There are few fruits more succulent and sweet than strawberries. And, as a result, there are few animals in this world that would not accept or show interest in one if presented to them.
Every animal, provided they don’t have some natural allergy, should enjoy a strawberry at least once. Hamsters, squirrels and, yes, even turtles like strawberries.
In fact, turtles like most berries, from strawberry to raspberry and can even get a little more exotic in their tastes.
They also enjoy tropical fruits such as guava and banana as well. They even enjoy various melons, including honeydew, watermelon and cantaloupe.
In this blog post, we’ll go over the benefits of feeding strawberries to your turtles as well as the best ways to prepare them to ensure they’re safe.
Your turtle is important to you, and should be offered the very best, healthy and most delicious treats available to them.
Can turtles eat strawberries?
Yes turtles can eat strawberries and it’s completely safe for them. In fact, they love eating strawberries along with raspberry and blueberry. But due to its high sugar content, we recommend feeding it as an occasional rare snack every not and then.
Are Strawberries Safe for Turtles?
It is true that some animals are naturally allergic to strawberries. Other animals, like cats, aren’t allergic, but eating large quantities of sugar-filled treats like strawberries would easily cause diabetes.
Also, read – > Do Turtles Get Along With Cats?
But for turtles, strawberries are perfectly safe.
Nevermind the fact that they really seem to enjoy them.
You don’t have to search far online to find a video of a turtle going to town on a sweet, bright red strawberry, turning its lips bright red and it snaps its jaw down into the strawberry’s juicy center.
However, you can never give your turtle too much. Like a cat, high sugar presents health concerns if you give them too much.
Their sweet, sugary delicious flavor is precisely what makes them so appealing to turtles (and humans), so you shouldn’t keep them anywhere your turtle can easily access them.
You can also mitigate the risk by keeping their diet very diverse as well as balanced. Offer them strawberries, but mix it in with leafy greens and other, healthier food.
Sugar is what they enjoy, but there’s no nutritional benefit to it.
You’ll need to supplement that.
But it’s worth noting that not all turtles are naturally attracted to strawberries.
So you should offer one to get a sense if they like it first before you worry about giving too many.
Nutritional Benefits of Feeding Strawberry to Turtles
Strawberries contain high levels of copper, iron, phosphorus, Vitamins K, B6, 12, C and E.
These vitamins and nutrients make them highly beneficial for humans to consume. And in this case, it’s safe to assume what’s good for us is good for our turtles.
Not only are strawberries the perfect, delightful alternative to boring leafy greens that your turtle is used to, they can also improve their health significantly.
Strawberries help to make your turtle’s immune system stronger as well as keeping them full of necessary vitamins and minerals to keep their tiny figures strong.
But moderation is key. Strawberries are largely absent of vitamins D and A, both of which are crucial to a turtle’s diet. If they’re deficient in these, it can lead to health problems later on.
The vitamins and nutrients in a strawberry are important as well, so it should always be balanced and mixed with other fruits and vegetables that contain D and A.
Can Turtles Eat the Tops of Strawberries?
There’s no evidence that suggests the tops of strawberries are harmful to either turtles or humans.
However, we cut off the top of strawberries because they aren’t particularly appetizing.
So while they aren’t toxic to turtles, they might not enjoy them that much either.
Either way, you should be cutting up your strawberries anyway when preparing them for your turtle.
This makes it much easier to mix with other fruits and vegetables that provide the supplemental vitamins they need to stay strong and healthy.
It’s also much easier for the turtle to eat and digest when cut up. You’ve seen videos of turtles eating a full strawberry.
While no doubt cute, watching them struggle means they may not be enjoying it as much as they would with easy access.
Can Turtles Eat Strawberry Leaves?
There’s no evidence suggesting that the tops of strawberries, where the leaves are located, are toxic to humans.
It’s our distaste for them that leads us to cut them off.
The same can be said for turtles. They don’t mind them, may even eat them, but some may not. But it will never harm the turtle.
Can Water Turtles Eat Strawberries?
It may not seem like a natural choice.
Aquatic turtles, after all, commonly eat aquatic plant and vegetable life because it’s what is naturally familiar to them.
But aquatic turtles love strawberries just as much as land-based turtles.
But it should never be a part of their regular diet, just the odd treat once in a while.
Strawberries are made up of a lot of water and nutrients, so they aren’t entirely foreign to your aquatic turtle.
Furthermore, an aquatic turtle’s diet doesn’t differ that much from its land counterparts.
Strawberries are a great treat for your turtle occasionally, but they should never find their way into your turtle’s regular diet.
The risks of giving a turtle too much sugar are too great, and there are plenty of healthier fruits and vegetables they enjoy as well that provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.
The vitamins and minerals in a strawberry, while important, should always be supplemented with the vitamins they’re lacking.
This way, your turtle can enjoy themself while still enjoying a healthy, balanced diet that helps keep it strong.
Can Baby Turtles Eat Strawberries?
Yes, baby turtles like strawberries, however your turtle’s diet at a young age should be focused on foods that offer a lot of protein to help it grow and calcium to keep its shell strong.
Strawberries are not the best for this, so if you are going to offer any, make sure the amount is basically negligible.
Can Aquatic Turtles Eat Strawberries?
An aquatic turtle’s diet doesn’t really differentiate that much from a land turtle’s diet. And a strawberry is largely made of water.
As they are accustomed to eating water-based plants and vegetables, it’s not that much of a stretch to get to strawberries.
Aquatic turtles love strawberries just as much as land turtles. But they should be treats, not regular parts of their meals.
Can Box Turtles Eat Strawberries?
Box turtles love strawberries. But like all turtles, fruit should not be as commonly given as commonly as vegetables. Vegetables contain more vitamins and nutrients that are essential to your turtle’s health.
Strawberries have some very important benefits, but they don’t have enough of what your turtle needs to be an essential snack.
Can Red-Eared Sliders Eat Strawberries?
A red-eared slider is an aquatic turtle, which loves strawberries. However, the diet of an adult red-eared slider should be at least 50 percent leafy greens. That should always be kept in mind when figuring out their meal plan.
The pet store offers numerous treats and pellets rich in both protein and calcium as well as the greens they require.
But that shouldn’t prevent you from sliding a slider the occasional strawberry.
They’ll only thank you for it.
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Rerference
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2064/2