Can Turtles Eat Flies? – Is This A Healthy Diet?
As an omnivorous species, turtles eat both veg and non-veg. However, the foods might not be the same for all turtles. For example, wild turtles can eat anything regarding their food taste, whether healthy or not. But when it is about a pet turtle, you must maintain the diet.
Can turtles eat flies? The simple answer is, “Yes.” Flies are an excellent source of protein for turtles’ shells and skin, which makes them an ideal food for turtles. However, it depends on the food preference of the turtles.
However, to know the details on feeding flies to turtles, go through the entire article.
Can You Feed Flies To Your Pet Turtles?
Contents
Yes, you can feed flies to your turtles since flies are a source of meat protein. Moreover, they also have some other benefits to developing turtle growth. But you shouldn’t feed all types of flies to them. It is better to provide the store-purchased flies and avoid the houseflies since they are infamous for spreading diseases.
Don’t feed flies excessively to your turtles. However, it depends upon their age and food choice of them. Include more insects like flies in their diet as they grow up.
Additionally, most turtles are choosy in terms of their food. So, you should not force them to eat flies. If they like them, they will definitely eat them. Flies contain a good number of nutrients. So, it will be great for turtles’ health and appetite.
Now, a question arises, “Are flies safe food for turtles?” Well, it depends upon the types of flies. If flies don’t contain any harmful or poisonous substances, they are safe to feed. Otherwise, it may upset the digestive system of your turtles.
If you have a pet turtle, you must maintain a healthy diet for its feeding. Protein is one of the necessary food nutrients that your turtles need. And insects like flies are a good source of it. You can feed your turtles flies with other pet foods like pellets, veggies, and fruits.
But, if your turtles refuse to eat flies, you had better not feed them. Besides, to make your turtle’s diet balanced and healthy, you should feed flies to your turtles with other regular food. However, try not to provide flies with water. That is because it may make your turtles panic. Keep patience while you are feeding your turtles.
Do Turtles Like Flies?
As we mentioned before, you can’t force turtles to eat anything once they refuse to eat. But in general, turtles like flies to eat with other insects. Since turtles eat both insects and plants, flies are edible to turtles. But, sometimes, they don’t like it or become tired of it. To balance the whole diet, flies are a good source of protein.
Health Benefits For Turtles Eating Flies
Although flies do not contain as many minerals and vitamins as other insects, they have enough protein. Such nutrition is vital to make their bones and shell stronger.
If you know what are the benefits of treats for turtles, then you can understand how beneficial it is to feed insects to them occasionally.
And since you can feed insects to turtles as a treat, feeding flies like other insects have additional advantages. Moreover, it will help their appetite.
Is There Any Risk For Turtles Eating Flies?
There are some risks to feeding flies as well. Most houseflies are not suitable for turtles to eat. Even so, some houseflies carry different types of diseases. Examples: cholera, conjunctivitis, salmonella, diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, etc. So, if your turtles eat a lot of houseflies, it may sicken them.
Moreover, houseflies are very poor in the case of vitamins and minerals. So you should consider the alternative of regular houseflies. It is recommended, that you purchase the pre-stored flies.
How Much Flies Should Turtles Eat?
It will help if you feed flies to your turtles with other foods like pet foods and pellets. You should know that an adult turtle’s diet should contain 70%-80% protein.
But, still, we recommend not feeding flies to them excessively. You may feed flies with protein sources like canned tuna, dried shrimp, small crickets, etc. With all these protein items, turtles can consume flies daily.
How Do You Prepare Flies For Turtles?
There is no such preparation to make flies edible for turtles. It’s all about how you feed. And it is so simple. You just need to place the flies in the position so that turtles can see it. In this case, you can put them near the turtle’s head. You may try dropping a fly into the water. They will not eat it if it seems annoying to them.
Can You Feed Flies To Your Baby Turtles?
A baby turtle needs more protein than an adult one due to its growth. From this point of view, you can feed flies to your baby turtles. However, we strongly advise against relying on flies as a primary protein source. That is because flies have a very poor amount of protein compared to other edible insects.
FAQs
Yes, box turtles are omnivorous, and they love to eat flies along with other foods. If you have a turtle of this species, you can include them in its diet. But try not to replace other necessary foods with flies, as they can be a host for Dipterous parasites. That is because it is not a compact food. The protein it has is insufficient to maintain a good diet for a box turtle.
The red-eared slider turtle is another type that consumes animal protein and vegetable matter in its diet. It can therefore meet its protein needs by eating flies, even though flies have a lower protein intake overall. But with other meat foods, you can feed them flies in a ratio without any issues.
Yes, painted turtles can eat flies. Moreover, this species of turtles love to hunt mini creatures around them. So, they will go for it if they get the chance to hunt flies. Although they can consume a lot of flies, you should not feed them this protein item excessively. You should keep a variety of protein sources in pet turtles’ diet.
Conclusion
The last thing we need to do is conclude that turtles can eat flies as a source of protein. Since the amount of protein that flies provide is insufficient, it is recommended that additional meat sources be given to them along with the flies. Besides, most turtles are picky eaters. So, don’t force them to eat once they refuse to eat.
Do you want to know if turtles eat blueberries or green beans? Read our articles about it to learn more.
