{"id":458,"date":"2021-11-22T22:29:17","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T22:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/?p=458"},"modified":"2023-01-15T01:56:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-15T01:56:00","slug":"baby-painted-turtle-food-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/baby-painted-turtle-food-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Painted Turtle Food: What To Feed Your Baby Turtle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve recently brought home a baby Painted Turtle, then congrats! These turtles are a delight to have as a pet. However, they have some special needs when it comes to caring for them, including Baby Painted Turtle Food. For example, did you know that baby Painted Turtles have a different diet than when they become adults? So, what do you feed a baby Painted Turtle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/eastern-painted-turtle.jpg\" alt=\"Baby Painted Turtle Food\" class=\"wp-image-1427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/eastern-painted-turtle.jpg 800w, https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/eastern-painted-turtle-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/eastern-painted-turtle-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eastern Painted Turtle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll give a brief overview of what a baby <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Painted_turtle\" data-lasso-id=\"5231\" rel=\"noopener\">Painted Turtle<\/a> is. Then, we\u2019ll discuss what baby Painted Turtles eat in the wild. After, we\u2019ll share what a healthy diet is for baby Painted Turtles, what you can feed them in captivity, how often you should provide it for them, and how to feed them.\u00a0Finally, I provide a list of food  that is safe for baby Painted Turtles to eat and a separate list of food to avoid feeding your baby Painted Turtle.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li ><a href=\"#strong-what-is-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\">What Is A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-what-do-baby-painted-turtles-eat-in-the-wild-strong\">What Do Baby Painted Turtles Eat In The Wild?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-best-baby-painted-turtle-food-what-to-feed-baby-painted-turtles-strong\">Best Baby Painted Turtle Food: What To Feed Baby Painted Turtles<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-what-is-a-healthy-baby-painted-turtle-diet-strong\">What Is A Healthy Baby Painted Turtle Diet?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-what-should-you-not-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\">What Should You Not Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-how-often-should-you-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\">How Often Should You Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-how-much-should-you-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\">How Much Should You Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/a><\/li><li ><a href=\"#strong-conclusion-strong\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-what-is-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\"><strong>What Is A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A baby Painted Turtle is a young Painted Turtle. For instance, they\u2019re known as babies or juveniles until they reach the age of sexual maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For males, Painted Turtles reach sexual maturity when they are between four and six years old. On the other hand, females may not reach sexual maturity until they\u2019re six to ten years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the early years, Painted Turtles will rapidly grow. However, when they reach adulthood, their growth will slow down or stop altogether. The average size of a Painted Turtle may be anywhere between four and ten inches long. Males are usually an inch or two smaller than females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Painted Turtles are native to North America, and there are four subspecies of this turtle, depending on where they\u2019re from. For example, there are Midland, Western, Eastern, and Southern Painted Turtles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These turtles are aquatic and reside in areas by ponds, lakes, rivers, or streams. In addition, they make excellent pets. Painted Turtles are friendly and enjoy the company of other Painted Turtles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, with an excellent diet, Painted Turtles have an average lifespan of about 20 to 30 years. Sometimes, they\u2019re known to live for as long as 50 years.\u00a0However, you can also admire them from afar in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Watch this video: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Care For A Baby Turtle - (Most Species!)\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vWRlbjeRwks?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-what-do-baby-painted-turtles-eat-in-the-wild-strong\"><strong>What Do Baby Painted Turtles Eat In The Wild?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Baby Painted Turtles are carnivores and will eat a wide range of live food for protein. However, they won\u2019t eat plant-based food until they are adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Painted Turtles are well-known predators. So, they\u2019ll eat whatever they find and can catch. For instance, some Painted Turtles can be aggressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they see another turtle eating, they\u2019ll head over and eat the food the other turtle is trying to eat. Sometimes, they\u2019ll take the food right out of another turtle\u2019s mouth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, baby Painted Turtles will eat small fish, carrions, worms, insects, and tadpoles in the wild. As long as they can catch it and fit it in their mouths, they\u2019ll eat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are other options to feeding baby Painted Turtles when they\u2019re your pet, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-best-baby-painted-turtle-food-what-to-feed-baby-painted-turtles-strong\"><strong>Best Baby Painted Turtle Food: What To Feed Baby Painted Turtles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what does a baby Painted Turtle eat? Remember, baby Painted Turtles are carnivores. So, they won\u2019t want to eat plant-based food, fruits, or vegetables until they&#8217;re adults.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, baby Painted Turtles can eat the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Small fishes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Worms, bugs, or insects<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Snails<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small lizards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Small snakes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Insects will include various types of worms and small insects such as crickets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-what-is-a-healthy-baby-painted-turtle-diet-strong\"><strong>What Is A Healthy Baby Painted Turtle Diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At first, you\u2019ll think a healthy diet for your baby Painted Turtle is a wide range of fruits, veggies, and live food. However, that\u2019s not the case for young Painted Turtles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what do you feed baby Painted Turtles to provide a healthy diet for them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can feed them various aquatic live food, such as small fish, worms, insects, or tadpoles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ll also eat snails, frogs, small lizards, or small snakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Honestly, Painted Turtles will eat whatever they can catch and fit inside their mouths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to feeding them live food where they\u2019ll get plenty of protein, you also want to make sure that they\u2019re getting enough calcium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you can add supplements and multivitamins to their diet as well. Then you can be sure that your baby Painted