How much to Feed

smarch

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Recently my adult Russian Tort Franklin has been eating all his "breakfast" and then when I get home at night he hears me and sits at his food dish and stares, Wednesday I fed him "dinner" (usually he dot his one meal and that was that) but he ate most of that too. Each is a handful of spring mix (winter foods since all the weeds outside are dead, moldy or bug nibbled. He gets variety but when I get spring mix that is "variety" of greens so that's the mix he gets when I'm on that in the rotation) should I be feeding him more since he wants it? I don't want to be starving him and if he was outside he could eat as much as he wanted, but I also don't want to make him fat... or will he poop out all the stuff he doesn't need?

Just a note: he doesn't hibernate (too many risks to me),and this is going to be winter #3 with me and he's never showed the slow down signs others do, so this isn't related to that.
 

phebe121

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I feed my leopards as much as they want and can eat they are small and i give them 4 to 5 cups of food a day if hes hungry id give.him food
 

smarch

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I feed my leopards as much as they want and can eat they are small and i give them 4 to 5 cups of food a day if hes hungry id give.him food
I just worry because of the "Russians are always hungry lil piggies" thing I've heard before, but I think i'd rather have him big and fed than starving! Its just my cat begs for food and he had to be put on a diet for getting obese so I don't want to be one of those who loves their pet by giving too much food... or if that even happens to torts if fed the right foods
 

lismar79

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I also feed mine as they eat it. I offer fresh food twice a day & adjust the proportions as they eat it.
 

phebe121

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I dont think there like cats and dogs where thet eat all the time i think there grazers a little here a little there id ajust his food to where he mite just leave a tad bit on the plate
 

smarch

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I dont think there like cats and dogs where thet eat all the time i think there grazers a little here a little there id ajust his food to where he mite just leave a tad bit on the plate
With him and his messy eating food ends up everywhere but his plate by the end lol, but I know what you mean. I've caught him munching on crunchy day-old/cooked greens because they were there... those times I did feed him right after since if he's hungry enough to munch a dead green he clearly needs some fresh food. I'll start feeding more and more often.

I never connected the fact that he's a grazer and that explains his eat a bunch then run a lap or 2 much a little run more and much some more. I just never really thought about it.
 

phebe121

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Mine to i have to pick up the food all over the enclosure in the morning from one end of the enclosure to the other end i font knoe.how.they do it lol
 

Yvonne G

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At the end of the day, when I turn off the lights and close the doors, if the feeding station is completely cleaned up, I make a mental note to offer that particular tortoise more food the following day. If there is a lot of left-over food at the feeding station, I note to give that area less food the following day.
 

smarch

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Mine to i have to pick up the food all over the enclosure in the morning from one end of the enclosure to the other end i font knoe.how.they do it lol
My guy mostly just throws food around his plate although if food does end up far away it ends up in his water in the opposite side of his enclosure... I call it "turtle soup" because I mean he did make it. :p
 

smarch

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At the end of the day, when I turn off the lights and close the doors, if the feeding station is completely cleaned up, I make a mental note to offer that particular tortoise more food the following day. If there is a lot of left-over food at the feeding station, I note to give that area less food the following day.
Sometimes if I don't wake up early enough for Nank (like weekends when I sleep till 9 or 10.. or sometimes waayyyy to late) he'll start munching on the crispy remains of the day before since I clean the plate when I feed the next morning. One time he was being tortoise-sat by my ex while I was on vacation and she kept him in her room and she really likes to sleep in, so sometime around 8 she woke up to "crunch, crunch" lol when its his food time he eats, even if his lights don't say "morning".
So I like to make sure at least some is left in case he needs a midnight snack
 

Tom

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Bug nibbled weeds are still good to feed. It means they have no pesticides on them.

If you will be feeding grocery store foods all winter you will need to "amend" them with some shredded grass hay or "herbal salad". Not enough fiber and calcium in typical grocery store greens. When you restrict their food intake, you create a "mental hunger" where they always feel like they need to gorge since its going to run out and they will be hungry all the time. When you let them graze freely as much as they want, they actually eat less after an initial satiation period.

