Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I gave him kale,collareds and mango and banana all finely chopped together so he couldnt pick out the fruit only..

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I would go easy with the fruit. I would feed fruit once about every two weeks. What type of supplement are you using? I use osteoform equine, it's the best for tortoises in my opinion.
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Tim Madsen

Nobody cares how much you know,
Until they know how much you care.

Im using repcal, its what I use for my Bluetongue and my tegu..Ive never heard of what your using..I thought that redfoots need lots of fruit..I will cut it back though.He's not eating as much as I thought he would. He did eat a piece of catfood yesterday, I think he still a bit scared..
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Fruit should be given as a treat, if you feed it to often they may get where they won't eat anything else. Collards and kale are ok, dandilion greens and flowers are good as are tropical hybiscus flowers. Moistened mazuri tortoise food is good but will mold if left to long. I'd stay away from cat food (way to much protein) Moistened dry dog food is better and not to often for that, once a month. Timothy hay is good if you can get them to eat it. I feed mine moistened rabbit pellets it is almost identical to Mazuri tortoise food but with slightly high protein content. Redfoots are opertunistic feeders in the wild and will eat a lot of things, but that doesn't mean it's good for them. Frozen mixed veggies are another good thing but also should be given in moderation. Stick mostly to leafy greens and you'll be ok.
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Tim Madsen

Nobody cares how much you know,
Until they know how much you care.

There is always differing opinions on the fruit v. veg percentage. Some of the breeders recommend a 60/40 percentage with fruit being the majority of the diet. My torts are alot bigger than your baby, I don't know if hatchling diets are the same or different. I prefer to focus on the variety of food rather than the veg/fruit percentage. If I had to guess my ratio is 50/50. They get romaine, red leaf, green lettuce, dandelion, hibiscus (leaves and flowers), squash and carrots (grated)as well as papaya, watermelon, mango, pears, strawberries, pineapple, basically what ever is in season. I also feed mine both at the same time. Oters recommend switching from totally fruit one feeding and totally veg the next. I find that mine eat whatever they feel for, sometimes the eat all the fruit and others, they eat the veg. I feed them mazuri whenever I remember, it usually works out to once a month or longer. I think everyone has different ways of raising their torts the way they feel best. What works for some may not work for other. I hope this helps and sorry for being so long winded.

Allegra

I live in a small town and have to drive 45min to get to a grocery that sells greens(collard,mustard and kale)..In summer I can grow my own and have plenty of dandilion/plantain and chickory type weeds(I dont use any chemicals in my yard).So Mazuri would be good for those emergency days I run out of the good greens and cant get to town..I can get romaine in the small grocery here in town though and regular veggies like squash etc..
Next winter I am going to try a small indoor garden in my closet and see if I can grow greens myself..I am not a good gardener so we'll see..
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that are organic(the apples arent too good but I bet torty wont mind) and I have two mulberry trees, so we are good to go in summer/fall
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