People keep all kinds of animals as pets, and turtles are no exception. Tortoises are often found in ponds when they are very young and only a couple of inches long, making them look like an easy animals to care for. However, these fast-growing reptiles have big appetites, and knowing what to feed them from the time they are young until they become 50-pound monsters is an important part of keeping them healthy. Snappers are omnivores
The first thing to understand about tortoises is that they are omnivores, which means they will eat anything. They eat fruits and vegetables and they will eat all kinds of meat, including fingers — so be careful.

The only real difference between feeding a baby snapping turtle and feeding an adult will be finding things the baby can physically pick up and chew. Full-size adult snapping turtles have been known to come up from below and pluck ducks right out of the pond’s surface for a meal, while a baby just a few inches long couldn’t manage such a task.

Pet store food

People uneducated on how to care for small tortoises often make the mistake of feeding them the same flakes you might buy for a goldfish. While this can’t do your snapper much harm, there are specific aquatic turtle foods available at many pet stores that give your turtle more than it needs to grow and be healthy. Turtle Care website turtlehomes.org recommends floating turtle pellets such as ReptoMin as a staple food for tortoises and suggests that it should be fed to your turtle regularly. These pellets are good for turtles of all sizes.

Live food

Popping crickets love turtles, earthworms, minnows, mealworms, and lobsters among other creepy-crawling snacks. Again, you will have to choose these types of live foods with your pet’s physical ability in mind. A crayfish or eight-inch nightcrawler of fat can be more than your little guy can chew if he is between two and four inches long. However, getting your hands on mealworms or crickets can be a good idea to add some protein to your turtle’s diet. Just experiment and see what he seems to like or not like.

Human food

Snappers are fans of leftovers too. The same food you eat, ranging from baked potato to grilled chicken with strawberries (cut into proper sizes) are all foods that the snapping turtle will also enjoy. Don’t forget to prepare human meats the same way you would for yourself. You won’t eat raw chicken, so don’t give this to your pet either, as he likely has salmonella in him.