The risks that you have read about for hibernation are from people not doing it correctly. Done right, there is no more risk than keeping them up all winter, and its better for them in my opinion. Just something to consider.
 

smarch

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Bug nibbled weeds are still good to feed. It means they have no pesticides on them.

If you will be feeding grocery store foods all winter you will need to "amend" them with some shredded grass hay or "herbal salad". Not enough fiber and calcium in typical grocery store greens. When you restrict their food intake, you create a "mental hunger" where they always feel like they need to gorge since its going to run out and they will be hungry all the time. When you let them graze freely as much as they want, they actually eat less after an initial satiation period.

The risks that you have read about for hibernation are from people not doing it correctly. Done right, there is no more risk than keeping them up all winter, and its better for them in my opinion. Just something to consider.
Yeah all our stuff is pesticide free since my dad knows I have Nank who eats the grass and on the side of our yard we have a field for haying for our cows across the street, so they don't want that with pesticide either. I just assumed the weeds that were nibbled weren't good because of the nibbles and maybe "bug germs" or something, that's just me being over-cautious I guess.

So more food instead of one feeding is good? So he'll have food to eat all the time so he wont eat it up all at once?

I supplement with zoomed grassland tort food hiding in greens in the winter, that's what dot him through my last 2, but this year i'm getting Mazuri soon as well and have been looking into multi-vitamin things although with those I feel its just covering the problem. I plan to start growing dandelion and clover seeds I have on our all season porch and see if they grow so he could have those just like they'd be outside in the summer, since in less than a month the grass may be gone and dead under snow, and as it is already its yellowing out, and I cant feed that.

And hibernation I know if done right isn't risky, but its such a delicate thing its intimidating. He's also never even showed signs he knows its winter. If he did and it was a fight to keep him up I'd be considering it. Then there's my selfish reason where he came into my life because of my depression and his presence calms me and he actually listens to me when I talk (even if he cant understand) I may decide to hibernate when I get older and have my own place (I doubt my parent would be cool with the refrigerator hibernating). I know I'd get all the info here on how to keep him safe, its just still frightening right now.
 

Tom

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"Bug germs" have never been a problem for me. In fact bug nibbles is one of my tests when I'm out scrounging foods. If I come across a big beautiful weed patch, and all the stems and leaves are perfect and pristine, I just pass right on by. The only reason for a weed patch like that to not be infested with caterpillars, aphids, spiders and lots of other bugs would be pesticides.

I like to do the food pile like Yvonne was describing. I put out a big honkin' pile. At the end of the day, I want to see just a few scraps left over here and there. I don't want to waste any food, but if its all gone with not a scrap anywhere, I know I need to give a little more the next day.

Dandelion and clover are both good, but a weed seed mix will serve you better as it gives more variety. Lots of people offer these mixes for sale, but I have seen none that compare to this one from Tyler: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix It is the best I've found. It now makes up about 25% of my tortoises diets for about 7 or 8 months a year. Wild weeds and grasses make up the rest during our rainy months. Just make sure you are offering lots of variety.

I understand your trepidation about hibernation. I've seen the horror stories too. But all of those are due to simple human error. Its not delicate or difficult at all. Its no harder than setting up a new tortoise. Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to talk you into it. You don't ever have to do it. Just don't let fear of the unknown be the reason you decide not to do it. If you want your tortoise up all winter for purely selfish reasons, I have no problem with that, and history has shown me that it won't harm your tortoise. Its just my preference to give them what they would naturally be doing in the wild, but in a safe way that suits our artificial captive environments.
 

smarch

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"Bug germs" have never been a problem for me. In fact bug nibbles is one of my tests when I'm out scrounging foods. If I come across a big beautiful weed patch, and all the stems and leaves are perfect and pristine, I just pass right on by. The only reason for a weed patch like that to not be infested with caterpillars, aphids, spiders and lots of other bugs would be pesticides.

