About What the Yellow Bellied Turtle Eats

The yellow bellied turtle, or the yellow bellied slider, is a type of turtle that is common in the southern United States. It can be identified by a bright yellow blotch behind each ear, along with a yellow-colored shell bottom, which is called a plastron. What the yellow bellied turtle eats is dependent on its age.

  1. Habitat

    • Yellow bellied turtles are aquatic turtles, meaning they live in water. They may come out of the water to bask in the sun or to lay eggs, but the majority of their life is spent in water. The yellow bellied turtle is an omnivore, which means it eats plant material and animal protein. The yellow bellied turtle typically eats foods and prey items that can be found in its aquatic habitat, which includes lakes, ponds, streams, wetlands and rivers.

    Young Turtles

    • As with most turtle species, hatchling and juvenile yellow bellied turtles eat a primarily carnivorous diet, which includes fish, insects, worms and other invertebrates, small frogs, tadpoles and carrion, which is dead animal carcasses and can include dead fish.

    Adult Turtles

    • Adult yellow bellied turtles eat a more balanced omnivorous diet, which includes both plant and animal matter. The adult yellow bellied turtle will eat fish, amphibians and invertebrates, as well as plant materials such as algae and aquatic plants. Male adult yellow bellied turtles will eat a larger amount of protein as opposed to female yellow bellied turtles, which eat more vegetation.

    Captivity

    • Captive yellow bellied turtles can be fed a similar diet to what they would eat in the wild, as well as feeder insects and invertebrates such as mealworms, crickets and wax worms. Commercial turtle pellets can be fed to yellow bellied turtles, as well as pieces of vegetables such as bell peppers, lettuce, mustard greens, kale and dandelion greens. Any pieces of vegetation given to a yellow bellied turtle should be chopped into bite-sized pieces to avoid choking.