Can Turtles Eat Bread? Turtle Feeding Guide: What to Eat!

Md Ful Mia

Unlike humans, animals such as turtles cannot eat just anything edible. There is food that may be good for them or bad to the point that it might poison them. So, it is best to know what is and what is not allowed to be fed to them.

Well, if you are a new turtle owner who wants to know what to feed your pet? Or do you just want to try other food such as bread for your turtle? Well, we would gladly help you out.

Can turtles eat bread? What You Need to Know!

Since prehistoric times, bread which made of flour and water and usually prepared by baking is a staple food. While this doesn’t pose any harm to humans, and some might think that it will not also hurt to feed their pets, such as turtles with this, they should pause and think twice.

Turtles can eat bread. This is, however, may not be an appropriate food for them. Bread contains yeast that turtles cannot properly digest. The turtles lack enzymes that are required in digesting, and they do not have biological parts to break down the bread. With these, bread cannot give any nutrition to them.

Moreover, you should know the diet and feeding of turtles. Most turtles are omnivores, but some are either herbivoresor carnivores. Land-dwelling turtles are more herbivorous, as aquatic turtles are more carnivorous. So, you should get turtle food that is suitable or appropriate for your turtle, considering their inclination to food, if they are more on plants, meat, or both.

Thus, bread may not be toxic to turtles, but due to their inability to digest it, there might be consequences to their health, or it may not have any effect at all as it does not bring any nutrition to them.

What Happens If A Turtle Eats Bread?

If you have fed your turtle with a piece of bread, this will not actually cause any danger. Turtles can eat bread, but the thing is that they are unable to digest it due to their lack of enzymes. Thus, it will not contribute to the turtle’s health.

So, what exactly happens if a turtle eats bread? If a turtle eats bread for just a one-time thing or occasionally a small portion, there might be no problem. But if you continuously feed the turtles with bread in significant quantities, it might choke them as they cannot break down the food. Plus, you might be missing the proper food diet for the turtles’ growth and development, which will adversely affect their health.

So now you know that feeding the turtle with bread as part of its daily meal omitting the nutritious food, they should be taking may undermine their health. Will it be dangerous? Find out in the following discussion.

Is It Dangerous For Turtles To Eat Bread?

Generally, bread is not harmful to turtles when they have accidentally fed with it. However, there is a food diet that you should follow when feeding the turtles. You should get turtle food that is appropriate for the kind of turtle that you have.

Some domesticated turtles would eat anything that you will give them, which includes bread. While this is not harmful to turtles when ingested, it might be dangerous for turtles to consume it as part of their daily food. Some of the dangers it can cause are choking, metabolic bone disease, and nutrient deficiency.

Let us break down these possible ill effects of bread being part of the turtle’s meal:

1. Choking

Turtles don’t have teeth that will help them chew or break down the bread. This may not worry you, but if you feed them with big pieces of bread and they swallow it, considering that they cannot chew it, there is a high chance that the turtle may choke.

2. Metabolic Bone Disease

Metabolic Bone Disease is an abnormality of the bones which is due to some disorders. The common disorder that is causing this abnormality is deficiencies of minerals like vitamin D, calcium, or magnesium. The deficiency of said minerals will weaken the structure of a turtle and, in turn, will damage and affect the shell growth.

3. Nutrients Deficiency

If you decide to feed the turtles with bread occasionally, this might not harm them, but you might cut off the nutrients they should be getting. Bread has no nutritional value to turtles as they cannot digest them. That said, bread has zero contribution to the turtles’ health and growth. If you try to cut off some food that should be part of the turtle’s means for bread, they may not get the right amount of nutrients for growth and sustenance.

What can turtles eat from human food?

Well, if bread is not entirely suitable for turtles, you might be thinking about what you can feed them that is available in your food storage. We got your back; we will give you some of the human food that turtles can eat with the corresponding nutrients that it can provide.

Food	Nutrients
Fruits	These are great source of vitamins and minerals. Say Turtles need certain minerals and vitamins for their shell’s growth and protection.
Vegetables	These are the sources of nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, dietary fiber, and many more. Since some turtles are herbivores, feeding them with vegetables containing this much of the nutrients will help maintain and improve their health.
Fish	It is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals like zinc, iodine, iron, and magnesium. Calcium and phosphorus are the essential minerals for the turtle’s shell, so you should definitely add this to the food diet.
Meat	Meat has many proteins that a turtle needs for the first couple of years of its life, mainly for shell growth.

There you have it! Rather than trying to make the bread work for your turtle’s meals, you should feed them with food that can guarantee them nutrients.

Final verdict

You might want to share your food with the turtles, or you just want to introduce a new food, and that is understandable, but you have to consider first whether it is good or bad for them.

Bread is not really bad for turtles, but it cannot be said to be good, too. We have to consider the inabilities of the turtles compared to humans, as turtles cannot digest it. But there are human foods that they can consume; however, you should still caution what to include in their meals. Some amounts are allowed, which might cause peril to the turtles’ health and their lives as a whole when exceeded. You must consult then the food that gives them the nutrients they need and their proper food diet. Doing this will guarantee that you will never go wrong with keeping your turtle’s health.