Turtle is getting the nutrients they need to grow healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you can look at the chart below to see what to feed a baby Painted Turtle you found or your pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>A Healthy Diet For A Baby Painted Turtle<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Protein (Live Food)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Commercial Food<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Supplements<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Worms<\/td><td>Aquatic turtle pellets<\/td><td>Calcium powder<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Crickets<\/td><td>Frozen fish food<\/td><td>Turtle multivitamins<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Snails<\/td><td>Dried fish food<\/td><td>Cuttlefish bone<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Livebearing small fish<\/td><td>Floating food<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Assorted insects or bugs<\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-what-should-you-not-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\"><strong>What Should You Not Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are plenty of types of food to avoid giving your baby Painted Turtle. But, unfortunately, these foods can cause your young turtle to get sick. For example, they can pose choking hazards or cause blockages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some food ideas that you should avoid sharing with your baby Painted Turtle for a quick list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Nuts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Raw meat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Goldfish<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seeds (flowers and from fruits)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dairy products<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Onions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Garlic<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Canned or processed food<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Foods that are rich in sugar or salt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Food with preservatives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, remember that baby Painted Turtles shouldn\u2019t have any fruits or vegetables. But, once they get older, there are some veggies and fruit choices for them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1673747754859\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\"><strong>How To Feed A Baby Painted Turtle<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>One of the unique things about Painted Turtles is that they\u2019re aquatic turtles. So when they eat, they need to be under the water to ingest their food. This is one of the reasons it\u2019s essential to give them only enough that they can consume within 10-15 minutes. If the food sinks to the bottom of the tank, it\u2019ll be harder for you to take it out.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However, you want the water to remain clean. So, whatever food your Painted Turtle doesn\u2019t eat, be sure to clean it out of the water promptly. Otherwise, it could taint the water and cause your turtle to get sick. Or they might eat it later, thus overeating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-how-often-should-you-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\"><strong>How Often Should You Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the wild, a baby Painted Turtle will eat whatever they want, whenever they want. However, as a pet, they have little control over their diet. So, it\u2019s up to you to give them the right amount of food and the best food for them as they grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baby Painted Turtles grow rapidly when they\u2019re young. So they need a diet rich in protein and calcium to help them grow big and strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you can feed them two servings of food per day. Allow them to eat for about 10-15 minutes. You don\u2019t want to give them food they can\u2019t finish within that time slot. Otherwise, your baby Painted Turtle might overeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After eating, they\u2019ll bask for a bit to help them digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your Painted Turtle gets older, you\u2019ll only need to feed them about once every other day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-how-much-should-you-feed-a-baby-painted-turtle-strong\"><strong>How Much Should You Feed A Baby Painted Turtle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid your baby Painted Turtle from overeating and possibly becoming obese, you\u2019ll want to give them as much food as they can consume within 10-15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the wild, baby Painted Turtles will eat whatever they can find and eat at all hours of the day, except basking time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In captivity, you have more control over their health and diet, so you want to ensure your baby Painted Turtle only gets what they need when they need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"strong-conclusion-strong\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Live food allows your baby Painted Turtle to grow big and strong. They need a diet that\u2019s rich in protein and high in calcium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While eating small fish, frogs and insects don\u2019t appeal to us. Your baby Painted Turtle will undoubtedly enjoy the meal. They\u2019ll grow into healthy adults where you can add more variety to their diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, a good diet helps create longevity, so you\u2019ll have your pet Painted Turtle for a long time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/turtles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"5232\">Learn more about turtles here<\/a> and read our full guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/what-do-painted-turtles-eat-in-the-wild\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"445\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"5233\">what adult painted turtles eat here.<\/a><\/em> <em>You can also read our guide to what painted turtles need to survive <a href=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/what-do-painted-turtles-need-to-survive-full-care-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"468\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"5234\">here<\/a> as well as our guide to how to set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/baby-painted-turtle-habitat\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"464\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"5235\">baby Painted Turtle habitat here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Full guide to what to feed baby painted turtles including what they eat in the wild &amp; all best baby painted turtle food so your baby is as healthy as possible<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":7,"label":"Turtles"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/eastern-painted-turtle.jpg",800,534,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Frank Kane","author_link":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/author\/frank-kane\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":7,"name":"Turtles","slug":"turtles","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":7,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Turtle Care and Health: Tips and advice on how to keep your turtles healthy, including information on diet, habitat setup, temperature, and common health concerns.","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":7,"category_count":20,"category_description":"Turtle Care and Health: Tips and advice on how to keep your turtles healthy, including information on diet, habitat setup, temperature, and common health concerns.","cat_name":"Turtles","category_nicename":"turtles","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2559,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458\/revisions\/2559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allourcreatures.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}