Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking about adding this to my turtles normal diet and just want to make sure it is a decent choice. I would like to use this over the zoomed just because it is soft but I will use the zoomed if it is better. Any thoughts?
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John Vandegrift

Most people I've talked to use Mazuri for their box turtles. I have never used Zoomed but been using Reptomin food for aquatic turtles with great success, so far. Plus, I feed veggies and fruits to my boxies as well. Hope this helps!

I wouldn't want to pay upwards of $9 per pound for box turtle food when I can feed a more varied, wholesome diet for ALOT less money.

Here's the ingredient list:

Box Turtle Bites
Specially formulated for your box turtle with an irresistible muskmelon flavor and yellow color.

Ingredients: Water, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Whey Protein, Soy Protein, Spray Dried Egg Product, Maltodextrin, Sucrose, Fructose, Carrageenan, Locust Bean Gum, Lecithin, Wheat Germ Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Calcium Lactate, Potassium Sorbate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Beta-Carotene, Lycopene, Beet Powder, BHA, Propylparaben Ogliofructose, Yucca schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Blue 1, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Calcium Iodate, and Biotin.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein
6.0% (Min)
Crude Fat
3.0% (Min)
Crude Fiber
5.0% (Max)
Moisture
78.0% (Max)

YIKES!

Zoo med canned:

Ingredients:
Fresh Apples, Fresh Carrots, Ground Corn, Whole Corn, Dextrose, Soybean Meal, Fish Bone Meal, Brewer's Yeast, Kelp Powder, Gums, Banana Flavoring, Vitamin Mix (Rice Hulls, Choline Chloride, Riboflavin, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine HCL, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Calcium Carbonate, Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (source of Vitamin E), Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, D-Biotin), Water sufficient for processing.

Guaranteed Analysis:

* Crude Protein (min.) 3.0%
* Crude Fat (min.) 0.5%
* Crude Fiber (max.) 1.0%
* Moisture (max.) 78.0%

Zoomed pellets:

Ingredients

Soybean Hulls, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Wheat Middlings, Whole Ground Wheat, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Escarole, Endive, Calcium Carbonate, Fish Meal, Glycerin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Papaya, Yeast Culture, Paprika Extract, Dried Mango, Dried Dandelion Greens, Menhaden Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin, Direct-Fed Microorganisms (Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium, and Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Products), Dried Yeast, Dried Saccharomyces Cervisiae Fermentation Solubles, Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate, Garlic Extract, Anise Extract, Chinese Cassia Bark Extract, Ginger Extract, Horseradish, Juniper Extract, Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Flavoring, Yucca schidigera, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of stabilized Vitamin C), Zinc Methionine Complex, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement, preserved with natural Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Choline Chloride, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), d-Calcium Pantothenate (source of Vitamin B5), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Chloride, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (Min) 13.0 % Crude Fat (Min) 2.0 %Crude Fiber (Max) 21.0 %Moisture (Max) 13.0 %Ash (Max) 10.0 Êlcium (Min) 1.0 Êlcium (Max) 1.4 %Phosphorus (Min) 0.4 %Sodium (Max) 0.3 %

Yuck.

Sorry, but I don't see anything horribly wrong with those foods to share the same reaction. It's not like these processed foods are made without any consideration of the animal that they are intended to feed these days and who is to say that an all fresh prepared variety is really perfectly replicating a wild turtles real life diet, not to mention consideration for seasonal diet needs and changes. I think (and this is just my humble oppinion)if you could get your box turtles to consistently eat 2 or 3 different types of processed commercial foods along with a variety of fresh prepared items, your turtles would be in great shape and you should not have to worry one bit about vitamin and mineral deficiency or overdose from dosing powder, or too much animal protein or fat, or lack of fiber, because there intake would have a tremendous variety of nutrition. The only real concern would be if a turtle would develope a preference (and/or the keeper would allow it) for only one single food type, be it processed, live, or fresh prepared, and thus not have any variety in the diet. As far as the cost of processed food is concerned, time has a price tag too.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

What might be a concern is the guaranteed analysis: these foods don't really boast much of any nutritional value...6% protein is not very impressive for a product that includes chicken and chicken liver.

I'm not opposed to using commercial foods: after all I do use Reptomin with youngsters, and it contains over 40% protein (see below).

The larger point is that it really isn't difficult to MAKE food that is not only more cost effective, but nutritious as well.

