From time to time we may forget about purchasing extra food for our pets. Some other times our turtle may not be interested in eating things we prepared for them. Often it happens that we introduce things that people enjoy and take it for granted that our meals will definitely appeal to turtles’ tastes. Sadly, even if turtles can eat hot dogs and they may like it very much, it is not always a good idea to provide them with such a type of food.
You see, I am the owner of 2 turtles and even if they would definitely enjoy hot dog meat, it will cause more problems than it’s worth. Why is that? Well, because a hot dog is much more than just a sausage or other piece of meat. Obviously, you have to take into account a number of different additions. Only then will you be able to fully understand why hot dogs are not the greatest substitute and why, in spite of such a possibility, you should refrain from feeding your turtle with too many hot dogs.
Why would anyone want to feed a hotdog to a turtle?
Everyone knows that turtles are omnivores. It means that these reptiles will eat both meat and plants. As a result, it allows people to look for interesting alternatives that will enrich the standard dietary plans. However, a very important thing to remember is that turtles cannot eat everything we throw at them. There are numerous food types that may harm them even if humans enjoy their taste. However, there are quite a lot of rational reasons that hide behind that idea. Let’s explore them together.
Hot dog’s main ingredient is meat
Turtles love meat, and even if in their natural habitats they do not consume chickens, turkeys (please also look at if turtles can eat a turkey), and other lean meat, they are more than satisfied if we come with such a treat. In most situations turtles restrict themselves to eating frogs (are really turtles eat a frogs ?), slugs, snails (is snail good food for turtles), smaller fish, or insects. However, if we keep a pet turtle, then it will surely appreciate some pieces of chicken or turkey leg (Turtle have legs?)provided it is appropriately served (cooked, without seasoning and skin). Hot dog meat is also very attractive .
Lettuce is also great for turtles
Beside the meat itself, quite often it happens that hot dogs are filled with lettuce leaves of many different kinds. Luckily for us, there are no known types of lettuce that can occur to be poisonous for a turtle. That is why it is a great addition, especially if we look at some kinds that can boast with more nutritional value than the other.
Consequences of feeding hot dogs to your turtles
Sadly, there is a much bigger amount of disadvantages as far as feeding hot dogs to your turtle is concerned. And keeping them in mind will work well for the proper growth of our reptiles.
Fatty acids and fat in general
You see, the first thing to outline is that we can’t forget about the fact that turtles should refrain from meat sources that contain a lot of fatty acids or fat in general. The so-called Fatty Liver Disease, which is Hepatic Lipidosis, is one of the most common problems of many adult reptiles, including turtles. If we overfeed animals, then in many cases we can lead to this clinical condition. Sadly, hot dog meat is usually a sausage or a frankfurter. Both of them do not belong to the category of lean meat.
Empty calories
Another important reason why hot dogs are not the greatest food substitute for your pet is the lack of nutritional values that other types of meat as well as other meals can offer. You see, out of all kinds of meat, pork sausage, or any other sausage to be fair, contains an incredibly low amount of protein per 100 g. It is, approximately, 8-12g per 100 g. Chicken breast can boast even twice as much nutritional value, because there is up to 23g of protein per 100 g of chicken breast. As you can see, there are a number of “empty calories” in sausages.
Vitamins and minerals
Furthermore, using hot dog meat or even other parts of a hot dog as a meal is not great mainly due to the lack of vitamins and minerals. Without them, your turtle will not be able to grow as it should.
What about hot dog buns?
No, turtles should not consume hot dog buns. To be fair, any type of bread is dangerous to reptiles of this kind. One of the reasons is related to the characteristics of the dough itself. You see, it can expand in stomachs, making turtles feel full even if they eat smaller amounts without larger quantities of nutritional values.
In addition to that, high amounts of starch are also not great for our pets. It is difficult to digest and with time, it may result in quite serious health problems. Obviously, not only bread is bad, because pumpernickel seems like a great alternative. Besides that, wheat bread may also be a good substitute.However, they need to be provided with modest quantities. Only then will they not cause any troubles.
Your turtle can eat a hot dog, but is it really worth it?
As you can see, feeding hot dogs to your reptiles is surely not the best option out there. However, it doesn’t change the fact that if we want, it is okay to give pets some pieces of hot dog ingredients – as long as we do not do that too often and we are fully aware of potential health consequences that later on may incur.
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