Vitamin E for Turtles

If you are a turtle owner, you are probably well aware of the importance of a turtle’s diet. Whether it is the vitamin C from leafy vegetables, or the calcium in pellets, turtles must be fed a balanced diet.

While it can be tough to remember all the vitamins that turtles need, it is important that you feed your turtle all of the essential ones. In today’s article, we will discuss everything you need to know about vitamin E for turtles.

Vitamin E for turtles

For starters, vitamin E is very important for turtles, as it has a direct correlation with the health of their shell.

It is essential that your turtle has enough vitamin E in their diet, as it helps repair injuries on their shell, and helps promote healthy shell growth. Most importantly, vitamin E helps a turtle properly shed their scutes.

Scutes are the small square shaped material that is on the outer layer of your turtle’s shell. Scutes are primarily made of keratin, which is the same material our fingernails are made from. When a turtle has a healthy shell that is growing, they will begin to shed their scutes.

Most of the time, scutes will completely come off and make room for the new and stronger scutes to take their space. However, sometimes a turtle’s scute will not come off properly, or only a portion of the scute will peel off. This can be very problematic, especially if there is already a new scute trying to grow in its place. This is where vitamin E comes into the picture.

Vitamin E helps promote healthy shedding and will accelerate the shedding of dried up scutes that are refusing to come off. Not only does this help your turtle’s shell stay healthy, but it also improves the aesthetics of your turtle’s shell. Feeding your turtle vitamin E can also help moisturize a turtle shell.

Why do turtles need vitamin E

Turtles therefore need vitamin E in order to maintain a strong, healthy shell. Vitamin E also helps remove mineral deposits on your turtle’s shell if they are living in hard water.  

What happens if your turtle doesn’t get enough vitamin E?

If your turtle does not get enough vitamin E, the first sign will be an unhealthy shell. They will probably have scute hanging off their shell, and their shell might appear more dry than usual.

A turtle with a vitamin E deficiency may also develop a disease called steatitis. This occurs when your turtle’s body fats become inflamed, and results in weak muscles and lethargy.

Best way to feed your turtle vitamin E?

The best way to feed your turtle vitamin E is to search for pellets that are high in vitamin E. If you are unable to find pellets with vitamin E, or your turtle won’t eat them, you can also buy vitamin E supplements on amazon.

You can also try feeding your turtle human food that is high in vitamin E, such as sweet potato, apple peels, and blueberries.

Aside from Vitamin E, there are also many other vitamins that you should always feed your turtle. The most important vitamins for turtles are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Phosphorous.