Cropped version of “Tilly the Eastern Box Turtle” by David Starner. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
About half of your box turtle’s diet should be plant-based foods. About 40% of the plant matter should be vegetables, and 20% each fruits, greens and fungi. No, fungi aren’t really plants, but they’re included here for ease of explanation.
Vegetables for Your Box Turtle
Most vegetables are suitable for box turtles, but some are better than others.
Squash is always a good choice, and just about any kind will do—acorn, butternut, yellow, pumpkin, etc. Zucchini, too (no, your turtle will never eat enough zucchini to help you get rid of that bumper crop every year, but he’ll still enjoy helping). When feeding summer squash, keep in mind that the rinds are more nutritious than the flesh. For winter squash, shred and lightly steam them to make them easier to eat.
Other good vegetable choice include:
- Bell peppers
- Carrots—shred them first
- Green beans
- Okra
- Cactus pad and fruit—make sure you get rid of all the spines!
- Sweet potatoes—cook and shred, or grate first and then microwave briefly
- Potatoes
Other vegetables are less nutritious but can still be a part of your turtle’s varied diet:
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Beets
Leafy Greens for Your Box Turtle
Whatever greens you use for yourself are also appropriate for your turtle. Again, though, some greens are more nutritious than others, especially when it comes to lettuce. Romaine is probably one of the best choices of lettuce. Bibb, escarole and red leaf lettuces are also good once in a while.
Avoid giving your turtle too much iceberg lettuce, because it really doesn’t have much nutritional value, and you don’t want to fill her up on something without enough vitamins and minerals.
Iceberg does have a high water content, so it can be useful as a sort of “drink,” especially on hot days or if your indoor turtle doesn’t have water available 24/7. (Do note that if you’re not providing water constantly, you should still give it regularly, both for drinking and bathing.)
Other good greens include:
- Clover (be aware that clover growing in warm climates might contain cyanide, while plants growing in cold climates should be safe)
- Collard
- Dandelion
- Mustard
- Turnip
- Watercress
Kale and spinach are also nutritious, but in limited quantities.
If you don’t eat a lot of greens yourself, you can also collect weeds and leaves from your yard, as long as they have not been treated with pesticides
Fresh vegetables are best, when possible, but frozen vegetables are fine too. If you’re cooking frozen veggies for yourself, save a tablespoon or so for your turtle. Let them cool before serving!
Fruits for Your Box Turtle
Box turtles love their sweet fruit! Many will have a favorite, just like humans, and often that is berries. See what your pet thinks about strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and blackberries. Consider planting berries in his enclosure, if you have room.
Remember that just because he loves fruit, that doesn’t mean he should have too much of it. For most feedings, mix it with vegetables and/or protein, although a treat of just fruit once in a while is fine, too.
Try these:
- Apples
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Figs
- Grapes
- Kiwis
- Melons
- Peaches
- Plums
Fungi for Your Box Turtle
Box turtles can eat any mushrooms, from Chanterelles to Morels and Puffballs. The easiest thing to do, if you eat mushrooms yourself, is just to share yours with your turtle. If you don’t eat mushrooms, then at least buy him some button mushrooms (the common ones at the grocery store) once in a while.
As you can see, as long as you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, it’s pretty easy to keep your box turtle’s diet varied, too.
.
Can box turtle eat green grapes
Yep, they sure can!
But they shouldn’t eat too many of them. Grapes contain a compound that makes it hard to absorb iodine. Your turtle needs iodine. As long as your boxie eats lots of different foods, adding grapes once in a while is just fine.
You can learn more about foods that are best in small amounts on our Foods to Limit page.
Can a box turtle eat cactus that does not have the spikes on it it is cleaned off already
Yes! As long as the spines have been removed, cactus pads are a fine choice for your box turtle. 🙂
Can a box turtle eat green peppers?
Yep! We feed ours green or red peppers once in a while. They’re not big fans, but they do eat it. Yours might like peppers better. The only way to know is to try it!
I have a baby box turtle i just rescued. Hes about the size of a quarter maybe fifty cent piece.I took him in because he wouldn’t eat or drink. Well i love animals so went to town on research. I got him to drink by making it very humid and soaking him for a long time. Then i made it very humid again and got him to eat some blueberry. This was yesterday. Today i got him to drink but i couldnt get him to eat. Is this ok. Will he be ok if he doesnt eat for a day hes so small and i dont want him to not eat. Im heading to the store to set up my 130 gallon tank for him i know to cover the sides so he cant see out will plain paper work or should i get something else for him. Im going to get him meal worms and earthworms or should i get something diffrent. I eat alot of fruits and vegtables but he would only eat a little blueberry do i just keep offering him thing and see what works. Im going to plant butter lettuce in his tank is that ok. And set up a very shallow pond for him. It a huge tank so i think it will make him feel like hes in the wild for the most part.
