How Long Can Turtles Go Without Eating? 3 Clear Feeding Plan

How long can turtles go without eating? This question is usually asked by owners who own pet turtles. If you are planning to get a pet turtle, then you should know the answer to this question. Technically speaking, it can be different depending on the species and the age of your turtle.

Generally, a turtle can go without food for up to 160 days. Even if they don’t eat, they must still have access to water and sunlight.

You need to pay attention to how long can turtles live without food because you also need to know whether your turtle should always be fed every day or not. Sometimes pet owners also need to leave them while on vacation or work for a long time.

Without further due, let’s learn about how long can a turtle go without eating and some of the most frequently asked questions about it.

How Long Can Turtles Go Without Eating?

Turtle is a pet that is famous for its durability and low maintenance. Therefore, pet owners need to know how long can turtles go without food so that they are not confused if they want to leave their turtles while on vacation or have office assignments for a long time.

If the turtle hibernates, it can not eat for months, especially during the winter. The turtle metabolism rate will be slow and reduce their activity. For aquatic or semi-aquatic turtles also can survive without food, but there must still be water for them to survive.

How long can turtles live is seen from their food and sunlight and water for their life metabolism.

Do Turtles eat rocks?

How Long Can Turtles Go Without Food?

How long can turtles go without eating? For young turtles, it can be one or two weeks. For healthy adult turtles, it can be up to 6 months or approximately 160 days.

If your turtle has hibernated, they do not eat for a long time. Hibernation is when the animals will be in a low energy state, and they do not eat in the process. A healthy adult turtle can go without food for up to 6 months.

How long can turtles go without eating? For young turtles and baby turtles, where they still can’t hibernate properly and are still growing, they need a lot of protein. Juvenile turtles can only go without food for a week or two.

It’s not a big problem if your turtles aren’t given food while they’re hibernating, but you should think about clean water for them. We recommend that you do a water change before your turtle is left for a long time.

How Long Can A Turtle Survive Without Food And Water?

How long do turtles live without food and water? Not a long time. Water is essential for a turtle. Water is everything for turtles because it is used for metabolism, hydration, and other regulatory processes.

How long can turtles go without eating and without water? Especially for aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles, they can only be without water for 12 hours to 2 days, depending on the temperature and humidity outside the water.

If your turtle cannot get food and water, the turtle’s body becomes weak and becomes their quick way to die. This doesn’t mean your turtle can be unattended and without water for a while because you have to provide a healthy captive environment for your turtle.

Give your turtles food at least a few times per week and provide access to clean water to maintain their metabolism.

How Long Can Red Eared Sliders Go Without Food?

The red eared sliders include a semi-aquatic turtle, and they can last without food for a long time. How long can a red eared slider turtle go without eating? Adult red eared sliders can go without food for three to four weeks.

How long can turtles go without eating in their hibernation? Red eared sliders can be without food for three months during winter or when they hibernate. You can see the hibernation of the red eared sliders during winter, and they don’t do much activity this way.

For pet owners who have red eared sliders, make sure they always get fresh water and UVB light for their basking area. Make sure the red-eared slider turtle tank is large enough for them. Red eared sliders can better maintain their metabolism if they swim and drink clean water. That’s why the water condition must always be clean for their life.

How Long Can A Box Turtle Go Without Eating?

Why do many pet owners ask about how long can a turtle live without food? Because each type of turtle has a different resistance without eating, from their habitat and behavior.

How long can box turtles go without food? Food from box turtles is plants and small insects. Turtle boxes can get water from the plants they eat, and they don’t drink the water in their boxes.

How long can turtles go without eating and just have a little water? The box turtle only needs little water to survive, and UVB lights too. Turtle boxes can survive even if they only get water from what they eat.

How long can box turtles go without water? Only 12-24 hours. The box turtle still needs water to keep hydrated, even though they can’t live in too deep water because they can’t swim. Adult box turtles that are well fed and lived a healthy life during their youth will be stronger not to eat for long periods.

How Long Can Baby Turtles Go Without Food?

This is different with adult turtles because “how long can turtles go without eating” is the condition for adult turtles only.

For the safety of your baby turtles, don’t give baby turtles food for more than a week. Baby turtles require a daily protein source, and you can provide protein from turtle pellets, cooked meat, dried fish, or dried shrimp.

How long can baby red eared sliders go without food? The same rule as baby turtles needs daily protein, so don’t leave them without food for more than a week. If baby aquatic turtles don’t get food and water, they will dehydrate and die faster.

How Long Can A Painted Turtle Go Without Eating?

How long can painted turtles go without food? Painted turtles are not much different from other types of turtles. They need water for their metabolism, and can survive without food, and start getting hungry three weeks after the last meal.

How long can turtles go without eating? If in the wild, turtles have a harder time foraging during hibernation or normal activity.

That’s why they can survive without food for long periods. But for pet turtles like painted turtles don’t need to find food because their owners feed them. Making sure the pet turtle basking platform is of high quality to prolong your turtle’s lifespan.

You just have to think that the painted turtle can last you a long time, but still, you need someone to check the cleanliness of the water in their aquarium. Clean water is always needed to maintain their needs.

How Long Can A Tortoise Go Without Food?

For tortoises, it will be different from “how long can a red eared slider go without eating” because tortoises and box turtles are not considered aquatic turtles.

Although tortoises still need water to soak themselves and drink, tortoises are more resilient than other turtles because they can survive without food from 6 months to 3 years.

This can occur only in adult tortoises. If you have tortoises under six months of age, they should still be heavily fed and require multiple meals per day.

How long can turtles go without eating, and why is it longer for the tortoise? Tortoises have a longer life than turtles. Tortoise can survive in harsh conditions without food in the wild even though there is a storm or forest fire. That’s why tortoises can live without food for that long.

