Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Some random questions I figured the board readers here could comment on...I have had a pair of cherry head redfoots for about a year now and try my best to vary their diets to ensure they are get a good balance of vitamins and minerals.

They LOVE radicchio lettuce...when I throw in a few leaves from a mix (including butter and romaine lettuce) they ignore all the rest and go straight for the radicchio every time. Anything to be concerned about?

Are any of the following things bad for them (or especially good) - Onions, squash, green peppers, broccoli, basil, spinach? I've heard that spinach is to be avoided, but I've given them squash, peppers and broccoli successfully...never tried basil or onions.

For fruit they seem to favor apples, strawberries, and canteloupe, and honeydew. I've also tried grapes and pineapple, but they ignored both of them. Anything else to add to the fruit list?

Biggest problem I've had - using fruit and veggies that keep long enough to use up as tortoise chow. Any thoughts on the best stuff to feed them with the longest shelf life?

papaya excellent - no problem with radicchio although never let them become habituated to any one food, chop the mix up more finely and they'll get a little of everything.
strawberries too high in tannins - let them chew on watermelon with the rind which is good roughage for the digestive tract and also provides beak wearing exercise.
green pepper out - broccoli and spinach, while rich in vitamins and minerals, are cruciferous and block absorption of calcium necessary for bone and shell building - offer only occasionally.
keep it varied - provide natural sunlight with access to dandelion, clover, plaintain and native grasses whenever you can - they thrive outside in warm weather.
rose of sharon blossoms, mulberry leaves are excellent treats.
and the cherryheads especially appreciate earthworms and slugs.
also they need a seasonal rest period down time.
And do not overfeed.

mulberry leaves? really? this is the first i ever heard of that. this would be good news since I have a huge mulberry tree in my back yard!

i've found that mine prefers dandelion greens over most greens, but is pretty fond of endive and escarole.

what i usually do, since i'm a cheapskate, is pull a few leaves out of the bunch at the store and just check those out (usually comes to about 80 cents). But that won't work with escarole. Endive and Dandelion greens do have a pretty decent shelf-life if you dry them off enough and don't let them sit in their own moisture. If your tort is married to radicchio, try chopping it up pretty finely and mix it up with some other greens.

I've had more trouble with my fruits going bad. I recently made a compote out of mango, strawberry, and pineapple. Mashed it all together and froze it. I take about half to a full tablespoon of the mix out and let it thaw (won't take long) before feeding it to the redfoot. Seems to love it (although I think mostly because of the strawberry). I'll give him some fresh peach when some I've got some extra ripe ones hanging out.

hope this helps.