Can Turtles Eat Betta Fish Food? How Frequent Can It be Fed?

If you’re thinking of feeding betta fish food to your turtle, you’re probably thinking of keeping them together in the tank or aquarium. Although they aren’t good mates, the food for betta fish can be safely consumed by the turtles.

Can turtles eat betta fish food? Turtles can eat betta fish food or any other fish diet without any trouble. However, they’re not ideal for them since both are different species with different dietary requirements. Another thing is turtles, and betta fishes are unlikely to live together because turtles consider live fishes as their diet. So the betta will either be eaten by the turtles or die because of unlivable conditions due to the turtle’s dominance.

If you’re still considering betta foods such as fish flakes, pellets, or freeze-dried food for your turtle, it’s alright to give them a few morsels once a week. But are they healthy? Find out more in the article.

Can You Feed Betta Fish Food To Your Pet Turtles?

Turtles can eat most foods that a betta fish eats, including freeze-dried foods, pellets, live insects like bloodworms, larvae, and fish flakes. Before you feed betta fish food to your pet turtle, check out some facts here.

• If your turtle is living with the betta in the same tank, the turtle will most likely consider it a diet to eat. Even if the betta manages to hide, the chances are high that the turtle will eat most of its food and leave it in hunger, although it’s not for them.

• But if you’re considering betta fish food for turtles alone in the tank, they’re safe and can be fed once in a while. Some of the safe betta fish foods to offer to your pet turtle include:

• Frozen Foods: Bloodworms, Krill, Mysis
• Flakes: Tetra Goldfish Sticks and Flakes
• Pellets: Saki-Hikari Goldfish

• Although fish foods aren’t harmful to turtles, they don’t contain all the nutrients required. So you should consider them an occasional treat for your turtle since they don’t meet their complex dietary requirement. 

• The betta fish are carnivores, requiring more protein than an omnivore animal like a turtle. The betta fish foods are high in protein, which isn’t suitable for feeding the turtles frequently.

Do Turtles Like Betta Fish Food?

Turtles enjoy betta fish foods such as frozen or freeze-dried fish foods. The most liked frozen foods by turtles are bloodworm, mysis, and krill—some turtles like fish pellets and flakes more than regular turtle pellets. Turtles are always hungry and looking for opportunities to eat. So they don’t mind eating the morsels meant for a betta or other fishes in the aquarium.

Health Benefits For Turtles Eating Betta Fish Food

Betta fish eat live fish foods as well as dried ones. They’re beneficial to turtles in some ways, such as:

• Some live worms considered for betta fish food, such as bloodworms, contain crude protein essential for turtles.

• Dried betta fish foods have similar nutrition facts to live aquatic fish foods. They’re high in protein, carbs, and fat and should benefit turtles if fed moderately and sparingly.

• Fish foods provide great amino acid balance for aquatic pets, including turtles. They contain many essential minerals like phosphorus and calcium that strengthen bones and shells while improving muscular functions for the turtles.

Risks for Turtles Eating Betta Fish Food

Most fish foods, including betta fish foods, are high in protein. Unlike these fishes, turtles are omnivores, and excessive protein could be detrimental to them, leading to shell pyramiding or obesity.

Moreover, fish foods intended for turtle mates in the tank can create a food crisis and chaos among the dwellers. Such a situation can be harmful to not only betta fish or other fish in the tank but also the turtles.

How Much Betta Fish Food Should Turtles Eat?

You can easily calculate the amount of betta fish food your turtle can eat. The turtle’s diet should contain 75% of vegetables and leafy greens (see the specific items here). The rest could be formed with fish, live, pellets, or freeze-dried foods. So ideally, you can give a small amount (a few morsels) of fish food infrequently (maybe once a week) and include it in a balanced diet.

Why Shouldn’t You Feed Betta Fish Food To Turtles? 

So after assessing the risks and benefits, we’ve got a few reasons why you should avoid feeding betta fish food to your turtle even though they’re safe.

• Turtles have different nutritional requirements than betta fish.
• Betta fish foods contain more meat-based fillers and proteins than what turtles require.
• Betta fish food will not fill up the turtle and satisfy their hunger.
• It’s pointless to buy the same type of food for two different aquatic species and create chaos among them when better options are available.

How Do You Prepare Betta Fish Food For Turtles?

If you plan to feed some live foods like bloodworms, put them around your turtle. Since the turtles are always looking for grubs, they should soon come out and gobble the live betta fish foods. 

You can also offer a few morsels, pellets, or flakes weekly. Just put them around your turtle; they should eat most of them.

Can You Feed Betta Fish Food To Baby Turtles? If So, How?

Fish foods are an excellent dietary choice for baby turtles if fed moderately. So baby turtles can eat most betta fish foods such as freeze-dried worms, flakes, or pellets without any trouble. The baby pets who live with other fishes, including betta fish, don’t mind eating fish leftovers as well.

Video Of A Turtle Eating Betta Fish Food 

Watch pet turtles and fishes eat the most popular betta fish food (the bloodworms).

FAQs

Outro

Turtles are aquatic animals and can safely eat betta or any other fish food. However, turtles are omnivores and have different dietary requirements than carnivores like betta fish. Fish foods are high in protein, which turtles don’t require much. So betta fish foods can only be considered occasional treats for turtles.

Your turtle can lack many essential nutrients if fish foods are considered the main diet. They live more on plant-based food. So make your choice accordingly. Also, be careful about keeping the turtle and betta fish together. They can’t be good mates due to the dominance of the turtle. If you want to put them together in the same tank and want them to share the food, then drop the idea unless you want to end up losing your betta fish.

Do you want to know if turtles eat celery or shrimp? Read our articles about it to learn more.