If you type in turtle food on google or amazon, there’s a good chance Zoo Med Aquatic turtle food shows up first. While it is certainly one of the most popular turtle food brands, you might be wondering if it is really worth the hype.
Zoo Med Aquatic turtle food review
Zoo Med Aquatic turtle food is a great option for turtle food. It’s reasonably priced, contains a lot of nutrients, and my turtle loves the taste.
Taste
When it comes to a turtle food brand, it is very important that your turtle likes the taste. It doesn’t matter how nutritious or cheap it is if your turtle doesn’t want to take a bite of it. I can tell you with full confidence that your turtle should definitely like the taste.
In fact, I put ZooMed up against 7 other types of turtle food brands, and my turtle ate the ZooMed pellets the quickest. You can see the full video below:
The pellets contain a wide range of ingredients, but I think it is the fish oil that gives it the attractive smell.
It’s also really convenient that the pellets float for a long period of time. It makes it much easier for your turtle to find and eat them. Also, it makes your job a lot easier when you have to pick up uneaten pellets.
Now let’s get into the nutritional value of the pellets.
Is Zoo Med Aquatic turtle food healthy for your turtle?
Based on my experience, Zoo Med is very healthy for your turtle. It is the main pellet that I feed my turtle, and she is growing at a healthy pace and doesn’t have any health issues.
There is a long list of ingredients, but some of the more notable ones are Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, protein, and calcium.
It’s also worth noting that Zoo Med is very natural and does not contain any artificial preservatives or flavors.
While these are all very nutritious, it is still important that you supplement Zoo Med with other pellets as well as vegetables to help ensure your turtle has a varied diet. This will also help prevent your turtle from becoming a picky eater.
Price
Aside from being tasty and nutritious, Zoo Med aquatic turtle food is also one of the most affordable pellets on the market. You can get a 13 ounce container for only $6.19. For reference, a 13 ounce container will last one turtle at least 3-4 months.
For comparison, Reptomin turtle food costs $10.55 for an 8 ounce container, and Hikari turtle pellets cost $10.45 for 7 ounces.
If you are looking to save even more, you can also buy Zoo Med aquatic turtle pellets in bulk. Currently, they sell a 45 ounces container for $21 on amazon.
It is worth mentioning that Zoo Med does have a gourmet blend option that includes the classic pellets, shrimp, cranberries, and mealworms. While this is a good blend of food/nutrients, it is more expensive. It currently costs $14 for an 8.5 ounce container. Even if you do get this blend, you will still need to feed your turtle vegetables on the side.
Downsides
The only real downside I can think of is that the pellets are a bit hard to bite down on. It might take a younger turtle a couple tries to learn how to munch down on the pellets.
Luckily, they become much softer after they have been in the water for a couple minutes. However, it is important to still choose the right type of Zoo Med aquatic turtle food.
Choose the right formula
It’s important to note that Zoo Med has three different formulas: hatchling, growth, and maintenance. They are each to be used depending on the age and size of your turtle.
Zoo Med Hatchling Formula: This is meant for hatchlings and baby turtles that are under two inches. These pellets are much smaller (1/16th of an inch), which are much easier to chew and swallow for a young turtle. This formula also has the highest protein concentration (43%). This is because younger/smaller turtles require more protein in their diet to help support their growth. A young turtle that doesn’t get enough protein will likely develop growth problems and shell deformities.
Zoo Med Growth Formula: This formula is meant for juvenile turtles between 2 and 6 inches. This is the formula that I use for my turtle. These pellets are a little larger (3/16th of an inch) and have a little less protein (35%). This is because although these turtles are still growing, they aren’t growing at the same rate of a younger turtle. In fact, feeding too much protein to a turtle can cause its shell to overgrow and cause pyramiding.
Zoo Med Maintenance Formula: The maintenance formula is meant for older turtles that are 6 inches or bigger. This formula contains the least amount of protein (25%). This is because older turtles have very little need for protein since they are no longer growing. In fact, the majority of an older turtle’s diet should be leafy vegetables. While you can still feed them pellets, it shouldn’t consist of more than 25% of their diet. These pellets are also the biggest in size, coming in at 5/16th of an inch.
To learn more tips aside from diet, check out my guide on how to care for an aquatic turtle.
Conclusion
All in all, Zoo Med aquatic turtle pellets are a great choice for your turtle. They are affordable, tasty, and provide an abundance of important nutrients and vitamins. Also, Zoo Med is a sponsor of the Turtle Survival Alliance, which is an organization that helps preserve endangered species of turtles and tortoises.
As I mentioned above, I still recommend that you supplement your turtle’s diet with at least one other type of pellets to help ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need.
