What are the best toys for turtles?
Contrary to popular belief, turtles do spend time at play. They can’t be expected to thrive in a boring and empty turtle tank.
They do require some simple additions to enrich their environment. This will help them to live a long, happy, and healthy life. When I first introduced my red-eared sliders, Mitch and Mildred, to some of these toys, they immediately engaged.
Best Toys For Pet Turtles
 | Turtle Toy Floating Log |
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 | Zilla Turtle Chasers |
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 | Turtle Hides And Games |
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When turtles are deprived of play opportunities, health issues can, and likely will, arise.
There are too many bare turtle tanks out there, with nothing but a shelf for basking (and sometimes, shockingly, not even that).
As a result, detrimental health effects have been documented in the form of:
- Self-injury
- Lack of appetite
- General malaise
- Reduced life expectancy
Just like any other animal kept in captivity, the opportunity for stimulation is vital to the health and overall well-being of aquatic turtles.
Free Turtle Toys
First up, here are 10 free things that make great toys for turtles.
- Smooth river rocks — for climbing around or exploring.
- A clean plastic bottle cap — floating “push toy” for aquatic turtles; only use if it is too large to bite apart.
- Floating lettuce leaf — food plus enrichment, especially romaine or dandelion greens.
- Cardboard tunnel outside the tank — for supervised land time only, not in water.
- Clean driftwood or bark-free branch — for climbing or resting, if turtle-safe and pesticide-free.
- A shallow pile of leaves — for supervised digging/exploring, using pesticide-free leaves.
- Ice cube with a treat inside — let it melt in the water so they can investigate it.
- Ping-pong ball — floats and can be nudged around.
- Rearranged tank decor — move existing rocks, hides, or basking items around to create novelty.
- A shallow dig box — use clean soil or coconut fiber you already have, for supervised terrestrial species or land time.
And next, 5 items that can be purchased, which will also serve to enrich your turtle’s home.
1. Turtle Tank Substrate
Although bare bottom tanks are simple to maintain, gravel or stones add much-needed mental and physical stimulation for turtles. The benefits make it well worth the extra bit of effort to vacuum around when performing water changes.
Rocks should be added that are larger than standard aquarium gravel. You want pebbles to be too large to swallow so that they are not a choking or intestinal hazard. A variety of shapes and sizes is also best.
River rocks are a perfect addition to large-sized gravel to provide a variety of shapes, colors, and textures for your pet turtle to enjoy. These rocks are available at most retail pet stores and garden nurseries.
Also, simply add a variety of:
- Shells
- Rocks
- Other textures to their environment
As these are some of the best and simplest ways to not only enrich the environment but also decorate the tank.
2. Floating Logs For Turtles
Floating turtle logs provide a natural-looking place for a pet turtle to climb on without the stress of constant rollover.
Features include:
- weighted to the base of the tank to prevent rollover
- durable to last the life of your turtle
- great place for your turtle to hide
- made of easy-to-clean resin
- looks like a real piece of wood
While a floating log doesn’t initially appear to be a toy for turtles, it really is. Products like this are a good means of turtle enrichment. It’s something for them to investigate, to climb all over, and to hide in.
3. Whole and Live Foods For Turtles
One of the very best ways to enrich the environment of any pet turtle, both mentally and physically, is to add live or whole foods.
For example:
- Insects such as mealworms and crickets, either live or dry, are very much appreciated by pet turtles
- Grasshoppers are available in a can that retains the nutritional value of live food without the hassle
- River Shrimp is also a cheap and easy treat that’s a natural favorite across many species of pet turtles
These natural, whole foods will fall to the bottom of the tank and into the substrate you’ve provided. This creates tremendously enjoyable foraging rewards that are high in nutritional value.
It also helps mimic their natural environment when they have to do a bit of work for their food. Feeder fish can provide play and healthy enrichment as well, often for several days or weeks at a time.
4. Pet Turtle Treat Toys
Aquatic turtle treats are also ideal for enriching both the environment and the turtle.
