cheese?

[jojodesca]

Someone told my cousin (who is holding by ttbt until friday for me) to feed him cheese....now I wouldn't think that is ok...but I am not an expert...how would they find cheese in nature?....have you ever heard such a thing?

she said she gave him some (before i knew) but he didnt touch it..I told her "Don't give him cheese"....was I wrong?

 

[dmmj]

Dairy in general is not a good choice, you did well. I know some people give sick tortoises yogurt for the probiotics, but it is not a practice I do.

 

[Jacqui]

Sounds kinda cheesy to me....

 

[dmmj]

Sounds kinda cheesy to me....

That's my line.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I say no to any dairy products. I once had a guy tell me that he was feeding his desert tortoise cottage cheese for the calcium! I think that's where this misconception comes from - the need for turtles/tortoises to have calcium. He and I had to have a little educational talk about desert tortoises after that!

 

[pryncesssc]

I'm pretty sure in all of the books I read , they all said NO dairy at all , which makes sense because turtles might not have an enzyme to break down lactose like humans do just a guess ..

 

[Jacqui]

Sounds kinda cheesy to me....

That's my line.

It was mine first! *hugs* You get to deliver the next pun line, okay?

 

[jojodesca]

I just read about the enzyme too...yeah turtles can not break down dairy and should never have it.......My cousin said she wont do that again..She is only keeping him for a week and she is all panicked in what to buy him...I said "don't have to get so fancy in just one week, if you are eating a banana give him some..if your eating veggies give him some (raw) just don't give him cheese or citrus...and he will be fine...of course worms"

 

[dmarcus]

Yep tell her not to make it to complicated on herself..

 

[pryncesssc]

I just read about the enzyme too...yeah turtles can not break down dairy and should never have it.......My cousin said she wont do that again..She is only keeping him for a week and she is all panicked in what to buy him...I said "don't have to get so fancy in just one week, if you are eating a banana give him some..if your eating veggies give him some (raw) just don't give him cheese or citrus...and he will be fine...of course worms"

Why no citrus ? I heard that's good for them

 

[kimber_lee_314]

As in understand it, citrus may be too acidic for turtles. I feed mine oranges occasionally with no issues though.

 

[jojodesca]

No citrus is a personal choice for me. I just think the acidity is too much for them. A lot of people DO feed their turtles citrus. It is also listed on diet sheets. Although I will not count it totally out if I hear that other Box turtle owners feed it and have had good results.....

 

[turtlemann2]

i also dont feed citrus parsay but a spritz or drizzle of an orange on top wont hurt kinda like blackberry drippings lol its like a dressing

 

[Jacqui]

While I don't buy oranges for my tortoises/turtles, if we have some nobody is going to eat, rather then toss it I do feed it to them.

 

[Madkins007]

Dairy/cheese: Remember- humans are the ONLY animal on Earth that drinks milk past infanthood, and the only species to use the milk of other species. Baby mammals should get milk appropriate to their species, but no other animals need milk, nor can they digest it. Even cats really don't do well with milk.

Cheese is a bit safer and healthier than milk, but no animals really need it and reptiles cannot digest it.

Orange/citrus: You often read that it is too acidic, but that does not really seem to be based on any facts or research. Naval oranges have a decent calcium load, and offer several useful nutrients. They seem perfectly safe AS AN OPCCASIONAL PART OF A VARIED, BALANCED DIET for species that can handle fruits, and many torts will even enjoy the rind.

 

[pryncesssc]

Dairy/cheese: Remember- humans are the ONLY animal on Earth that drinks milk past infanthood, and the only species to use the milk of other species. Baby mammals should get milk appropriate to their species, but no other animals need milk, nor can they digest it. Even cats really don't do well with milk.

Cheese is a bit safer and healthier than milk, but no animals really need it and reptiles cannot digest it.

Orange/citrus: You often read that it is too acidic, but that does not really seem to be based on any facts or research. Naval oranges have a decent calcium load, and offer several useful nutrients. They seem perfectly safe AS AN OPCCASIONAL PART OF A VARIED, BALANCED DIET for species that can handle fruits, and many torts will even enjoy the rind.

Cats get liver disease if they drink milk . It's horrible for them !

 

[Madkins007]

Cats are lactose intolerant- they simply cannot digest the milk properly and it affects several systems in their bodies. Almost all animals are lactose intolerant and cannot properly digest dairy products (although the processing that cheese and yogurt go through make them a bit safer.)

(Note- this does not mean that they don't crave milk! After all, it is an interesting combination of sugars and fats- things most animals crave! it is just a really bad way to provide it.)

Even many humans are lactose intolerant and cannot handle dairy. In fact, this is thought to be a sign of evolution in action- Homo sapiens developing the ability to digest milk as an adult. The entire modern dairy industry may be a monument to evolution!

 

[foxboysracing]

I have on occasion fed parts of an orange in the summer to my turtles with no ill effects. I also tried grapefruit once and it was a hit for a few of my boxies. They did seem to enjoy it too.

 

[turtlemann2]

eww yuck grape fruit...

 

[dmmj]

eww yuck grape fruit...

I second that.