In one of the study's I ran across grasses accounted for 14% of the scat by weight in the wild in 80% of the animals surveyed but no one seems to feed it? Is their something I'm missing or do they not like it? I plan to feed fresh fruits vegetables,leafy greens and weeds as well as the weekly carnivorous treat but ordered a bag of grazing mix specifically for the roughage and more then that to slow their growth. I have read about how rapid growth can cause pyramiding and plan to use grasses for roughly fifteen percent of the diet as it is low sugar and protein (excluding Timothy hay).
Why don't more caresheets recommend grass for red foots
- Thread starter Andy27012
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Interesting question!
I let my redfoot graze on our lawn in summer. She then mainly eats clovers and dandelions, but no so much grass. I also tried to feed freshly cut grass but she didn't really eat it and it made quite a mess with all the small particles
I can also imagine the South American jungle grass is different from our European lawn grass...
I let my redfoot graze on our lawn in summer. She then mainly eats clovers and dandelions, but no so much grass. I also tried to feed freshly cut grass but she didn't really eat it and it made quite a mess with all the small particles
I can also imagine the South American jungle grass is different from our European lawn grass...
First of all, your notion that food causes pyramiding is not correct. Pyramiding is caused by keeping a baby tortoise too dry during his first year.
RF tortoises really don't graze much on grass. They might nibble on the newest blades, but not older, established grasses. They lean more towards the broad-leaf plants and weeds. There's nothing wrong with feed them grass if they'll eat it, it's just not something they search out.
Tortoise Library
This is from the above mentioned Tortoise Library, written by Mark Adkins:
RF tortoises eat:
RF tortoises really don't graze much on grass. They might nibble on the newest blades, but not older, established grasses. They lean more towards the broad-leaf plants and weeds. There's nothing wrong with feed them grass if they'll eat it, it's just not something they search out.
Tortoise Library
This is from the above mentioned Tortoise Library, written by Mark Adkins:
RF tortoises eat:
- Plant materials can be most lettuces, greens,
flowers, mushrooms, hays, grasses, leaves or flowers of edible plants
such as hibiscus, and leaves of fruit trees such as mulberry. Avoid
using only a few items over and over, especially things like spinach,
cabbage, and Iceberg lettuces. - Vegetables and fruits can
include shredded carrot, squash, pumpkin, bell pepper, apples,
kiwifruit, etc. Some very good options are figs and papaya. Keep
bananas, grapes, and citrus to a minimum. This should only be about 20%
of the diet or so. - Meats should be about 10% or less of the
diet. Live bugs and worms, snails and slugs, lightly cooked eggs,
chicken, ‘oily fish’ (salmon, mackerel, etc.), dog or cat food and so
on.
The Vinkes and Vetters have a great book where they document wild footed tortoise diets and argue for including more grasses in footed diets. I do think there are important differences in the kinds of grasses they'd have access to in the wild and what most keepers in the USA or Europe have access too though. Still, as part of a varied diet, including grass doesn't seem like a bad idea.
An old post discussed this is better detail: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/vinke-vetter-red-foot-diet.6994/
An old post discussed this is better detail: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/vinke-vetter-red-foot-diet.6994/
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
She is ADORABLE!!!!
Our adults eat grass from time to time, I've seen them reaching for the grass seeds that is growing too.
The hatchlings seem to be interested in new sprouting grass and bird seed(millet).
But they are not grazers. You watch a sulcata eat grass and you'll see what grazing is. They eat it like cows do, it's none stop munch munch munch.
My redfoots will pick at it from time to time and eat it whilst getting to weeds and clover.
When indoors if I offer any other food with grass they ignore the grass, if I only offer grass they will eat it for a bit.
Rubbish pictures, but here I only offer grass.
I agree humidity is a critical variable for whether a tortoise develops pyramiding. However, in my experience I have yet to see one variable responsible for an observed phenomenon. A few other explanatory variables come to mind when I think of pyramiding - diet, genetics, humidity, and UVB exposure are a handful. Not trying to instigate here, I just think it's a complicated process that can result from more than one misalignment in optimal husbandry conditions.
Check the publication date of the information being cited that states, "rapid growth can cause pyramiding" in tortoises. These are outdated ideas that are continuing to be spread on the World-Wide-Internet-Machine.
As Yvonne has stated, the excepted and proven cause of pyramiding in tortoises is attributed to a lack of moisture during the early years and beyond of a tortoise. In the past, a high protein diet was the listed cause of pyramiding which, if followed, produced malnutrition in many tortoises and box turtles alike.
All of that said, I'm sorry I can't help you with your threads question. I lack any straight-up experience with red/yellow foots. If I were to get one, I'd come here for advice.
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My tortoises live outdoors in a pen and I let them out into my yard every now and again. They will walk a lot but just eat a few choice weeds and select grasses. They are not grazing lawnmowers.
In fact, any grass that I have planted inside my pens is more likely to be trampled on than eaten.
In fact, any grass that I have planted inside my pens is more likely to be trampled on than eaten.