I like to do the food pile like Yvonne was describing. I put out a big honkin' pile. At the end of the day, I want to see just a few scraps left over here and there. I don't want to waste any food, but if its all gone with not a scrap anywhere, I know I need to give a little more the next day.

Dandelion and clover are both good, but a weed seed mix will serve you better as it gives more variety. Lots of people offer these mixes for sale, but I have seen none that compare to this one from Tyler: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix It is the best I've found. It now makes up about 25% of my tortoises diets for about 7 or 8 months a year. Wild weeds and grasses make up the rest during our rainy months. Just make sure you are offering lots of variety.

I understand your trepidation about hibernation. I've seen the horror stories too. But all of those are due to simple human error. Its not delicate or difficult at all. Its no harder than setting up a new tortoise. Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to talk you into it. You don't ever have to do it. Just don't let fear of the unknown be the reason you decide not to do it. If you want your tortoise up all winter for purely selfish reasons, I have no problem with that, and history has shown me that it won't harm your tortoise. Its just my preference to give them what they would naturally be doing in the wild, but in a safe way that suits our artificial captive environments.
The darn bugs are what literally ate ALL my kale plants as fall came, I guess my logic was if I wouldn't eat bug left overs then I shouldn't expect Nank to, I'm now realizing that's kind of silly. I'll really start the food pile tomorrow since he's already been fed today and i'm at work now, but i'll put in a second pile tonight to feed.
I have plans for the seed mix in the future, basically i'm using this winter to find out how well things will grow on the porch in cold months, since I've never tried it before and the seeds I have are home picked and free.

I know you're not trying to talk me into it, and I like having the facts. Right now its the selfish reasons and also not having a place to safely do it since I still live with the parents so its like hes an animal he aint going in the fridge with our food even all boxed up and they don't want me running my own fridge due to power (although having tort lights off probably equals to mini fridge in the winter power-wise). So when I have a place I'll probably start considering it more since it would actually be an option. Then we can debate about it, because you're good at giving the facts through experience. Right now my logic is its not shown harm to keep him awake and he doesn't fight it (for being a WC tort he sure doesn't follow traditional behaviors!) I'm torn dead in the middle of the hibernation debate between it being biological and natural to hibernate or it being because of conditions, mostly because the "they slow down anyways" part doesn't apply to my guy, if in the future another Russian I get slows down and wants to I wouldn't fight it and would do it, I'd say that's my biggest thing for not thinking to hibernate him right now, he doesn't start on his own.
 

Tom

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The darn bugs are what literally ate ALL my kale plants as fall came,

HA! Mine too. We get these little green caterpillars. They are the main culprit. I smoosh so many of those plant destroying critters...


I totally understand your reasoning for keeping him up all winter. In your situation I think its the right call, especially since this is your pet, he's not trying to do it on his own, and you derive so much joy from your daily interaction with him.

I think you are right about the energy consumption of a mini-fridge in winter being similar to a heat lamp. That's a good argument that I'd never thought of.

If ever you do decide to hibernate you know all your forum friends will be here to walk you through it. :)
 

smarch

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HA! Mine too. We get these little green caterpillars. They are the main culprit. I smoosh so many of those plant destroying critters...


I totally understand your reasoning for keeping him up all winter. In your situation I think its the right call, especially since this is your pet, he's not trying to do it on his own, and you derive so much joy from your daily interaction with him.

I think you are right about the energy consumption of a mini-fridge in winter being similar to a heat lamp. That's a good argument that I'd never thought of.

If ever you do decide to hibernate you know all your forum friends will be here to walk you through it. :)
These weren't the green caterpillars, those do attack our tomatoes and we squish them, but i think it was a combination of aphids and what we call Japanese Beatles. That's my guess since I never saw the caterpillars on the kale but I had seen the others on it.

And of course I'd come here and rely on all my forum friends to walk me through if when the situation makes it possible I decide to do it. At this point there's no other place I'd trust unless people referred me to it.
 
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