The northern golden box turtle is omnivorous, likes to eat vegetables, likes to prey on various insects, and can also eat some fish. When artificial feeding, it can be mixed and fed to ensure nutrition. When feeding, pay attention to the calcium and phosphorus ratio of vegetable feed should be maintained at about 1:1. Do not feed foods with too much phosphorus.

The northern golden box turtle mainly eats insects in nature , 90% of its food are insects, such as beetles, insect larvae and locusts, among which the beetles of the family Scarabidae are its most important food, and also eat mulberries and carrion. The northern painted box turtle is quick to bite into crawling insects and worms. Adults, especially sub-adults, seem to enjoy chasing a wide variety of insects, including crickets, grasshoppers, whiteflies, waxworms, bloodworms, large earthworms, moth larvae, and more. In artificial breeding, it can eat Tenebrio molitor, lean pork, bananas and tomatoes.