Can Turtles Eat Bananas? Vet Approved Nutrition Facts & FAQ
By Grant Piper
Updated on
The internet is awash in stories about turtles absolutely going bananas for bananas. Many turtles, especially Box Turtles, seem to love bananas. But can they eat bananas? Are bananas safe for turtles? How many bananas should you feed to a turtle? These are important questions to ask because, if given a chance, some turtles will ask for and eat way too many bananas, and that is a bad thing. Turtles can eat bananas, but keep in mind the following recommendations.
Turtle refers to around 350 species of marine turtles, tortoises, and terrapins and so it is important to know what kinds of foods your specific species need to eat to be healthy. Any questions about diet should be discussed with your exotics veterinarian.
Here is everything you need to know about turtles and bananas, including nutrition facts, FAQs, and how much you should be feeding your turtle bananas.
Turtles Enjoy Bananas
Not only can turtles eat bananas, but many turtles also positively enjoy bananas. The Box Turtle, one of the most popular turtle breeds to keep as pets, will chow down on some bananas without a second thought. Turtles can eat a variety of fruits, including bananas. Though, you should consider feeding your turtle bananas sparingly. Turtles are not designed to eat fruit as a primary form of their diet. Turtles do best when they get most of their nutrients from vegetables. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t delight your turtle with a banana as a treat every once in a while.
How to Feed Bananas to Your Turtle
The best way to feed bananas to your turtles is to chop them into small chunks, about two inches in length. Add the banana chunk to a mixture of other fruits and vegetables and put the mixture in a bowl. It is best to feed your turtle fruits when they are most active and playful. You can keep the peel on your banana chunk.
Since fruits are high in sugars and carbohydrates, they should only be eaten sparingly by turtles in general.
Fruits vs. Vegetables
The fact that turtles like fruit so much can fool owners into thinking that they should be feeding them a lot of fruit. But that is not the case. Vegetables are a much better source of nutrients and calories for a turtle than fruit. Veterinarians say that turtles, especially Box Turtles, should be getting 80% to 90% of all of their food from vegetables, preferably dark green leafy vegetables. Fruit will be a part of the other 10% to 20%. That means that turtles do not need much fruit at all. Bananas should therefore be treated as just that, a treat to be enjoyed sparingly and periodically.
This is not the same for omnivorous species. On a dry-matter basis a diet of roughly is recommended by Merk Manual: 47% protein, 14% fat, 1.5% calcium, 0.55% phosphorus, vitamin A at 10,000 IU/kg, vitamin D3 at 1,000 IU/kg, vitamin E at 279 IU/kg, and vitamin C at 280 mg/kg1.
Banana Nutrition Facts
These are the basic nutrition facts of a single regular banana as analyzed by Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Note the high rates of carbohydrates and sugars. Also, note that you should not feed your turtle a whole banana at any point. You should only be serving your turtle small slices or chunks of banana.
- Calories: 110
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 28 grams
- Sugar: 15 grams (natural)
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Potassium: 459 milligrams
Can Turtles Eat Banana Peels?
Yes! There is no need to remove the peel from your banana chunks. Your turtle will be just fine munching through the banana peel. The banana peel is an excellent source of fiber and has also been shown to be an excellent source of additional minerals, including phosphorus, iron, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. Give the peel a wash to remove pesticides before feeding it.
How Often Should My Turtle Eat Bananas?
Bananas should be used as a treat. The exact amount of banana that a turtle can eat is the subject of some minor debate. Some owners say that turtles should not get more than a single slice of banana once per week. Other people say that giving your turtle a couple of chunks of banana twice a week is fine. As long as you make sure that your turtle is not eating more than 10% of its total diet in fruit, then supplementing with bananas should be fine. If you feed your turtles too much banana, it can cause dietary imbalances, deficiencies, and even constipation.
Do Turtles Need Dietary Supplements?
If a turtle is receiving a properly balanced diet with plenty of dark leafy green vegetables, then a turtle should need no supplementation. If you feed your turtle too much fruit or too many non-vegetable items, then it could cause a dietary imbalance that will need to be corrected with supplements. If you are worried about your turtle, you should consult with a veterinarian about its diet. A veterinarian will be able to tell you if your turtle needs a supplement and can suggest tweaks to your turtle’s diet to bring it more into balance.
Summary
Turtles seem to enjoy bananas, but they should be given sparingly as a treat. A turtle’s best diet consists of almost entirely vegetables. Turtles should only be eating a small amount of fruit, as a treat, in addition to the large volume of vegetables they get. Feeding turtles too many bananas can throw off their balanced diet and cause health issues. You should only feed your turtle a small amount of banana once or twice per week alongside a healthy amount of greens like collards, dandelions, or mustard greens.
Featured Image Credit: t_watanabe, Pixabay
