If you have a busy schedule, an automatic turtle feeder is a great investment. It can feed your turtle while you are at work or on vacation. Today’s article will review the best automatic turtle feeder on the market.
Best Automatic Turtle Feeder
The best automatic turtle feeder is the Turtlematic Automatic Daily Turtle Feeder. It is one of the few automatic feeders designed specifically for turtles.
At only $30, the Turtlematic is a great investment. It runs on a 12 hour schedule, so you can feed your turtle between 1 and 4 times every 12 hours. I suggest setting it to 1 time per 12 hours to help prevent waste. If you overfeed your turtle, they could become obese and start pyriamiding.
Additionally, if your turtle doesn’t eat all of the food that the machine dispenses, the leftover food will float to the bottom. At the bottom it can decompose and attract certain bacteria that can harm your turtle. It can also cause algae growth. If you want to reduce algae in your turtle tank, check out my article on algae eaters for turtle tanks.
It runs on 3 AA Batteries and it can be clipped to the top of your turtle tank. It works with a wide range of pellets including small circle ones as wells as larger food sticks.
While the Turtlematic is a great automatic turtle feeder, you might be interested in cheaper options.
Cheapest Automatic Turtle Feeder
The cheapest automatic turtle feeder is the MOOBONA automatic feeder. You can buy it on amazon for only $17.
The MOOBONA is a very cheap feeder that also works for turtle food. This feeder has a LED display that makes it very easy to set the feeding schedule. It can hold almost 7 ounces of pellets, which should definitely last a couple weeks.
It uses two AA batteries, and it can be clamped onto any part of your tank. There are 4 different feeding times that you can set for your turtle. The food container does a great job of keeping the turtle pellets dry and prevents moisture from building up. This is great because damp turtle pellets could start to grow mold.
It is also very easy to fill up this feeder. You don’t need to remove the bucket. Instead, you can just load up the container directly through the latch door.
Advantages of Automatic Turtle Feeders
Automatic turtle feeders are great because they allow you to feed your turtle while you are not home or on vacation. If you are a forgetful person, it is also a great way to ensure your turtle gets fed. They also do a great job of making sure your turtle is getting fed the same amount of pellets each time.
Disadvantages of Automatic Turtle Feeders
Of course there are a couple disadvantages of automatic turtle feeders. Like all machines, there is a chance that the feeder malfunctions and stops working. While turtles can usually go a week or two without eating, it can obviously be detrimental to their health if they go a long time without eating.
Additionally, if you use an automatic turtle feeder, you can’t see how much your turtle is eating. For example, you might not notice that your turtle is not eating a lot. Changes in appetite are usually a sign of illness, so you might not catch it early if you don’t monitor your turtle’s eating habits closely.
If you use an automatic feeder regularly, you should keep a close eye on your turtle to make sure they are healthy. Look for signs of illness such as white film over eyes.
Conclusion
Automatic turtle feeders are a great investment. Make sure that you set the feeder above water so that the food falls directly into the water. This is because your turtle needs to eat while in the water to help with digestion and prevent choking.
