instead.

Final Verdict

The products on this list are some of the best commercial pellets for turtles available in Amazon, and if you are having a hard time choosing the one to give your turtles, read further and see which product was recognized as our top pick and which one is worth your money.

50 Fun Facts About Turtles


Did you know that Turtles can grow up to six feet tall, Splurge on Pizza every day, have mad ninja skills, and have a giant rat for a father?

Well, the TMNJ crew does, but they are actually not real turtles; instead, they are mutant ones.

However, I was in love with their adventures around New York City when I was growing up, and they were my favorite cartoons.

Real turtles are also fascinating species, and I would like the time to share some fun facts about these magnificent creatures.

1. Turtles are reptiles that have roamed the planet for more than a hundred million years. And while the other animal species have evolved, the turtle has pretty much kept its shape and entomology.

2. In today’s world, there are seven distinct and significant species of sea turtles left:

• Loggerhead sea turtles
• Green sea turtles
• Hawksbill sea turtle
• Kamp’s Ridley sea turtle
• Flatback sea turtle
• Olive Ridley sea turtle
• Leatherback sea turtles

3. The only significant difference between the ancient turtles and today’s counterparts is the fact that the old turtles had teeth, and the current ones do not.

4. There is a major difference between the two species of the sea faring turtles and the land based tortoises. And that is that generally, sea turtles have flippers and tortoises have legs in form of forelimbs.

5. The adult sea turtle has the potential to grow up to a length of three meters (ten feet) and weight up to five hundred kilograms (one thousand and one hundred pounds).

6. You can find turtles all over the world but mostly around the tropical climates; though in rare cases they may be seen in other temperature zone areas.

7. Hunting, pollution, habitat destruction, and human activity have all posed severe threats to the turtles. And many of them are dwindling to the point of extinction.

8. Many steps have been taken on the national and global front to conserve these species and preventing them from becoming extinct on the planet earth.

9. Humans have hunted down turtles for a lot of reasons. They are sought after for their skin to make leather bags and their shells as pieces of decoration.

10. They are also food with turtle fat making soup, and their eggs are a delicacy. Turtle meat is a predominant delicacy in religious ceremonies in some parts of the world.

11. These turtles live most of their lives underwater but have to come to the surface to breathe air for oxygen that is essential for sustaining their life processes.

12.  Sea turtles mainly live under the water and practically never go to the land except for females, who travel from the deep water to lay their eggs.

13.  In order to accomplish that, sea turtles will dig in the sand and create a nest for their eggs.

Once they have laid eggs, turtles immediately go back into the water.

14. During the egg laying stage, the turtles sometimes cry, not from pain, but because this is the most efficient way to get rid of the saltwater in their bodies.

15. A female Sea turtle is able to lay nearly two hundred to two hundred and fifty eggs during the breeding season, where the sex of little turtles will depend basically on the environmental temperatures.

16. Males, as opposed to females, can only be born in specific temperature zones. So depending on where the nest is, you can find more males than females or none at all.

17. When a turtle is in the water, it is tough to catch it because of its high intelligence and ability to move very fast.

18. However, on land, it becomes a relatively easy catch for predators due to its slow speeds.

19. This is why despite the massive number of newborn turtles; only some of them survive because it is tough for them to get back into the water from land.

20. Even when newborns reach the water, there is still a significant risk of death from the other water predators.

21. An adult sea turtle has a good sense of direction and an internal navigation system. They can very easily find a place that they have visited in the past for example, they can remember where they were born and come back to the same place later on.

22. Sea turtles can’t ever get lost, even if they come back to a specific place after several decades.

23. The sea turtles mostly feed on algae, lobsters, crabs, mollusks, fish, shrimp, etc. And they pose a significant danger from sharks and whales that dominate the oceans and seas.

24. The Olive Ridley sea turtles have unique breeding tendencies. Unlike other turtle species that are loners and these prefer to stay in groups.

25. Vast numbers of turtles gather at a nesting shore in an assembly known as the Arribada.

26. Thousands of females come together during the nesting season and lay eggs there.

27. At some places, the nesting density becomes so high that females destroy the older nests to dig up their nests and lay eggs in them.

28. Some females are full loners, while some others choose to adopt a mixed breeding policy where they breed in Arribadas and also produce alone in the same nesting period.

29. Many of the nesting grounds have become degraded on account of human activity, so these turtles have become an endangered species as well.

30.  Because of their migratory characters, their conservation has become a shared entity among nations, and hence they pool resources among them to try and save these magnificent creatures from extinction.

31. Humans and their behaviors from hunting to settlements are the biggest dangers to sea turtles and their livelihood.

32. Loggerhead sea turtles spend the majority of their lives in shallow waters and oceans except for females who come ashore to build nests and lay eggs.

33. These sea turtles are most active during day time. They prefer to swim and rest deep down under. While resting, they spread their forelimbs with eyes either wide open or half shut and are extremely alert.

34. During night time, they sleep with their eyes shut. Males are more enthusiastic divers and dive deep into the sea. They can remain submerged for hours together.

35. The leatherback sea turtles are the giants of the sea turtle kingdom and are the largest living sea turtles. Moreover, they form the fourth most abundant species of reptiles.

36. You can find the leatherback sea turtles globally. One can trace the leatherback turtles in tropical as well as sub-tropical oceans, not excluding the Arctic Ocean.

37. These sea turtles are widely everywhere in the ocean and can swim for miles. A leatherback sea turtle was once able to swim from the Indonesian coast to the US, a whopping 20,000 km.

38. They mostly feast on jellyfish and chase them all day. And due to their preying capabilities, keep a check on the jellyfish population in the oceans.

39. The Kemp’s Ridley turtles are the rarest species of turtles on earth. They are also known as Atlantic Ridley sea turtles and are a critical species in danger of extinction.

40. In 1947, there were over 40,000 nesting females by estimation in a single Arribada; today, that number has dwindled to less than between 7,000 and 9,000 nesting females by estimate.

41. Their lifespan is usually as much as 30 years and up to 50 years sometimes. Foxes, fogs, crabs feed upon the eggs and hatchlings, and as they attain maturity, they are prey to more prominent species like sharks and whales.

42. The Hawksbill sea turtles are unique reptiles that you can find in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Its shell can change colors depending on the water temperature.

43. The hawksbill turtle has its name because of its short beak, which proves an advantage as they can dig into crevices and cracks of rocks in coral reefs to search their prey.

44. They devour poisonous jellyfish and dangerous sponges that will usually harm other species.

45. Due to the consumption of these dangerous species, the hawksbill sea turtle’s shell actually becomes poisonous.

46. The Hawksbill sea turtles mate twice a year in secluded regions of the lagoons. The female’s body becomes heavy after mating, and she drags herself out of the oceans and digs a nest there to lay eggs.

47. The eggs will hatch after two months, and the new hatchlings move to the sea very naturally at night. The ones that don’t reach the ocean by early morning fall prey to crabs and birds.

48. The Flatback sea turtle lays fewer but larger eggs as compared to other sea turtles. The females come to the beach and lay their eggs there every 2-3 years.

49. The female dominates the Green sea turtles mating process. After mating, the female moves to the shore dig a pit and lay her eggs. These eggs hatch after 45- 75 days, usually at night.

 50. These turtles begin their life in an egg that is buried deep under the sand, the eggs then hatch, and the hatchlings flee to the sea. When they mature, the turtles spend their time in shallow waters. Adults also switch in between lagoons, bays, lush sea grass areas, etc. They spend their early years in the open ocean, and you can find young turtles swimming deep in the pelagic regions.

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