Yellow-headed turtles eat fish. Like most aquatic turtles, they are omnivorous animals. And in the wild, fish is one of their common foods, so they will eat fish. Although they can eat fish, they don't like fish. Unless they are hungry, they will prey on some small fish and shrimps to satisfy their hunger. Because they prefer vegetarianism, they eat some aquatic plants in the wild, such as aquatic plants, algae, moss, grass seeds and so on. When raising yellow-headed turtles in captivity, special attention should be paid to their eating habits. A small amount of meat can be fed, but meat should not be fed as a staple food.

Yellow-headed turtles have miscellaneous feeding habits and can eat more kinds of food. But what they like best is plant feed. When they are farmed artificially, they can be fed more plant feed.

Plant feeds suitable for yellow-headed turtles include cabbage, celery, rape, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, pumpkin, apple, grape, banana, cantaloupe and so on. When feeding these foods, the breeder needs to clean them to avoid pesticide and egg residues. In addition, it is best for breeders to regularly feed them with some animal feeds, such as small fish, shrimp, lean meat, etc., which can speed up their growth and ensure their adequate nutrition.