Box turtle diet-minerals and vitamins

Importance of Minerals and Vitamins in the Diet

In the early 60’s and 70’s, many hundreds of thousands of baby Red-eared sliders were sold as children’s pets. It was during this time that the effects of improper diet for turtles became appallingly obvious. Soft shells, deformed shells and paralyzed legs were common in many of the sliders. As breeders, veterinarians and researchers began to look into the problem, the mineral calcium (Ca) became the first choice to cure the deficiency. Calcium blocks were produced and sold but the problem didn’t go away. More research showed that the absorption of calcium was controlled by several biochemical factors. Not only was calcium necessary, but the proper amounts of phosphorus (P) and vitamin D3 were needed. Each of these vital elements and compounds will be discussed briefly, but the real purpose of this chapter is to teach you which foods contain the proper nutrition for Box turtles.

Calcium—a mineral that is obtained from foods or supplements. Calcium is absorbed by the blood system through the turtle’s intestine and stays dissolved in the blood until it is used by the body to build bones or for other organ functions. For calcium to be used by the body, a proper level of phosphorus and vitamin D3 is required. If a turtle does not get enough calcium, it will try to maintain a blood Ca:P blood level of 2:1 by stealing calcium from its own bones, causing metabolic bone disease.

Phosphorus—a mineral found in abundance in foods that turtles eat. Therefore it is not usually necessary to supplement phosphorus. A calcium supplement without phosphorus and which contains Vit D3 is best to use.

Vitamin D3—a vitamin that is produced by pigment cells in the skin and shell when a box turtle is in sunlight or other UVB producing light source. The vitamin is necessary for the conversion of calcium into useable compounds. Therefore buy calcium supplements that contain Vit D3.

Vitamin A—a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for good vision and health. It is found in foods that are orange fleshed like carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, dark, leafy greens and cod liver oil. A deficiency of vitamin A can lead to eye infections and upper respiratory disease. Vitamin A rich food should be provided regularly.

In the wild, a box turtle will have a large area in which to roam and forage for food and it would likely find all the nutrients its body needs. A deficiency would be unlikely, and many long-time turtle keepers will tell you that most wild turtles are very healthy. As penned pets, our turtles don’t have the opportunity to forage on a lot of different things, and it’s up to the owner to provide the correct diet. For optimum health, a turtle should get the proper types and amounts of food items. The turtle should be given a "square meal" which contains protein, carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, and vitamins. An animal that doesn’t receive the correct diet can succumb to various diseases, metabolic bone disease, organ failure, and immune-suppression diseases.

It would be nice if we could insure that our box turtle is getting everything it needs from diet alone, but that’s not usually the case. No one has ever observed a wild box turtle from the moment of hatching and written down everything it eats. If someone does in the future, we’ll come a long way in understanding the nutritional needs of box turtles. We do know the Ca:P ratio of foods is important and therefore have provided a list of foods and their ratios. Regularly use foods with a high Ca to P ratio and avoid foods with a high P to Ca ratio, and foods high in oxalic acid. The food items at the end of the list should be use sparingly. If they are used, add calcium supplements without additional phosphorus to bring the calcium levels higher. However, this list should not be used exclusively to construct your turtle’s diet. Remember to include insects or other protein sources.

Key: A listing of "2.00" in the Ca:P column represents a ratio of 2:1 and is good. The lower this number is, the worse the Ca:P ratio and the less it should be used in the diet. Most of this data come from the USDA. You can check the nutritional content of other food items at their website.

