I've seen MANY threads talking or mentioning Mazuri.
I looked it up, but i'm still a bit confused.
What exactly is Mazuri?
Is it healthier than Spring Mix for my torts?
If I were to invest, would my torts eat it, or would they avoid it like they have so many pet smart/co store items in the past.

Basically, Mazuri is a formulated tortoise food that contains a variety of grasses, minerals, and nutrients, if I'm not mistaken. It's by no means required feeding and while I think it's a great product, I still feed my tort a 50/50 mix of Mazuri and mixed dark greens because there's no substitute for the real thing.

There's some info about it here: http://www.mazuri.com/tortoise.aspx
However it's heavily biased in Mazuri's favor since it's the manufacturer, but it does explain a little of what goes into it and why it can be beneficial.

As far as I know, not all tortoises like it, so it's a case by case basis- mine loves it and will follow me around begging for it, she even knows what the container looks like as soon as I pull it off the shelf- that said, you can always consult your vet about any health concerns particular to your tortoise before you try it.

Mazuri is a good product. It is what all zoos feed and they make all the exotic pet foods. It is actually a purina product. Most torts will eat it eventually. It should not be used as a main food source. A wide variety diet of dark greens and natural grazing is always the staple. Mazuri can be added, a couple times a week but does not have to be used at all.

It is a personal preference, I use it for my sulcata. It helps maintain weight. Also she is a very picky eater. It also stimulates her to eat. In my book, that's a good thing.

@ blackbird
I think I will experiment with 1 pound bag and see if both of them like it. If i do.. I will buy more as times goes on.

@ wellington
My torts eat their spring mix, also some strawberries and the occasional baby tomatoes. Oh and they spend the day grazing in my lawns. I hope they'l enjoy it.

@ mainey34
My gals dont seem to be very picky. Though.. unless the food is green, they have a hard time trying it..

Approx how much should I feed if im mixing it with greens?

What species and size/age have you got?

California Desert Tortoises.
Around... 2-3 years old. A bit bigger than the size of my hand. I could try and measure them tomorrow.

My tortoise ate it the very first day. Now I think it's addicted. I feed it every other day and on the days off it will scratch through the greens looking for Mazuri, then walk away disappointed. I even chopped up some cactus this morning and it just dug through it searching.

The experts here say it's good so I'll trust it. I just question the nutritional benefits of ground soybean hulls and corn, the 2 top ingredients. But if it's trusted by zoos and breeders, it must be good.

My redfoot tommy loves it and yesterday was his first time trying it!

Mazuri is good as a supplement. I feed it once a week and feed leafy greens, grasses, cactus, and flowers for the remainder of the week. I'd be worried about over-relying on the product. Like anything that is mass-produced and highly processed, it's not a good staple. I imagine some zoos may over-use it themselves depending on their budgets, as it is much cheaper to feed Mazuri to a herd of adult tortoises than it is to feed them a better diet of more natural fodder. If I had a tortoise become addicted to Mazuri, I'd likely stop feeding Mazuri for a month or longer to get her to start eating natural foods again.

I might recommend steering clear of strawberries and tomatoes. Neither are really suited for a CDT's diet. I'm sure you've done your homework and seen this already, but below is an article on CDT care, including a good section on various foods that are good for them:

http://www.tortoise.org/general/descare.html

:-)

Seems like everyone's in favor of it. Hope my torts enjoy xD
Does anyone know of a reputable site that sells for a good price?

No on strawberries and tomatoes? The previous owner told me that was okay but a lot of the info they gave me was off ... Thanks ^^
Absolutely no strawberries and baby tomatoes or once in a while is okay?

Where can you get mazuri from?

some users on here sell it (http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-5754...AgaBgl2I), feed stores, reptile shows, tortoisesupply.com, arizonatortoisecompound.com......

Avarice29 Wrote:@ blackbird
I think I will experiment with 1 pound bag and see if both of them like it. If i do.. I will buy more as times goes on.

@ wellington
My torts eat their spring mix, also some strawberries and the occasional baby tomatoes. Oh and they spend the day grazing in my lawns. I hope they'l enjoy it.

@ mainey34
My gals dont seem to be very picky. Though.. unless the food is green, they have a hard time trying it..

Approx how much should I feed if im mixing it with greens?

I feed about 5 or 6 pellets soaked in water until it swells up and gets mushy, only a few minutes ...I chop up greens and mix it all together.

You can buy it directly from Mazuri.com or from someone here on the forum, or amazon.

The mazuri I bought came today...
Since its the first time... Didn't know what to expect so...
I added warm water and it became mushy. That I mixed it with some spring mix. One of my torts dug in, the other tried to eat the ones with no mazuri. Is this normal? Should I continue until they both eat it no problem?

This might be off topic but... My small dog ate what was left of the mazuri. Is it harmful to her? I won't give it to her as her new source of dog food of course, but should I be concerned that she ate some?