Reptomin info:

Ingredients:
Fish meal, wheat starch, dried yeast, corn flour, shrimp meal, wheat gluten, potato protein, dehulled soybean meal, soybean oil, monobasic calcium phosphate, L-lysine monohydrochloride, lecithin, algae meal, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized Vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, A-tocopherol-acetate, riboflavin-5-phosphate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin A palmitate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, cyanocobalamin, cholecalciferol, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, cobalt nitrate, artificial colors, blue 2 lake, yellow 6 lake, and ethoxyquin as a preservative.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 42.5% min.
Moisture 8.0% max.
Crude Fat 8.5% min.
Phosphorous 1.8% min.
Crude Fiber 2.0% max.
Calcium 2.0% min.
Ascorbic acid
(Vitamin C) 100 mg/kg min.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has been doing a Blanding's Turtle "head start" program for a population nearby. They ONLY feed Reptomin to the turtles in this program.

Also, if you do feed Reptomin, it's a good idea to put the turtles in a tray of water, so they can eat the food as it softens.

Tim

Third Eye

Tim that is EXACTLY how I feed my hatchlings. I feed in a plastic tub with shallow water and I feed Reptomin and Wardleys, that is all they have eaten since a week after they were born. In fact that is how they are being raised in a plastic tub with shallow water with a shim under one side so that half the tub is dry and half is shallow water and the lid laid on top loosely so to keep the humidity up yet breathe along with air holes melted in the side and the tubs are on top of heat tape (on top of snake rack) I rotate two sets of tubs so there is always a clean dry one on hand and add fresh water everyday. A couple times a week I put them under a UVB and basking lamp for an hour or two and let them dry out. I now have them in seperate tubs since they were biting each others tails and feet. I realize this is a very utilitarian set up for them this winter and not in any way ideal or very natural, but this spring they will go outside in a more natural yet secure mini enclosure with substrate on the patio under our deck with early morning sun and dappled from the deck mid-day sun and afternoon shade. They will also get a more varied diet with fresh foods and hopefully this will work for them, it's how I raised up their parents. Hopefully after a couple yrs old they will be able to go into the big pen with the adults. Now this definately may not the best way to raise hatchlings, maybe not even the easiest, but since they keep eating well and appear healthy, it works for me.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Nice looking floridas, I want some, they are awsome looking as adults.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Wardly doesn't have some of the vitamins and minerals like in Reptomin....according to people who analyze it. I read it from www.turtleforum.com from one of their articles.

could you please point us specifically to that article? I queried wardley and reptomin on that forum and found posts, but I didn't see one stating "Wardly doesn't have some of the vitamins and minerals like in Reptomin....according to people who analyze it"

Both have calcium and D3, as well as many other vitamins and minerals and more importantly have different protein sources. Like I said before I'm not as concerned with which brand/type is "THE" best nutrition, but rather prefer using 2 or more brand/types for added variety in nutrition. Just my oppinion and approach. I believe ZooMed and Mazuri and others make turtle pellets too and I would guess they would work fine as well, I just haven't used them, because I buy Wardley and Reptomin in bulk from the supplier I use and then I mix them in a large sealed plastic jar. I also use them both in the frozen venison/veggie/fruits/eggs/pellets balls that I make for my adults.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Here it is: www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm.

Thanks for the link, it is a well written article, although not specific for box turtles and I didn't see any quantifiable analysis, but some fair and likely accurate oppinions of the processed foods and inclusion of a good variety of fresh and live food options. I believe that was written before Wardleys improved the vitamins and calcium in their reptile sticks based on the photo of the old Wardley can in the photo. I have tried all of the foods listed in that article except Mazuri. I have heard nothing but good things about Mazuri and like I said before wouldn't be opposed at all to using it if I had a convienent supply and IF my turtles found it palatable. The other foods though that I have tried my turtles would not even touch, yet they attack reptomin and wardleys at 4 days out of the egg and as adults, plus my water turtles love both of those foods as well, so my perspective is that it doesn't really matter which food is THE best, if it isn't palatable. I do however mix a variety fresh frozen foods along with whole eggs w/shell crushed for added calcium in with the pellets. That is just my personal experience and I am sure other peoples experiences may vary.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

You're welcome! I'm glad I can help!

I agree, I think Reptomin is one of the higher quality foods and I use it, but I think mixed with some of the other types can't hurt either.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com