Celery is believed to be a very great addition to human’s diets. It is rich with many different vitamins and minerals, mainly Vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium or folate. Besides that, it is low in sodium, so it should not contribute to troubles with high blood pressure, heart disease, or even stroke. However, what about our best reptiles? Can a turtle eat celery?
Well, the short answer is yes, turtles can definitely eat celery. However, even if it is not a great danger to their health, it isn’t as beneficial an addition to their dietary plan as in the case of human beings. This results in a misconception that we can substitute one type of food with celery without worrying about any consequences. That is not the case. Truth to be told, if we feed a turtle with too much celery and do it too frequently, then we will have to deal with a wide range of poor consequences that regards the health and life of our turtle.
So, to make sure that you are doing the right thing feeding a bit of celery to your reptile, I decided to prepare an in-depth explanation of how celery influences the turtles, what its role in an everyday dietary plan should be, and what too much celery can do to your turtle. Besides that, I will also answer some of the most frequent questions I receive, mainly regarding celery leaves and stems, the proper preparation of that plant, and much more.
But first, let’s start with nutritive value
As I stated at the very beginning of this entry, celery belongs to a group of plants that guarantees a lot of interesting vitamins and minerals. Though its source of calories is mostly carbohydrates, it is very low in calories, especially when you compare it with other vegetables or food supplements that people usually give to their pets.
The thing that some people believe celery is interesting is the fact that it guarantees dietary fiber. Still, there is approximately 1.6g of it per 100 grams. In this portion size, we can also find some traces of calcium, which is of utmost importance for these reptiles. Let’s also not forget about a small, yet still present, amount of Vitamin D. It, as we know, later on converts into Vitamin D3. To make things even more interesting, there is also an abundance of potassium – 263 mg per 100 grams of celery. This is surely a lot.
Why giving celery to your turtle on a daily basis is not a good idea?
Why would you refrain from providing plenty of celery to your turtle if its squad doesn’t say you shouldn’t? Well, it doesn’t say you should either, am I right? I’ve got a few reasons to refrain from giving this vegetable to your pet.
Not enough fiber
Though it contains 1.6g of fiber in the portion of 100 grams, it is definitely not enough. Corn, for example, has four times as much fiber, and it is still not a good substitute for your turtles. Small amount of fiber means that if you were to give a lot of celery to your turtle, it would have troubles in removing it later on from its body. As a result, eating lots of celery will give your turtles stomach aches, constipations, and other problems with its bowel movements.
No high nutritional value
The turtle is not going to be sick after eating some celery, and that’s certain. What is more, there will be no bad consequences if we feed smaller amounts of it. Sadly, celery should never become the main part of its dietary plan. Nor should it be a second or third option. This vegetable is mostly water and, as a result, they won’t be getting nutrition that is essential for their proper development.
Relatively low amounts of vitamins and minerals
Despite the fact celery has a lot of things that a turtle needs, the amount of these vitamins and minerals is very low. If we compare it with the numbers of other common food sources, then it is definitely a poor option for supplementation. As a result, giving celery on a daily basis is not going to be beneficial for your turtle.
So, is there a way for a turtle to eat celery and stay safe?
In order to keep your pet healthy, you should provide it with celery no more than one or two times a month. Yes, once or twice a month is definitely enough for it to enjoy some new additions. If you do that more often, you risk not giving it enough vitamins and minerals because if your pet eats a lot of celery, then even if it is a low-calorie food, it will be stuffed and will not be interested in other meals.
If you want to feed some celery to your pet, then think about mixing it with other types of food. In that way it will enrich its menu, making it much more interesting. As far as preparation is concerned, you don’t have to do anything particular. Obviously, you have to wash this vegetable, or any other for that matter, before serving. In that way, you get rid of pesticides and other potential threats to your pet. Besides that, it is recommended to cut the celery stick or even leaves onto smaller pieces. In that way, your reptile will enjoy smaller parts since its jaw is not the largest.
Now you know if turtles can eat celery!
This vegetable is surely a very interesting addition to your turtle’s diet. It cannot serve as a main ingredient; however, because it does not have necessary nutritional values. Therefore, picking it as a main source of energy for your turtle is definitely a bad idea and won’t do any good to the pet. That is the reason why celery should not be the main part of your turtle’s diet.
It doesn’t change the fact that turtles can eat celery. However, we have to remember the numbers. It cannot happen too frequently and in larger quantities ->Do your turtle can eat avocado?. However, a snack that you give once or twice a month will not cause any troubles. Instead, it will definitely enrich your pet’s menu and make it happier. What is more, it isn’t as bad as other types of food people ask me about.
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