Quick answer: dried shrimp, daphnia, silkworm pupae, calciworms and small whole dried fish all make good treats for aquatic turtles and terrapins, but they are extras, not a diet. A complete turtle pellet should be the everyday food, with greens for the species that eat plants, and treats kept to a small share of what goes into the water.
Some of our customers buy our dried foods for their turtles rather than their inverts, and it is easy to see why: most turtles will take a dried shrimp the moment it hits the water. Over the years I have kept turtles alongside everything else, an alligator snapping turtle among them, and the treat tub is the part of the routine that is easiest to overdo. This guide covers which dried foods suit turtles, how to offer them, and where they stop being useful.
Start with the staple
Aquatic turtles need a balanced diet, and dried treats on their own are not one. A good commercial turtle pellet carries the vitamins and minerals in the right proportions and should be the everyday food. Many species also eat plants, sliders and cooters increasingly so as they grow, so they need leafy greens as well. Mostly carnivorous species, such as musk turtles, take fewer greens and more animal food, but they still do best on a complete pellet with treats on top.
We do not sell a turtle pellet, so pick one from a reptile shop that suits your species and its age. What follows is about the extras.
The dried treats that suit turtles
Dried shrimp
Whole dried shrimp are the classic turtle treat, and most turtles take them eagerly. They are rich in protein and chitin, but they are not a complete food on their own, so they belong on top of the pellet, not in place of it.
Dried daphnia
Freeze-dried daphnia are tiny, light and float, which suits hatchlings and young turtles. They are a light extra rather than a filling one, and a pinch is plenty.
Silkworm pupae
Silkworm pupae are rich: around 48% protein and 27% fat. Turtles love them, which is exactly why they need rationing. Treat them as an occasional extra, broken up for smaller animals.
Calciworms
Calciworms, the dried larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), carry more calcium than phosphorus, which is unusual among insects and useful for an animal building a shell. They make a good occasional extra for most aquatic turtles.
Whole dried fish
Many aquatic turtles eat fish in the wild, and a whole dried fish brings the bones with it. Our dried sprats suit larger turtles, and the smaller dried anchovies, at 15.8% ash from the skeleton, can be broken up for younger ones. Both are fish and nothing else. Dried fish and shrimp sold for cooking are often salted, which is not something to put in a turtle's water.
How to offer them
Most aquatic turtles eat in the water, so drop treats in rather than leaving them on the basking area. Offer a few pieces at a time and watch them go: anything not eaten within a few minutes is better netted out than left to foul the water. Dried foods float at first and soften as they take up water, and hard items such as whole pupae and larger fish are easier for small turtles once broken up or soaked briefly.
Some keepers feed in a separate tub to keep the main tank cleaner, which works well for rich foods like pupae and fish. Either way, small portions are kinder to the filter.
How much is too much
There is no single figure that suits every species and age, but the principle is the same for all of them: treats are a small share of the diet, and the pellet and greens do the main work. Young turtles grow fast and need more protein; adults of the plant-eating species need less, and too much rich food in an adult is the usual mistake. If treats start replacing meals, or your turtle begins refusing its pellet, cut them back.
Calcium and light
Calcium in the diet only helps if your turtle can use it, and that depends on good UVB lighting, which is a husbandry question rather than a food one. On the food side, whole fish with their bones and calciworms both add calcium, and many keepers also leave a piece of cuttlebone floating in the tank.
Sliders and the law
If your turtle is a slider (red-eared, yellow-bellied or Cumberland, all Trachemys scripta), it is listed as an invasive alien species. The RSPCA's terrapin guidance sets out what that means: it is illegal to sell them, they must be kept securely and not allowed to breed, and the rules do not apply to other kinds of pet turtle. Releasing any turtle into the wild is never an option.
The full range of foods we stock for turtles, reptiles and fish is on foods for reptiles, turtles and fish.
Frequently asked questions
Can turtles eat dried shrimp?
Yes, as a treat. Whole dried shrimp are a favourite with most aquatic turtles and terrapins, but they are not a complete diet, so keep a turtle pellet as the staple and offer shrimp on top.
What treats can I give my turtle?
Dried shrimp, daphnia, silkworm pupae, calciworms and small whole dried fish all work as extras, along with live or frozen foods your species would eat in the wild. Keep them to a small share of the diet.
Is dried shrimp good for turtles?
It is a good treat and a poor diet. It is high in protein and most turtles love it, but on its own it is not complete, which is why the pellet comes first.
Can turtles eat calci worms?
Yes. Black soldier fly larvae carry more calcium than phosphorus, unlike mealworms, and most aquatic turtles take them readily as an occasional extra.
How often should I give my turtle treats?
Most keepers offer adults treats a couple of times a week, counted as part of the week's food rather than on top of full meals. Growing youngsters can have protein-rich extras more often.
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