Turtles have quite a diverse dietary preference, these animals will eat almost everything, they are opportunistic feeders, but, their being this easy to feed does not necessarily mean that they should be eating a lot.
If your pet turtle is eating a lot then you may start to worry, this article looks into why your turtle may be eating a lot.
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My turtle eats a lot:
If you find that your turtle seems to have an insatiable appetite, if the animal is constantly on the lookout for food, if your turtle simply eats a lot, then you’d understandably start to worry.
This article looks into why your turtle eats a lot:
They are opportunistic:
Just like any other animal turtles are opportunistic feeders. These animals will eat as long as there is food available and will even eat and engorge themselves with food even after they have eaten their fill.
These animals know that food is not plentiful in the wild so they developed the instinct to gorge themselves on food when they get the chance, even in your home.
This instinct causes them to eat anything in sight when they are offered food even stuffing themselves with food till they are forced to throw up.
Your pet reptile will also beg for food when you walk past because it has likely associated you with getting food or sees you as an endless food source
On the upside, your pet doing this indicates that it is healthy and is stimulated by seeing food and this makes it more active
What to do:
While it may be hard to resist overfeeding your turtle it’s very important that you don’t overfeed your pet.
Overfeeding your pet can lead to the animal developing a wider variety of health complications such as fatty liver disease or even obesity.
They are young:
Your pet’s age may be the reason why you’re seeing the animal eat a lot.
Younger turtles grow quite rapidly and thus require a lot of food to fuel their development. Your turtle being very young may be the reason why the animal seems to have an insatiable hunger.
What to do:
You don’t have to worry about your pet in this case, the animal’s appetite will naturally slow down, and the animal will eat less and less, as it matures in age.
Keep feeding your juvenile turtles quite often, and feed your adult turtles only a few times a week. Feed your pet healthy, turtle-appropriate, foods throughout its life.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Lethargic?, Why Is My Turtle Bloated?, Red Worms In My Turtle Tank, My Turtle Was Upside Down, My Turtles Eyes Are Sunken, My Turtle Keeps Wiping His Face, My Turtle Egg Has A Dent In It, My Turtle Keeps Rubbing His Eyes, My Turtle Won’t Stop Splashing