Can Turtles Eat Bananas? Is It Risky For Them?
Turtles are incredibly adorable pets. Although they can be large and difficult to care for, having one should suffice.
Can turtles eat bananas? Yes, they can undoubtedly eat a banana. They can consume bananas alongside other types of food such as meats, pellets, insects, plants, etc. Giving them pieces of banana and allowing them to finish the food efficiently might be a fun method for them to eat.
To properly care for your pet turtle, you must first understand how and when to feed it. Let’s get started learning more about turtles.
Can You Feed Bananas To Your Pet Turtles?
Contents
Yes, you can. Bananas supply turtles with a large amount of nourishment and energy. You might serve them chopped-up banana pieces in small bowls to make it easier for them to eat. The more quickly they can consume, the more they will love the meal you prepare for them.
Here are the nutrients found in bananas from Healthline:
- Calories: 89
- Water: 75%
- Protein: 1.1 grams
- Carbs: 22.8 grams
- Sugar: 12.2 grams
- Fiber: 2.6 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
Bananas also contain fibers, carbs, vitamins, and minerals that will provide nutritious value to your turtle.
- Potassium: Bananas provide a significant amount of potassium. A potassium-rich diet can help turtles with high blood pressure and improve their heart health.
- Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is abundant in bananas. One medium banana can supply up to 33% of this vitamin’s Daily Value (DV).
- Vitamin C: Bananas, like most fruits, are high in vitamin C.
Combining better-tasting items like bananas with less pleasant things like veggies is a good idea. Making it more difficult for the turtle to avoid them in favor of bananas and other fruit.
Turtles can consume the whole banana, even the peel! If you have a turtle, you can help reduce food waste by feeding it banana peels instead of throwing them away.
Do Turtles Like Bananas?
Bananas are a delicious addition to your turtle’s diet. Make sure your cunning turtle doesn’t neglect other, more healthy foods. Turtles, such as box turtles, can make entertaining and easy-to-care-for pets, but be sure you’re prepared to take on the duty of keeping your turtle healthy and safe.
Health Risks For Turtles Eating Bananas
Turtles can consume bananas, but only in moderation. Bananas are heavy in sugar, and feeding them to your turtles regularly may harm their health.
How Much Bananas Should Turtles Eat?
You can usually feed turtles bananas a couple of times a week in moderation. Apples, melon, and grapes are some safe fruits that you can usually feed turtles. Bananas, and overall fruit consumption, should never account for more than 20% of their total diet.
How Do You Prepare Bananas For Turtles?
First, you must understand that you should only give your turtle bananas on rare occasions and not replace their main diet with them, and bananas should not go over 10% of the turtle’s total diet.
Second, watch the turtle as it is eating a banana. Always maintain control of the situation. Baby turtles often prefer meaty foods, while older turtles will readily accept fruits and vegetables.
Finally, before feeding your turtles, remove the banana peel. Banana peels may contain poisonous compounds that are harmful to your turtle.
Can You Feed Bananas To Baby Turtles? If So, How?
You can feed bananas to baby turtles without worries. But the catch is to make them smaller enough to devour quickly. They will enjoy the meal heartily if you make tiny cuts of bananas and give the food in a dish.
Video Of A Turtle Eating A Banana
Here is an interesting ASMR video of a turtle enjoying a banana.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Box turtles are omnivorous. Even then, fruit should be offered less frequently than vegetables because it is commonly chosen by box turtles over vegetables and is less nutritious.
Apples, pears, bananas, mango, grapes, star fruit, raisins, peaches, tomato, guava, melons, and kiwis are available fruits commonly chosen by these turtles. Figs (rich in calcium), apricots, dates, raspberries, and strawberries are among the healthiest fruits.
Red-eared sliders are pretty popular as pets all around the world. People have experimented with various feeds for their turtles, and one is bananas, which are incredibly healthy and can be fed to turtles.
They are, nevertheless, heavy in sugar. As a result, if turtles eat them frequently, they can create health concerns. A bloated stomach, diarrhea, and other digestive troubles are just a few health issues bananas can cause.
As painted turtles are omnivorous, they can eat fruits. But it’s challenging to give the painted turtles bananas in water. Bananas dissolve quickly in water because of their composition, and they could make the aquarium messy and unclean for the turtle to reside. Thus it is better to avoid bananas.
Outro
Now you have the answer to the question, “Can turtles eat bananas?” To keep them with you for an extended period, follow the feeding recommendations attentively and healthily.
Don’t just give a banana every day. To maintain a balance of proteins and vegetables, combine with various foods such as pellets, insects, etc.
Do you want to know if turtles eat meat or pickles? Read our articles about it to learn more.