Turtle Chasers, for example, are easy-to-use floating treats made of natural, healthy proteins. They are made to be difficult for turtles to grab and eat.
Most turtles will spend quite some time playing with and chasing the treat around their enclosure before consuming. This exercise and bout of fun is surely a much-relished break from seeing an unchanging turtle tank environment day after day.
5. Caves and Hides For Turtles
Hides and caves are an absolute must for all turtles. They provide a place for security, to evade possible difficulties with a tank mate, and, of course, are a source of great fun for our turtles as they forage about their habitat.
There should always be a place that provides seclusion and a sense of safety in all turtle habitats. Hides come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, so take the opportunity to pick something that enhances environmental enrichment as well as their habitat’s appearance.
Turtle Toy FAQs
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What toys can my turtle play with?
There is a great range of toys for pet turtles, from live food to rubber ducks (as in the Instagram video above).
As long as it’s not something they can swallow that they shouldn’t, or doesn’t contain harmful chemicals that could leech into the water, just try it out!
Do turtles like to play with things?
Yes, turtles enjoy playing with food and other decorative or more functional items that we put into their tanks.
It helps keep them healthy in both mind and body.
How do I keep my turtle entertained?
Turtles aren’t like us in that they need constant stimulation.
However, any of the aquatic turtle toys we’ve shared here will keep their minds ticking over.
Another tank mate can also be a good way to keep a turtle stimulated – though check if it’s recommended for your breed.
What do turtles like in their tank?
Pebbles designed for turtles are good, along with a cave and/or hide.
A basking platform is a must to prevent your turtle from drowning, along with turtle heat lamps and a filter.
What do you do when your turtle is bored?
If your turtle is bored, try out any of these great pet turtle toys.
If nothing else, you’ll get a good laugh out of watching your turtle play.
Best Turtle Toys For Tank
Those are just some of the great ways you can keep your turtles entertained and happy – and you see, there are a ton of different toys for turtles.
Anything that gives them something to do and keeps their minds active will be of benefit.
Check out the two turtles in this video playing with a toy ball. They’re loving it!
Along these lines, ping pong balls and rubber duckies work well as toys for turtles that can be chucked in the tank — just remember to remove them if they start to destroy it.
Have fun with your turtles and help your turtles have fun!
What about live fish as something for turtles to interact with and possibly eat?
Great idea Shar!
Good ideas for turtle toys thanks! My little man enjoys chasing and catching live food.
Yes, so much more fun than ordinary still food!
So I can use things like plastic balls? Can I keep them in the tank or do I have to take it out when he is done playing?
It would be best to monitor your turtle just in case they squash or crack it and then attempt to consume the ball.
That tank is way too small for 1 turtles. Fun toy but please get them more space.
Thanks for the comment B – it’s not our video but I feel for those guys as well!
Yeah! cool toys for turtles.. but I can’t afford any of these toys and have no balls safe for my turtle. is it possible to create DIY toys for turtles instead? would it be a good alternative?
Hey Jacob, you can replicate a lot of these turtle-specific toys with items around the home. In the video at the end, for example, you can see the turtles playing with an ordinary table tennis ball!
I hate seeing turtles in pet shops where they have nothing to interact with. So sad.
Hopefully they aren’t in there long. But totally agree, turtles need a few toys when they’re in a tank!
cool toys now my turtle can have fun in the tank!
Yes, there’s nothing worse than an empty turtle tank!
Do you know where you can get the ball depicted in the first video? I’m trying to find something my RES can interact with in the tank.
I can’t find the exact ones sorry, but these are similar. You want something that’s not too heavy that could damage tank equipment, but not too light so that it only floats!
Can I make a toy for my pet turtle, instead of spending money?
Table tennis balls cost next to nothing if you wanted to try them out 🙂
Do you know where you can get the ball portrayed in the main video? I’m attempting to discover something my RES can communicate with in the tank
Rubber duckies are a good turtle toy just make sure you remove from tank when not play time