The proportions of animal versus plant based food items will depend on both the age and the species of box turtle that you are feeding.
Box turtle food chart.
By far the most popular is the true eastern box turtle terrapene carolina carolina so this guide will focus on this variety coming from canada and the us east coast they can live for 30 to 40 years.
Box turtles do best in a turtle safe outdoor pen that mimics their natural environment as long as temperatures don t fall below 50 degrees fahrenheit.
Prepared tortoise chows especially mazuri tortoise diet zoo med natural grassland tortoise food or zoo med natural forest tortoise food.
Some box turtles like the ornate box turtle eat insects.
In general the box turtle diet should be about 50 animal matter 40 plant based foods fruits vegetables leaves and 10 fungi mushrooms.
Housing the common box turtle.
Young growing box turtles up to 4 6 years of age tend to be primarily carnivores and adults tend to be herbivorous.
Box turtles are omnivorous which means that they eat both plant and animal based foods.
The pen should have walls that are at least 18 inches tall with an overhang to prevent the turtle from climbing out.
Pet or feed store foods.
But if well cared for they can live up to 100 years.
Live or frozen baby or young mice and rats.
So you can give them a chance to make their own decisions.
Box turtles are omnivores which means they will eat a variety of both animal and plant based foods.
Types of foods for box turtles.
Fresh dried cubed or pelleted hay.
In order to do this it is crucial to keep in mind that there are many different species and subspecies of box turtles and that box turtles live in many different types of environments in mexico and the united states.
Generally hatchlings and juvenile box turtles are more carnivorous than adults which are typically more herbivorous.
Here is the eastern box turtle diet plus western one diet plan that you must follow to keep your box turtle alive and healthy.
Even box turtle experts don t completely agree on how best to care for these animals or how to best meet their needs.
To keep a box turtle healthy it is important to provide it with suitable box turtle food.
Use your best judgement when using the information on this site and understand that it is not a substitute for veterinary advice or common sense.
They have a sharp eye and keen sense of smell.
It will help keep them healthy and alive.
Box turtles are omnivores so their diet must include insects worms snails mushrooms spiders caterpillars green beans berries grass crickets flowers fruit and all other plants or small insects.
There are six subspecies of eastern box turtles and they all belong to the emydidae family.
You can feed them a salad of items mixed in this ratio or offer different foods at each meal so that the overall diet equals roughly these ratios.