The yellow-bellied red-eared turtle is a carnivorous omnivorous animal, likes to eat fish, pork, animal offal, mussels, snails and blood worms (chironomid larvae), red worms (water earthworms), mealworms (mealworms), snails and mollusks, insects, maggots, etc., as well as a variety of crude fiber food. In addition, the yellow-bellied red-eared turtle loves to eat shrimp.

The yellow-bellied red-eared turtle is not interested in all fatty meat, hard dried meat, cooked meat, and all kinds of crude fiber food, and even hates it refusing to eat the food.