Food Item Prep Serving wt(gms) Ca(mg) P(mg) Ca:P collards raw 1 cup 36 52 3.6 14.4 roselle raw 1 cup 57 123 21 5.86 lambsquarters boiled 1/2 c 90 232 41 5.66 papaya raw 1 med 304 72 16 4.50 turnip greens raw 1/2 c 28 53 12 4.42 coriander raw 1/4 c 4 4 1 4.00 rose apple raw 3.5 oz 100 29 8 3.63 parsley raw 1/2 c 30 39 12 3.25 amaranth boiled 1/2 c 66 138 47 2.94 dandelion green raw 1/2 c 28 52 18 2.89 cabbage, Chineseraw 1/2 c 35 37 13 2.85 beet greens boiled 1/2 c 72 82 29 2.83 lettuce, loose-leafraw 1/2 c 28 19 7 2.71 kale boiled 1/2 c 65 47 18 2.61 figs raw 1 med 50 18 7 2.57 pricklypear raw 1 med 103 58 25 2.32 orange, Valenciaraw 1 med 121 48 21 2.29 chicory greens raw 1/2 c 90 90 42 2.14 figs dried 10 figs 187 269 128 2.10 orange, navel raw 1 med 140 56 27 2.07 cabbage, green raw 1/2 c 35 16 8 2.00 carissa raw 1 med 20 2 1 2.00 kumquat raw 1 med 19 8 4 2.00 spinach(don't use)raw 1/2 c 28 28 14 2.00 watercress raw 1/2 c 17 20 10 2.00 onions, spring raw 1/2 c 50 30 16 1.88 endive raw 1/2 c 25 13 7 1.86 lime raw 1 med 67 22 12 1.83 raspberries raw 1 cup 123 27 15 1.80 sapodilla raw 1 med 170 36 20 1.80 mustard greens boiled 1/2 c 70 52 29 1.79 chard, Swiss boiled 1/2 c 88 51 29 1.76 leeks raw 1/4 c 26 15 9 1.67 lemon raw 1 med 58 15 9 1.67 grapefruit raw 1/2 med 118 14 9 1.56 blackberries raw 1/2 c 72 23 15 1.53 tangerine raw 1 med 84 12 8 1.50 grapes(slip skin)raw 1 cup 92 13 9 1.44 celery raw 1 stlk 40 14 10 1.40 sapote raw 1 med 225 88 63 1.40 tofu uncooked1/2 c 61 49 37 1.32 green beans boiled 1/2 c 62 29 24 1.21 cabbage, red raw 1/2 c 35 18 15 1.20 turnip boiled 1/2 c 78 18 15 1.20 crabapple raw 1 cup 110 20 17 1.18 eggplant raw 1/2 c 41 15 13 1.15 garlic raw 3 clves 9 16 14 1.14 radish raw 10 rdsh 45 9 8 1.13 okra boiled 1/2 c 80 50 45 1.11 acerola raw 1 cup 98 12 11 1.09 tofu raw 1/2 c 124 130 120 1.08 pear raw 1 med 166 19 18 1.06 mulberries raw 1 cup 140 55 53 1.04 apple, w/skin raw 1 med 138 10 10 1.00 lettuce, icebergraw 1 leaf 20 4 4 1.00 persimmon raw 1 med 25 7 7 1.00 pineapple raw 1 cup 155 11 11 1.00 elderberries raw 1 cup 145 55 57 0.96 mango raw 1 med 207 21 22 0.95 gooseberries raw 1 cup 150 38 40 0.95 currants, black raw 1/2 c 56 31 33 0.94 watermelon raw 1 cup 160 13 14 0.93 cranberry raw 1 cup 95 7 8 0.88 honeydew melon raw 1/4 c 100 14 16 0.88 grapes(adherent skin)raw1 cup 160 17 21 0.81 cabbage, savoy raw 1/2 c 35 12 15 0.80 guava raw 1 med 90 18 23 0.78 cucumber raw 1/2 c 52 7 9 0.78 cherry raw 10 chrs 68 10 13 0.77 lettuce, romaineraw 1/2 c 28 10 13 0.77 casaba melon raw 1 cup 170 9 12 0.75 strawberries raw 1 cup 159 21 28 0.75 broccoli raw 1/2 c 44 21 29 0.72 apricot raw 3 me 106 15 21 0.71 dock raw 1/2 c 67 29 42 0.69 kiwifruit raw 1 med 76 20 31 0.65 Brussels sproutsboiled 1/2 c 78 28 44 0.64 French beans boiled 1 cup 177 111 181 0.61 cauliflower raw 1/2 c 50 14 23 0.61 blueberries raw 1 cup 145 9 15 0.60 carrots raw 1 med 72 19 32 0.59 cantaloupe raw 1 cup 160 17 29 0.59 fruit cocktail canned 1/2 c 128 8 14 0.57 squash, summer raw 1/2 c 65 13 23 0.57 apple, w/o skin raw 1 med 128 5 9 0.56 sweet potato baked 1 med 114 32 62 0.52 raisins, seedlessraw 2/3 c 100 49 97 0.51 zucchini raw 1/2 c 65 10 21 0.48 persimmon, Japaneseraw 1 med 168 13 28 0.46 tomato, green raw 1 med 123 16 35 0.46 peach raw 1 med 87 5 11 0.45 alfalfa sprouts raw 1 cup 33 10 23 0.43 asparagus boiled 1/2 c 90 22 54 0.41 beets boiled 1/2 c 85 9 26 0.35 banana raw 1 med 114 7 22 0.32 plum raw 1 med 66 2 7 0.29 avocado, Fla raw 1 med 304 33 119 0.28 tomato, red raw 1 med 123 8 29 0.28 nectarine raw 1 med 136 6 22 0.27 peppers, sweet raw 1/2 c 50 3 11 0.27 avocado, Cal. raw 1 med 173 19 73 0.26 peas, green raw 1/2 c 78 19 84 0.23 lima beans boiled 1 cup 188 52 231 0.23 kidney beans,redboiled 1 cup 177 50 252 0.20 potato (no skin)raw 1 med 112 8 52 0.15 mushrooms raw 1/2 c 35 2 36 0.06 corn, yellow boiled 1/2 c 82 2 84 0.02

Notice these Ornate box turtles are enjoying corn on the cob. Corn is very low in calcium and should not be giving regularly without calcium addition. But like all creatures, box turtles seem to really enjoy the foods that aren't good for them!

Common Conversions

1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2 pounds (lb)
2.2 pounds (lb) = 1000 grams (gm)
1 gram (g) = 1000 milligrams (mg)
1 lb = 454 g = .454 kg
1 lb = 16 ounces (oz)
1 cup (c) = 8 fl. oz = 16 tablespoons (tbsp)
1 oz = 30 milliliters (ml)
1 tbsp - 3 teaspoons (tsp) = 15 ml
1 tsp = 5 ml
1 liter (L) - 1000 ml
1 ml = 1 cubic centimeter (cc)
To convert centigrade to Fahrenheit: (C° x 1.8) + 32 = F°
To convert Fahrenheit to centigrade: (F° - 32) x .555 = C°

Tess Cook. Copyright 1997-2009. Disclaimer: Please use all information contained on this web page and all other pages on this web site at your own risk.

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