Can Turtles Eat Bread? Yes, But Not Always!

Turtles eat a wide assortment of foods, including animal-based and plant-based foods. As bread is produced from plant sources, you might think bread is a good food for turtles. But the reality couldn’t be any further.

So, can turtles eat bread? Technically, turtles can eat bread. But bread doesn’t have any nutritional benefits for turtles. So, they shouldn’t eat bread. A small amount isn’t harmful, but long-term bread feeding can cause nutrition deficiency, poor shell growth, and other problems.

I will talk about the nutritional value of bread for turtles and tell you the risks of feeding bread. Plus, you will learn about some good alternatives to bread that you can offer to your little pet.

Can Turtles Eat Bread? Why or Why Not?

Yes, turtles can eat bread. But that doesn’t mean they should. In fact, turtles may eat whatever they find. So, it is your responsibility as a pet parent to avoid feeding bread to turtles.

This is because turtles are typically omnivorous. They eat meat, vegetables, fruits, etc., for the necessary nutrients. Even though bread is made from plant sources, its composition is quite different. Turtles don’t have the Amylase enzyme that can break bread down.

As a result, turtles have a hard time digesting bread. Moreover, they can’t extract any nutrition from bread. So, feeding bread to turtles and feeding nothing is the same thing.

According to research, freshwater turtle nutrition requirements include 39-46.5% of protein in their diet. They also need about 8% of fat for a healthy diet. But bread lacks the necessary nutrients for turtles. I will give a detailed nutritional chart of bread below for a better understanding.

Besides, bread can create problems like choking in turtles if they aren’t served properly. For the above reasons, you should keep from feeding bread to turtles.

Nutritional Value of Bread

Here is the nutritional chart of bread from the US Department of Agriculture. I am talking about regular wheat bread here. Check this chart before I explain the nutrients present in bread.

Nutrients	Amount (per 100g)
Water	35.2 g
Energy	274 kcal
Protein	10.7 g
Total fat	4.53 g
Carbohydrates	47.5 g
Total dietary fiber	4 g
Total sugars	5.73 g
Calcium	125 mg
Magnesium	41 mg
Phosphorus	129 mg
Potassium	141 mg

As you can already see in the chart, the percentage of carbohydrates is the highest in bread. However, the amount of protein is too low compared to the carbohydrates. Turtles need a high-protein diet with over 40% of protein for healthy growth.

And they don’t have the enzymes that can absorb carbohydrates and sugars. So, the bread won’t be a good food for turtles. It doesn’t mean you can feed a small amount of bread. I will talk about that in a minute.

 Risks of Feeding Breads to Turtles

Feeding bread to turtles in the long term can cause too many problems. Here is a detailed overview of the risks.

They Will Suffer from Nutritional Deficiency

A balanced turtle diet should have protein, vitamins, minerals, etc., for healthy growth. If you continue to feed bread without other necessary foods, turtles won’t get proper nutrition. 

As a result, they will suffer from nutrition deficiency in the long term. Their growth rate will also be reduced.

Bread Causes Digestive Problems

Turtles have adapted to digest foods like mollusks, shelled animals, insects, worms, marine plants, and other similar foods. Bread doesn’t fall in any of these classes. So, turtles can’t digest bread easily.

Instead, the bread can cause constipation in turtles. But can turtles eat fish food? That’s also similar to bread. It isn’t dangerous, but it isn’t good either.

Bread Impacts Shell Growth

Baby turtles need a lot of protein, vitamins, and minerals for healthy shell growth. If you feed bread a lot, they will not get the necessary nutrients. As a result, their shell growth will be irregular. This situation is also called pyramiding.

Turtles Can Choke on Bread

As you might already know, bread is too dry for even humans. It will be the same for turtles, so they can’t swallow bread easily. If bread isn’t properly served to turtles, they can choke on it.

Bread Pollutes Water

If you have an aquatic turtle, you need to put bread into the water tank. Leftover bread will degrade the water quality. So it will be harmful to the turtle’s health. Cleaning water tanks regularly is also a hassle. It is better not to give bread to aquatic turtles at all.

Do Turtles Like Bread?

Turtles will eat bread if available. But that doesn’t mean turtles like bread. They are adapted to live on a variety of foods in the wild. So, they will generally eat whatever they get to maintain their energy level.

If there are other options, such as live animals, vegetables, or fruits, turtles will pick meat or vegetables. So, they don’t have any soft feelings for bread.

How Much Bread Can Turtles Eat?

As I have already mentioned, bread isn’t dangerous for turtles if you feed only a small amount. The amount of bread should not be more than the size of the turtle’s head. To be more specific, you shouldn’t feed more than one teaspoon of bread to your turtle in a week.

Include other healthy items into the diet so that the turtle isn’t solely dependent on bread. And don’t feed bread to turtles regularly. Turtles might get used to overeating bread.

Alternatives to Bread for Turtles:

To give your turtles a healthy diet, you should know what turtles eat. They usually need a high amount of protein with fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

Animal-based foods such as insects, worms, etc., and plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits are good for turtles. Here is a list of foods that you should include in a turtle’s diet.

Animal-Based Foods

The following items provide the necessary protein and other nutrients to your carnivorous and omnivorous turtles.

• Insects and worms
• Dried shrimp
• Snails
• Feeder fish

Among insects and worms, turtles can eat mealworms, earthworms, waxworms, grasshoppers, crickets, etc.

Vegetables

Leafy greens and some other vegetables are really good for herbivorous and omnivorous turtles.

• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Kale
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli

Fruits

The following fruits are nutrient-rich for your turtle.

• Apple
• Grapes
• Melons
• Strawberries
• Raspberries

Here is a video of turtles eating various fruits. Check it out:

Pellet Foods

You should give commercial pellet foods to turtles. These foods contain the necessary minerals and vitamins for your pet. So, pellet foods will increase their growth rate and boost their immune system.

Conclusion

Besides being fascinating pets, turtles have varying diet patterns that change with their species, habitats, and other factors. As they are mostly omnivorous, we think they can eat whatever we throw at them. So, offering leftover bread to turtles is common. But can turtles eat bread?

Even though they can eat a small amount of bread without any risks, you shouldn’t feed bread to them. Bread has no nutritional benefits for turtles. Instead, it causes multiple risks in the long term. 

It is better to give them some healthy alternatives like insects, worms, vegetables, fruits, pellet foods, etc. These foods will ensure your turtle has a healthy growth.