Can Turtles Eat Peaches? – Are Peaches Healthy For Pet Turtles?
Your turtles are more likely to eat anything you put in front of them than other pets. Now, you might be wondering, would they eat peaches? Here is what we found out after our research.
Can turtles eat peaches? Yes, turtles can eat peaches or any other stone fruits, either fresh or canned. The fruits, including the skin, contain many nutrients these reptiles need to stay healthy. Unfortunately, the pits of the peaches are not safe for turtles to eat.
But how many peaches should turtles eat? Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about turtles eating peaches.
Can You Feed Peaches To Your Pet Turtles?
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Yes, you can feed your pet turtles fresh or canned peaches. These stone fruits are not poisonous to turtles whether you give them the yellow or white peaches. They are very healthy and easy for turtles to digest compared to some common turtle foods. However, when feeding peaches to your turtles, you must do it in moderation.
You see, peaches are packed with many vital minerals like iron, potassium, and fluoride. This, therefore, makes them a super healthy addition to your turtle’s diet. Even better, the fruits are low in calories but a rich source of nutrients and essential vitamins such as:
- Vitamin C
- Fiber
- Vitamin A
- Magnesium
- Phosphorous
- Vitamins E and K
Now, while you can feed peaches to turtles, the entire fruit is not edible. Your turtles can safely eat the peach skin and the flesh. However, the hard pits or seeds of peaches are not safe for your turtles. This is because the pits contain a dangerous compound called cyanide, common in fruits like cherries, nectarines, and plums.
Fortunately, the seeds are only dangerous if you crush and give them to your turtles. Some symptoms of peach pits poisoning on your turtles include:
- Abdominal pain
- Seizures
- Respiratory problems
- Diarrhea
- Cardiac arrest
- Coughing
- Confusion or disorientation
Therefore, while feeding peaches to your turtles, always make sure to remove the pits. And if you want your turtles to also eat the peaches’ skin, you must wash the fruit thoroughly using clean water.
Do Turtles Like Peaches?
Yes, because most peach varieties are lower in acid and taste sweet. The fruits are also juicy and easy to eat whether soft or firm.
Health Benefits For Turtles Eating Peaches
Peaches are nutritionally important and there are many health benefits for pet turtles eating these stone fruits. These include:
- Supporting digestive and heart health
- Boosts turtle’s immune system
- Reduces the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration
- Regulates insulin and blood sugar levels
- Minimizes risk of inflammation and chronic diseases
- Helps maintain a healthy weight
How Much Peaches Should Turtles Eat?
Your pet turtles should not eat peaches as part of their regular diet. In other words, you should only feed these stone fruits to your reptiles as an occasional treat. This is because a turtle’s diet should only be 10-20% fruits.
How Do You Prepare Peaches For Turtles?
You start by cleaning your fresh peaches thoroughly. Then, peel the outer skin and put it aside. Next, remove the peach pits and throw them away. After that, slice the flesh of the peaches into small pieces.
Then, serve the peaches to your turtles in a shallow bowl together with other fruits or food. But for aquatic turtles, you just place the peaches in their water tank.
Can You Feed Peaches To Baby Turtles? If So, How?
Absolutely. However, you don’t feed the peaches’ skin to baby turtles. You only give them the flesh part of the fruit. Also, you must chop the peaches into bite-sized pieces and hand feed your turtles.
In this short video, you can see aquatic turtles enjoying some sliced peaches in their aquarium.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. Box turtles can eat a variety of stone fruits like peaches because they are safe and nutrient-rich. They can eat as many peaches as possible, including the skin. Therefore, you have to be careful to ensure they don’t overfeed. However, you should not let your box turtles eat the pits.
Red-eared slider turtles can safely eat the skin and flesh of peaches. This is because the peaches are rich in essential minerals and vitamins. However, they cannot eat the seeds. You must remove the seeds, slice the fruit in half and throw it in their aquarium for your turtles to eat.
Yes, they can since stone fruits, including the whole peaches are healthy apart from the pits. So, painted turtles will eat even the skin of the peaches. Even better, they can eat either fresh or canned peaches. The important thing is you feed them these fruits sparingly like an occasional treat.
Conclusion
Peaches are tasty and offer many health benefits. Therefore, you can feed these stone fruits to your pet turtles, either canned or fresh. You just have to remove the pits, and your turtles can eat the rest of the fruit. Of course, you must slice the fruits into small chunks, especially for baby turtles.
Do you want to know if turtles eat shrimp or fish food? Read our articles about it to learn more.
