So how do you choose the right food for your turtles? There are a lot of different brands out there and let’s face it, all of them profess to be the best. Sure, there are the leaders: TropicZone, Zoo Med, Tetra. But do even they provide it all? There are the normal things to look for in these foods; their ingredients for sure (does the diet contain high quality animal proteins? or just a bunch of random seeds and grains), Is the pellet size right for your size turtles? (some pellets are way too small or way too big) and very importantly, is the diet “Life Staged” for your particular age/size turtle? What is Life Staging you may ask? It’s actually one of the most important things to look for in your turtle’s diet.

Most all animals go through various growth stages as they age and mature, and as they go through these “life stages” their nutritional requirements change. To provide proper nutrition at each stage of your turtle’s development, you must adjust the diet formulation as your turtles grow.  In animal feeding, these detailed adjustments in nutrient content are referred to as “life Staging “a diet. You will see it most commonly in dog and cat foods, among many others. Life staging an animal diet addresses the animal’s core nutritional requirements based on each stage of its development.

So how does this concept effect feeding aquatic and terrestrial turtles? It’s simple enough to say that turtles do indeed go through several growth cycles, it’s a long journey from tiny hatchling to full breeding adult. But how do our turtle foods address these dietary “life” stages?  Feeding turtles are a bit more complicated than feeding a dog or cat, not only do the nutritional parameters need to be appropriate for each stage of the turtle’s development, but because of the size variations (in each stage of the turtle’s growth process), the size of the food pellet must be suitable for each size turtle. It is this combination of proper nutrition and proper pellet size that is the key to delivering the correct nourishment to each and every size turtle. This goal is not easily accomplished, and only a select few turtle food manufactures make the grade. Most fall terribly short, offering a one size fits all approach that just doesn’t cut it.

So how do we feed the right nutritional formula for each stage of a turtle’s development?  With exactly the right sized pellet?  Here’s some important information that should help…

Hatchling Turtles up to 2”:  Require a higher than average protein / fat content due to their accelerated growth rate during this Stage-1 of their growth cycle. Typically, a 40-45% protein / 12-15% fat ratio from mostly high-quality animal protein sources (not seeds, grains, or corn products). Optimum pellet size is a 1/16 inch micro-pellet (Stage 1 options are available from TropicZone and Zoo Med).

Baby Turtles 2”- 3”:  Still require a higher than average protein / fat content due to their continued growth rate during this Stage-2 of their growth cycle. Typically, the 40-45% protein/12-15% fat ratio still works well, again from high quality animal protein sources (not seeds, grains, or corn products). Optimum pellet size is now a 3/32 inch micro-pellet (Stage 2 options are available from TropicZone, Zoo Med, and Tetra).

Juvenile Turtles 3”-4”:  Require a slightly higher than average protein / fat content during this Stage-3 of their growth cycle. Typically, a 35-37% protein / 7-8% fat ratio from primarily high-quality animal protein sources (a small amount of seed and grain products). Optimum pellet size is now a 3/32 and/or 1/8 inch pellet (Stage 3 options are available from TropicZone and Tetra).

Sub-Adult Turtles 4”-6”:  Require a slightly adjusted protein / fat content from the juvenile staged diets during this Stage-4 of their growth cycle. Typically, a 32-34% protein / 6-7% fat ratio, now from a mix of both high-quality animal protein sources and various plant protein sources. Optimum pellet size is increased to a 1/8-3/16 inch pellet (Stage-4 options are available from TropicZone and Zoo Med,).

Full Adult Turtles 6”-above”:  Require an average protein / fat content during this final Stage-5 of their growth cycle. Typically, a 27-30% protein / 5-6% fat ratio from a mix of plant protein sources and animal protein sources. Optimum pellet size is now a 3/16-1/4 inch pellet (Stage-5 options are available from TropicZone and Tetra).

With this detailed incite on nutritional requirements and proper pellet sizes, you should be able to choose the best option for your turtles, in whatever growth Stage they may be!

For additional information on care and feeding, please feel free to check out supplementary articles on the:

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