It seems the world of today practically lives on social media. At any given moment there are millions of people exchanging information and ideas, in literally thousands of various chat groups. But as we all well know, social media is a mixed bag of goods and bad’s, positives and negatives, facts –and most certainly -fictions.  We at Turtle-Tech receive constant inquiries from our readers regarding “questionable” information, recommendations, or opinions they have read in one of their turtle/tortoise social media groups.  We believe the free exchange of ideas in these chat rooms is mostly a positive thing, but the unfortunate flood of incorrect information coming from some of these social media outlets is quite honestly, alarming.  Because of the frequency, we feel it necessary to address a few of these repeat questions in this article, so that we might correct some of these myths and misinformation for our readers and fellow turtle lovers. So definitely enjoy the social media chat rooms, they can be fun and informative, but just don’t believe everything you read.

 Myth #1 Carrot Juice Soaks

This myth probably originated with someone using retinoids (vitamin A) cream for some skin acne they had. Then somehow assuming that soaking turtles in carrot juice could by some means be beneficial to the turtle (even though carrots contain no actual vitamin A). This of course certainly sounds crazy, and quite honestly it is. But like many “tall turtle tales” you’d be surprised at the amount of people who actually believe it, done it, and how many actually recommend it. So, here’s the real biochemical skinny on carrot juice soaks.

First, we as warm-blooded humans can indeed absorb Vitamin A (retinol) through the outer skin levels. This is why the retinol creams work to some extent with most people with severe skin problems. Humans can also absorb beta carotene (a precursor to retinol) to some degree through the skin. We can even convert the beta carotene into useable retinol at the skin level. This is extraordinary, since beta carotene and Vitamin A absorption usually only takes place within the digestive tract (in the presence of dietary fat).

Turtles however do NOT absorb Vitamin A or beta carotene directly through their skin. Veterinary medical journals will confirm that the only assimilation of retinol(A), or the conversion of beta carotene into retinol, is accomplished only in the reptile’s digestive system. Hence, the beta carotene from the carrot soak does nothing unless the reptile happens to drink a little. It is not absorbed through the turtle’s skin or membranes. In addition, carrot juice entering the eyes, nose, and ear cannels of the turtle can lead to irritation and infection.

Most good, pelleted diets for turtles (TropicZone, Zoo Med, etc.) have sufficient dietary levels of supplemental Vitamin A. Since Vitamin A is fat soluble and excess is stored within the turtle’s body, too much Vitamin A can quickly become toxic. Any way you look at it, it’s best to stay away from carrot soaks and for that matter carrots altogether.

 Myth #2 Turtles should be housed separately

Our readers have heard constantly on social media groups that Aquatic Turtles are solitary and should be kept to only one per enclosure. In most cases, nothing could be farther from the truth. Aquatic Turtles are extremely social in nature and coexist naturally in sizable populations. Who among us has not witnessed large groups of turtles piled happily on top one another while basking? Now, having pointed out that natural fact, let us say this: can maturing male turtles at specific sizes and ages exhibit some aggressive behaviors during breeding cycles? Absolutely. Is it wise to separate these males during these specific times, if they do get too aggressive? Of course. But these are generally isolated events and perfectly normal. Most Aquatic Turtles at and around the same size generally get along very well and benefit from the interaction with others of their kind. Unless you have some unique situation, this is fact 95% of the time. Many would even argue that it is actually cruel to keep a socially interactive animal-like a turtle- all by itself. Lets face it, being a lonely turtle sucks.

Myth #3  Feed tons of Grocery store stuff

It’s fairly logical – People who are not properly educated Animal Nutritionist should not get into prescribing dietary recommendations for animals. It is generally a bad thing when inexperienced (though well meaning) people start to get way outside their field of knowledge. This is unfortunately the case in social media with areas that really should be left to the experts, and Primary Animal Nutrition is certainly one of those areas. 

Post after post on many SM groups advocate feeding large amounts of grocery greens to Aquatic Turtles, sometimes as their primary food source. Aquatic Turtles are omnivorous feeders, meaning of course that they consume both animal and plant based food sources. In nature, they feed mostly on live insects, fish, and other aquatic animals (snails, mollusk, shrimp, crayfish, etc.).  This prey constitutes their primary source of dietary proteins and fats. To some extent (depending on the species) some amount of “aquatic” plant material is also ingested, but generally speaking the majority of the diet is made up from animal protein sources. It’s easy to test this natural selective process at home in your turtles aquarium, just drop in a nice piece of lettuce and a live cricket and see which food source nature has taught your turtle to choose.     

Most grocery store vegetables are not appropriate food sources for Aquatic Turtles, and many varieties provide elevated nutrient levels that can be very damaging – for example, feeding large amounts of high Vitamin A plant matter (carrots, sweet potato, kale, etc.) risks bringing this nutrient into toxic range, while other vegetable varieties provide little nourishment and can quickly foul the aquarium water. Most importantly, there is no way to assure a correct, or consistent nutrient intake using such a “guesswork” approach to feeding. Deficiencies and imbalances are inevitable, and are seen every day in improper shell development, poor general health, and early deaths. Plus the risk of pesticide and bacterial exposure from grocery greens is a real possibility.

The Truth? feeding small amounts of fresh leafy spinach periodicity is usually safe and beneficial. And if you are feeding a high quality turtle diet (TropicZone, Zoo Med, etc.) that uses high grade animal proteins as its base components, with an appropriate level of added plant material already included, there is little need to supplement the diet with questionable grocery store greens. One major Turtle Food manufacturer-TropicZone, suggest that you use the 80/20 rule:  80% of the turtles total diet should consist of the TropicZone Aquatic Turtle diet, and the remaining 20% fresh spinach and/or live insects. That is good sound nutritional advice from experts in that field!