Ancient animals. Modern nutrition.
Aquatic turtles can eat feeder fish, earthworms, shrimp, crickets, mealworms, bloodworms and snails. Treat them as extras alongside a commercial turtle pellet, not as the main diet. Buy feeders from a pet or bait store instead of catching them, offer fish only occasionally, and skip oily fish, raw grocery-store meat and anything wild-caught.
Where live food fits in the diet
Veterinary guidance puts commercial pellets at the center. MedVet says commercial pelleted diets should make up the majority of an aquatic turtle's diet (MedVet). VCA describes the animal part of the diet as high-grade commercial pellets plus a variety of invertebrates and vertebrates (VCA).
Age changes how much animal food your turtle should get. VCA says the carnivorous portion, from any source, should be no more than two-thirds of a juvenile's diet and about half of an adult's (VCA). MedVet is stricter about whole-animal foods: offer them to juveniles, or as a rare treat for adults (MedVet). Most of the rest of an adult's diet should be leafy greens (see vegetables for turtles).
Live food does one thing pellets can't. Chasing and catching prey gives your turtle mental stimulation and exercise (VCA), and the RSPCA recommends live river shrimp as enrichment that a slider can hunt in the water (RSPCA).
Live and whole-prey foods compared
| Food | Role | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Feeder fish (goldfish, guppies, minnows) | Occasional hunting enrichment. Eaten whole, bones and all, fish can supply calcium (VCA) | Feeder fish have been implicated as carriers of parasites and bacteria, so feed them infrequently (VCA) |
| Thawed whole freshwater fish | Used alongside a dried turtle food (RSPCA) | Thaw it fully to room temperature, because partly frozen fish can make your turtle very ill (RSPCA). Skip smelt, mackerel and other oily fish (VCA) |
| Shrimp (live river shrimp, frozen or dried) | Enrichment and variety (RSPCA). Shrimp has been fed successfully to carnivorous turtles (Merck) | Buy plain shrimp sold as pet food, not seasoned or cooked shrimp from a kitchen |
| Earthworms | Listed by both VCA and MedVet as an animal food for aquatic turtles (VCA, MedVet) | Buy from a bait or pet store, not the garden, where you can't know what the soil was treated with |
| Bloodworms | A live invertebrate food for sliders (RSPCA) | Small, so a lot ends up loose in the water. Net out leftovers after feeding (RSPCA) |
| Crickets, mealworms, wax worms, grasshoppers | VCA lists these and other insects as foods that "offer good nutritional content" (VCA) | Your turtle eats underwater (VCA), so drop insects into the water. Use store-bought feeders, not bugs caught outside |
| Snails | On VCA's list of acceptable animal foods (VCA) | Only snails from a known feeder source. Don't feed garden snails or pest snails of unknown origin |
Can turtles eat goldfish?
Yes, and both veterinary sources that discuss them say "occasionally." They differ in how much caution they add:
- VCA says feeder fish such as goldfish, guppies or minnows may be offered, depending on the turtle's size. It then warns that feeder fish "have recently been implicated as carriers of parasites and bacteria that can infect the pet turtles that eat them," and concludes they should be fed infrequently (VCA).
- MedVet lists goldfish with earthworms and frozen fish as protein to offer juveniles, or as a rare treat for adults. It gives no specific warning about feeder fish (MedVet).
Neither source makes goldfish a staple. Fish in general should stay a small part of the diet: VCA says a mostly fish-based diet may lead to a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (VCA).
Our practical take: if you want your turtle to hunt, consider an appropriate invertebrate feeder instead of treating goldfish as the default. That does not mean other live feeders are risk-free. If you do use goldfish, make them an occasional treat, buy from a store you trust, and remove any that aren't eaten. Sliders shouldn't share a tank with live fish, because they chase or kill them and stress them (RSPCA).
What to skip
- Wild-caught fish and amphibians. They may carry parasites and other infectious organisms (VCA).
- Raw meat, fish or chicken from the grocery store. It doesn't have a good calcium-to-phosphorus balance for a turtle (VCA).
- Oily fish such as smelt and mackerel. VCA links their high fat content to vitamin E deficiency (VCA).
- Hot dogs, lunch meat and bread. Processed foods should never be fed to any turtle (VCA).
Getting shrimp, krill and insect protein without the hassle
Live food means keeping feeders alive and cleaning up what your turtle misses. A floating pellet made for turtles can supply several of the same protein sources in measured form, and it should be the base of the diet. Archelon's ingredients start with White Fish Meal and include shrimp meal, krill meal and black soldier fly larvae, along with kelp, spirulina and dandelion powder. The label guarantees 45% crude protein (min) and a stated 3:1 Ca:P ratio, in a 3.0 mm floating pellet. Read the full label, then keep live food as enrichment if you enjoy it. For the full routine, see what to feed a pet turtle.
Before buying a container of feeders
- Ask what animal you are buying, where it came from and how to store it. An unidentified feeder is difficult to assess.
- Buy an amount you can keep under the supplier's recommended conditions. A bargain tub is not useful if most of it cannot be fed.
- Write the feeder on the same record as pellets and greens. Extras count toward what the turtle was offered.
- Decide how you will recover uneaten feeders before releasing them into a furnished tank.
These are purchasing and recordkeeping checks, not a guarantee that a feeder is free of pathogens. For an individual feeding plan, use advice specific to your turtle.
Common questions
Does my turtle need live food to stay healthy?
No source we reviewed says live food is required. MedVet builds the diet on commercial pellets plus greens, with animal foods as treats for adults (MedVet). The main thing live food adds is the exercise and stimulation of hunting (VCA).
Should I feed live food in the main tank?
You don't have to. VCA and MedVet both suggest feeding in a separate container of water to keep the main tank clean (VCA, MedVet). That also makes it easy to remove uneaten worms or insects.
Do baby turtles need more live food than adults?
Young turtles need more animal food overall. Juveniles are mainly carnivorous, and turtles become more omnivorous as they age (VCA). That animal portion can come from pellets as well as prey. See what baby turtles eat.
My turtle only wants live food. What should I do?
Cut back on live food and keep offering pellets and greens. VCA notes that offering a variety helps keep turtles eating (VCA). Our guide to switching turtle food covers how to make the change. If your turtle stops eating entirely, see a reptile vet.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals, "Feeding Aquatic Turtles" (2024); MedVet, "Aquatic Turtle Care Recommendations" (2020); RSPCA, "Terrapins"; Merck Veterinary Manual, "Nutrition in Turtles" (2025); Archelon package label.
Written by Archelon Editorial. How we research these guides. General feeding information; individual needs vary by species, age and health.