“Can turtles eat strawberries?” is a common question that reptile owners have every now and then.
Since strawberries are already high in sugar, turtles shouldn’t eat them on a regular basis. However, the fruit is safe for reptiles to eat when fed in limited quantities.
My friend, who is an ardent animal lover and has several pets in his home, mentioned one day that turtles could be one of the easiest pets you can have.
They are low maintenance, and you can feed them almost any kind of fruit and vegetable. To prove his point, he took a fresh strawberry and fed it to his pet turtle.
The reptile ate it with absolute joy. Seeing a turtle eat a strawberry, I decided to learn more about turtle’s food habits, and here is the information I gathered.
Can you give your pet turtle strawberries?
After watching my friend’s pet turtle chomp on a strawberry happily, I can easily suggest that you, too, can give your pet turtle strawberries to eat.
Turtles are one of the oldest reptiles on the planet and have a robust digestive system.
In addition, turtles are omnivorous, which means they can survive on plant and animal-based food.
In the wild, they can eat fish, snails, worms and insects, grass, and the occasional vegetable.
Hence, if you have a pet turtle and you want to diversify its food habits, you can include strawberries in its diet.
Are strawberries healthy for turtles?
The answer to this question is yes; strawberries are very healthy for turtles. This is because strawberries are full of vitamins A, C, and potassium, which are all helpful in building a robust respiratory system for reptiles.
Therefore, although turtles are reptiles, you will find that strawberries have several essential nutrients that are suitable for the creature.
In addition, strawberries are also rich in calcium which turtles need to build strong bones, nails, and even the hard shell of their home.
Hence, it would help if you considered making strawberries a part of the diet of your pet turtle.
Can baby turtles eat strawberries?
Baby turtles can eat different fruits and vegetables and if you are planning to give strawberries to your pet baby turtle, you must clean and wash the fruit properly.
If you want the baby turtle to get acquainted with the new food, you can easily give it a whole strawberry.
Otherwise, you can cut the strawberry into small pieces to make it easier for the baby turtle to bite into.
You can also mash the strawberries and give them to the baby turtle to make it easier for the reptile to chew.
Can turtles eat frozen strawberries?
Turtles can indeed eat a variety of food items, but you shouldn’t give your pet turtle frozen strawberries.
One of the reasons for avoiding this is due to the fact that frozen strawberries have preservatives that can be harmful to the reptile if ingested.
Moreover, fresh strawberries are the most nutritious for the animal.
Veterinarians will tell you that you should avoid giving cooked and frozen food to reptiles as it can reduce the nutritional value of the food.
Hence, if you plan to give strawberries to your pet turtle, you should give it fresh organic ones.
Can turtles eat raw strawberries?
Raw strawberries can be pretty bitter and hence, not suitable for turtles. On the other hand, turtles usually prefer sweet food; hence, you should give them ripe strawberries.
If you give your pet turtle raw strawberries, likely, the reptile will not eat more than one.
Can turtles choke on strawberry seeds?
Turtles have strong beaks like birds and powerful jaw muscles. The tiny strawberry seeds do not stand any chance against the strength of these muscles.
Once a turtle sucks a strawberry into its mouth, the seeds in the strawberry are too small to cause any harm.
In addition, there is no record of turtles choking on strawberry seeds.
Can turtles eat strawberry leaves?
You should avoid giving turtles the leaves of a strawberry plant. Strawberries are an herbaceous plant, but the leaves might not be edible for turtles.
Moreover, if you have added pesticides or insecticides to your strawberry plants, these are likely to remain on the leaves of the plants and can cause health issues to arise if the reptile consumes them.
You can feed your pet turtle leafy green vegetables like lettuce and cabbage. If you plan to feed your pet turtle green vegetables, you need to give it a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Is there anything you need to consider when giving strawberries to your pet turtle?
The only thing you need to remember while giving strawberries to your pet turtle is that they should be completely organic.
There should not be any trace of pesticide or insecticide on the strawberries.
The strawberries grown commercially often have traces of chemical pesticides and insecticides.
If your pet turtle ingests these, it can lead to a toxic shock and prove dangerous for the reptile. Hence, it would help if you gave the reptile only organic strawberries.
Should you limit the number of strawberries that you give to a turtle?
You should limit the number of strawberries you give to your pet turtle because it is a sweet fruit.
Limiting the sugar intake you give your turtle is necessary to ensure the reptile’s health.
Are there any particular species of turtles that cannot eat strawberries?
The most popular species of turtles that are usually kept as pets are box turtles and aquatic turtles. Both of these types of turtles can eat strawberries.
However, among them, only the red-eared slider does not eat strawberries.
The primary reason is that fruits are not a natural staple in the red-eared slider turtle’s diet
Hence, even if you give the turtle strawberries, it will be avoided as it is a food item it is unfamiliar with.
Therefore, as long as your pet turtle is not force-fed a strawberry, you should not worry about any harmful effects of the fruit.
Still curious about what other animals eat strawberries? Check out that article we wrote for more information.