Hi Joan,
Lots of boxie parents report it’s hard to get the tiny ones to eat. But they do tend to be more carnivorous than adults, and boxies in general like foods that move. So mealworms may work. Or earthworms, but I think only small ones, not big nightcrawlers! Also, as tiny as you say it is, it may have only just hatched, and so it may still be surviving on nutrients absorbed from its yolk sac. Edible plants in the habitat is fine (just make sure he’s not eating only lettuce!).
Offering different foods and seeing what he prefers sounds like a good plan. And keep in mind that a blueberry is actually a lot of food for a tiny turtle!
The pond is also a great idea, because the tiny ones can get dehydrated pretty quickly. Just make sure he can stand in it without having to hold his head up high (so really shallow). And replace the water daily. I’ve also heard that feeding babies while they’re soaking can help encourage them to eat. Also, you may have to step away from that tank after feeding, instead of watching. I’ve also heard some babies just won’t eat with someone watching! Not sure how true this is, but it seems worth trying.
Good luck!
Thanks. He is now only eating meal worms but i guess as long as he eats im happy ☺.
Yay! Glad to hear he’s eating. ❤️ Do keep offering different things, too & at some point he’ll find other things to like. 🙂
Meal worms should not be given. I’m now caring for a box turtle whose owner fed meal worms because that’s all she would eat. She’s very unhealthy with nutrient deiciencies? I learned that meal worms contain very little calcium and required nutrients. I volunteered to take her for a while to try to get her healthier. She had sores on her skin and her nails were broken and falling off at the base where scabby sores were. After only a week she’s doing great and has a healthy diet she loves. I feed her a teaspoon of Zoo Med canned food, a blueberry, and an earthworm every day. She’s eating everything now! I wash worm under warm water before giving it to her, and I warm the other refrigerated foods mentioned in the microwave for 4 seconds. I feed her on a piece of slate to help keep nails and beak filed.
I rescued a 3 toed boxie that is over 11 years old. He was in a little blue tub, in water with 1 rock and was fed lettuce and apples from McDonalds. That was it!!! I got him eating all kinds of vegies and he was doing great! Then I read that super worms were good for him and he loves them! Now he refuses all other food. I even got the box turtle food that is a “complete balanced diet” that “they love”. Not King Tut! I feed my super worms corn meal, buckwheat flour, oatmeal, cricket diet for moisture, potatoes, and greens sometimes. Is that a good gut load for the super worms. Is it enough for Tut? Left on his own he would eat at least 10 worms a day!! I feed them 3 at a time around 3 to 4 times a day!!! I try Strawberries, shredded carrots, raw venison, green beans, etc. but he refuses them. I even “wiggle” the food and he won’t go for it. When spring comes I’m going to get earthworms, bugs and grubs and greens from outside. I just hope I’m not hurting him. Thanks, in advance for any help you can give me.
Wow, that seems like a lot of worms for one little turtle every day! But maybe he needs the protein after a diet of just lettuce & apples. I don’t really know. But boxies should be eating greens along with their protein. I wonder if pureeing some fruits & veggies then smearing it on his worms would give him a taste for plant foods again? Then slowly cut back on the worms while increasing the plants (still fed with a worm, at least at first). And also slowly add pieces of fruits & veggies with the puree to get him used to more plant texture. That’s my 1st thought, anyway. Boxies can get picky & stubborn with their food choices. And it can take patience to convince them to eat things other than their favorites (kind of like a little kid!). Good luck.
Pingback: Terrarium Heat Lamp Bulb – Terrarium Projects at Home
Pingback: Reptile Heat Lamp No Light – Terrarium Projects at Home
I can’t get them to eat anything green, not even green fruit. No lettuce, greens, broccoli, green melon, or grapes.
We have tips for getting box turtles to eat here: https://www.boxturtleworld.com/box-turtle-care/what-to-do-if-your-box-turtle-wont-eat/
can box turtles eat mushrooms?
Yes!
Can box turtles eat an aloe plant?
Hi Dean!
Aloe seems to be ok for turtles in moderation. Too much can act as a laxative though. I personally wouldn’t plant one in my boxie’s enclosure, at least until I knew he wouldn’t eat too much of it. I don’t know if that was your plan or not. Also, I’ve never seen anyone actually define “moderation” or “too much”, and I’ve never actually fed it to a turtle, so I can’t help you with how much is ok to feed.