How Often Do You Need To Feed A Turtle?

Ensure that you ask questions about “how long can turtles go without eating” only when you want to go on vacation or because there is something you cannot leave behind. The following is a table of how often you should feed turtles based on their age.

How long can turtles go without eating cannot be used as an excuse to abandon your turtle because even though your turtle can survive for a long time without food, as a good pet owner, of course, you want them to live a healthy and happy life.

How long can turtles go without food can only be conditioned when you are not home or run out of food for them, which is only temporary.

How Long Does It Take For A Turtle To Starve To Death?

Turtles begin to starve to death if they don’t get food for more than 160 days. It will be faster if the turtles don’t get water because they need water to soak themselves and keep hydrated. If the turtles are not getting water, they will lose weight little by little and die faster.

How long can turtles go without eating is a serious problem because it can affect their lifespan. Even if wild turtles require hibernation and are different if they are in captivity, thinking about how long they can last without food should also be known by all pet owners.

Don’t wait for your turtle to starve to death, but provide healthy food at a time appropriate for their age. Don’t overfeed them, and don’t feed them too infrequently, even though the wild turtle can’t stand not eating for a long time.

Do Turtles Need To Be Fed Every Day?

You only need to feed your turtles every day when they are under six months of age. In these conditions, turtles need a lot of protein, and they still can’t find their own food. This applies to all types of turtles.

How long can a red-eared slider turtle go without eating? The red eared slider may last for weeks, but to be good, you will need to feed it at least once per three days. What needs to be considered for red-eared sliders is the clean water in their habitat. For food, they can last longer, but not for water.

What Happens When Turtles Don’t Eat?

Turtles are fine if they don’t eat while they hibernate. This is because turtles rarely do activities during hibernation. That’s why they can stand without food for a long time.

This is the same with pet owners asking about “how long can a red eared slider go without food” because each turtle also has a hibernation time.

It will be different between pet turtles and wild turtles because pet turtles are fed more often and hibernate less often because food is always available.

The problem of turtles doesn’t eat differently from how long can turtles go without eating because if turtles don’t eat even though they are given food, there may be problems in their health.

What Are The Signs Of A Dying Turtle?

Your turtle will lack appetite and begin to lose weight. This is different from how long can turtles go without eating because turtles that don’t eat during hibernation can still eat normally if they have food nearby.

Another sign is your turtle is very lethargic. When your turtle is in this phase, it will appear to be having a hard time swimming, not wanting to interact with you, and not doing any activities.

How Do I Know If My Turtle Is Hungry?

If you are used to giving a schedule for their time to eat, they will approach the place to eat when they are hungry.

Although turtles can tolerate not eating for a long time, pet turtles used to being fed once a day will certainly feel hungry after having their own schedule like that.

How long can red eared sliders live without food? Red eared sliders can live even if they don’t eat for up to four weeks but still need water. The red eared slider will also circle the aquarium and circle their feeding area to get hungry.

How To Feed Turtle When I’m On Vacation?

Try to find someone who can check on your turtle to feed it at least once every three days. How long can turtles go without eating? More than a week. But you need to trust someone to feed your turtle.

The most important thing when you are on vacation is clean water in their aquarium or box. Turtles can go without food but continue to need clear water to stay healthy. If you install a UV light, make sure you have a light timer so that the UV light stays on and can turn itself off when not needed.

How If My Turtle Refuses To Eat?

This is a different case from “how long can a red eared slider turtle go without food” because a hibernating turtle can still eat. But if your turtle refuses to eat, that is a sign they are not healthy.

Ensure there are no strange marks on their shells, the health of their eyes, and their feces. If an unpleasant odor and unusual color in their stool or your turtle is very lethargic and lacks appetite, then immediately take your turtle to the vet.

How To Entice My Turtle To Eat?

When your turtles are refusing to eat, you need to check their temperature. Provide more UV light so that their appetite increases because turtles need 10-12 hours in UV light or sunlight.

If your turtle refuses to eat because of its hibernation period, you don’t need to worry because they will occasionally eat food from their place. But if the food isn’t eaten at all and they don’t look like they’re hibernating, take your turtle to the vet immediately.

The quickest way to entice your turtle to eat is to feed it live food such as worms, cricket, snails, or slugs. Live food has an odor that adds to your turtle’s appetite.

What Food Can You Give A Turtle?

For pet turtles, you can provide protein, vegetables, greens, fruits, and flowers. Some of them are crickets, earthworms, beans, carrots, spinach, lettuce, grapes, dandelions, etc.

How long can turtles go without food? For adult pet turtles, they can go without food for up to four weeks.

How long can a baby turtle go without food? Baby turtle needs daily foods for more protein and can go without food for only one week.

Final Verdict On How Long Can Turtles Go Without Eating Food

Each turtle has different characteristics in being able to go without food. For aquatic or semi-aquatic turtles, they can go without eating for up to 160 days of hibernation but still need water for their metabolism and body needs.

As for tortoises or box turtles, they can live with a little water to keep them hydrated, but they get water from the food they eat. Although turtles can live a long time without food, they still need clean water for their healthy life.

How long can turtles go without eating? Turtles hibernate during winter and may not eat for several months. They do not do much activity and sleep more.

You need to distinguish between when your turtle hibernates and when it refuses to eat because of illness. If you’re not sure, take your turtle to the vet for more information and action. Make sure you understand turtle diet pattern.

You need to know how long the turtle can last without food, for purposes if you want to leave your turtle on vacation or go away for a while. It is essential for pet lovers to learn how long can turtles go without eating to keep them safe and healthy. But you should trust someone to keep feeding your turtles at least once every three days or every day for baby turtles.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️