As a treat, strawberries aren’t bad for turtles. However, if a turtle eats strawberries too often, it can cause some damage to its health.
Where You Buy Strawberries Matters
Yes, it is true. The quality of the strawberries you buy is paramount for your turtle. However, we know that the quality of a product is often derived from its provenience.
Therefore, the place you buy your strawberries has everything to do with their quality.
Now, there are some places to buy a pack of strawberries.
Of course, you can just go to a mass market and buy a pound of strawberries and that’s it. However, you must know about the pesticides, GMOs, and other harsh chemicals that will destroy your turtle’s health.
A great option is to grow the strawberries at home. Unfortunately, not everybody has the climate or the needed space.
In my opinion, the best option is to go to a local market where the farmers are selling organic products. That is the place where you must go if you want your turtle to be eating healthy. Of course, you can buy groceries for yourself there too.
How Ripe Should The Strawberries Be to Feed to a Turtle?
The best way to know if a strawberry is good enough for your turtle is to just taste one. If the fruit is sweet and juicy, it is perfect for the turtle.
Basically, you just need to feed the turtles those strawberries that you would have eaten yourself. That is the best way to find out whether the strawberries are good for your turtle or not.
How often can turtles eat strawberries?
As I said previously, strawberries are just some treats for your turtles. Under no circumstances do they need to be feed strawberries every day. It will definitely cause health problems.
The best way to feed them strawberries(or any other sugary fruit) is to give them a small portion every 5 or 6 days. This way, the turtle will be happy and pleased with the fresh fruits and you won’t hurt it at all.
However, if you have a big aquarium with a lot of space to swim and walk, there might be some changes. If the turtle is using that space to swim and walk a lot, you can feed them strawberries every 3 or 4 days.
That is because, being very active, turtles are basically burning all that sugar and calories, therefore, there won’t be any harm at all.
What Strawberry Components Are Good For Your Turtle
Apart from calories and sugar, there are some other, more important components, that a turtle can acquire from a few strawberries in their diet. Here are some of the most important.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a very important nutrient for turtles. As you may know, a very common health issue for pet turtles is respiratory system diseases. In most cases, it is the deficiency of vitamin A that causes this kind of problem, as many inexperienced owners just give them green vegetables and animal protein. Adding a fair amount of strawberries to your turtle’s diet can reduce this deficiency and ensure the needed amount of vitamin A in order for your turtle to remain healthy.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps boost the immune system. It basically helps with all health issues and, besides that, even strengthens the bones. Also, vitamin C affects the rate of your pet’s growing process. In other words, the bigger amount of vitamin C you feed your turtle, the more it grows in size. Fortunately, strawberries have high amounts of vitamin C.
Potassium
While improving your pet’s overall health, potassium is one of the most important minerals for heart health. It keeps away all the circulatory problems and strengthens your turtle’s heart. Also, it can have beneficial properties on your turtles’ shell and bones.
Other important nutrients
Besides the ones described above, there are so much more nutrients that will positively impact both a baby turtle and an adult turtle’s health. Besides primary vitamins, turtles get mineral calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and copper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to the most interesting and frequently asked questions on this topic.
Can aquatic turtles eat strawberries?
Yes, aquatic turtles can definitely eat strawberries. Unfortunately, many aquatic turtle diets consist only of protein-filled foods like fish and shrimp. However, a balanced diet for a pet turtle means 10-20% fruit intake. Of course, not daily, and the fruit portion doesn’t need to be huge. But you don’t have to only give them iceberg lettuce and dead animals
There are some essential vitamins in strawberries that cannot be replaced with leafy vegetables. It is a tasty treat filled with mineral supplements and a great source of vitamin A.
Are strawberries safe for tortoises?
Yes, strawberries are safe for tortoises. Actually, they will only benefit your aquatic animals. Unfortunately, many turtles and tortoises have vitamin deficiencies and, it happens that crucial vitamins for their health are stored in strawberries.
Moreover, low-lying or fallen fruits have been always a great source of vitamins for both turtles and tortoises. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about, you can give your tortoise a treat from time to time, and it won’t hurt it. However, do remember that it is a special treat as strawberries contain high sugar levels that are not particularly beneficial for their health.
Can yellow-bellied sliders eat strawberries?
Yes, yellow-bellied sliders can eat strawberries. However, these species aren’t showing as much love for any kind of fruits as other species.
It is best that you try to feed them some strawberries, they need this source of minerals and vitamins to grow healthy and unbothered. Do not, however, believe that they will eat as many strawberries as some other species. It isn’t their primal food and they shouldn’t be forced to eat them.
Strawberries are more of an occasional treat for them, not a stable part of their diet. Remember that.
Can painted turtles eat strawberries?
Yes, painted turtles can eat strawberries as an occasional treat, not more. It shouldn’t be a stable part of their diet. Strawberries have a high sugar content that doesn’t do anything beneficial for your turtle’s health.
Conclusion
Now you know that strawberries are a great choice for box turtles. They are both healthy and tasty, the best combination for your pet turtle. Plant-based diets can be a little too boring, that is why you must include some strawberries in your pet’s diet, especially if you are the owner of a tortoise species, they do love a great fruit on their table!
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