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Is it okay for my Russian tortoise to eat a boiled egg and/or eggshell? I've got some boiled ones in the fridge but I'll hold off until I get some responses. 
Quick boiled egg question
- Thread starter GingerLove
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http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/boiled-eggs.42585/
So I would say no, myself.
It certainly doesn't need it, but it wouldn't kill it.
So I would say no, myself.
It certainly doesn't need it, but it wouldn't kill it.
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Well I guess I'll have the outlying POV.
Russians in the wild tend to eat higher protein greens than many testudo type tortoises, but also they have the shortest activity period of most of the testudo.
I use hard-boiled egg with everyone, Egyptians, pancakes, etc. everyone. But very sparingly at that. After all they came from eggs, right?
So what amount or ratio? One hard-boiled mixed in with five to six heads of greens about every month.
and I don't hard-boil them in a traditional way. I rinse a small microwave dish with fresh water and leave about a tablespoon or so water in the dish. I crack open the egg and hand scramble it with a fork and microwave it for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
The water in the bowl first tends to make the egg not stick to the bowl, the water scrambled in tends to make them liter and fluffy-er. I them toss the egg onto a cutting board and mash the now pancake like thing of egg with a fork so it becomes very small bits and toss it into the salad.
If you have just one or two maybe a slice of an egg mashed and mixed once a month would be okay. I've done this with russians when I had russians.
I consider it to be like that occasional bunch of aphids they may come across or a leaf worm caterpillar, but more balanced and less parasite potential.
Russians in the wild tend to eat higher protein greens than many testudo type tortoises, but also they have the shortest activity period of most of the testudo.
I use hard-boiled egg with everyone, Egyptians, pancakes, etc. everyone. But very sparingly at that. After all they came from eggs, right?
So what amount or ratio? One hard-boiled mixed in with five to six heads of greens about every month.
and I don't hard-boil them in a traditional way. I rinse a small microwave dish with fresh water and leave about a tablespoon or so water in the dish. I crack open the egg and hand scramble it with a fork and microwave it for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
The water in the bowl first tends to make the egg not stick to the bowl, the water scrambled in tends to make them liter and fluffy-er. I them toss the egg onto a cutting board and mash the now pancake like thing of egg with a fork so it becomes very small bits and toss it into the salad.
If you have just one or two maybe a slice of an egg mashed and mixed once a month would be okay. I've done this with russians when I had russians.
I consider it to be like that occasional bunch of aphids they may come across or a leaf worm caterpillar, but more balanced and less parasite potential.
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Wow! Thank you everyone! Such great answers. Ginger hasn't been eating much at all lately. Only things like a piece of romaine lettuce. It's been almost four days since she's eaten much, but she does like aloe, but I can't give that to her again!! So I wanted to give her something with protein. I think I will give her a very small amount of egg with a bit of eggshell. I'll let you know if she eats it. I'll put it with some greens.
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I have a local friend who keeps quail just for the eggs to feed to a variety of reptiles, including tortoises. Then shell and all as those shells are very thin. Snails are a likely alternative, protein with calcium.
Is it cold back there? Torts, I do know tend to lose appetite in Winter.
Please keep us updated, and good luck to Ginger.
I've seen box turtles in the wild eating killdeer eggs. Those birds lay eggs just about anyway. I found them on the side of my gravel driveway when I lived in the country.
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It's a tad chillier than usual. It's around the fifties. I don't want to hibernate her though because it keeps getting hot again, and I imagine she's never hibernated before and I don't know how she'd do. Thank you for your concern! She ate a bit of kale today. I hope she eats more. Eggs ought to give her some protein. I'm didn't end up feeding it to her today because I'm a little nervous. Maybe I'll give her a bit of the shell tomorrow and see how she does. I wish she'd just poop and start eating!!
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How much egg shell do you think I should feed?
Hi, how's Ginger today? Has she eaten?
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Thanks so much for asking! No, she hasn't eaten today.
She refused breakfast. She usually gets active around three or four, so I'll check if she eats then. I'm going to give her another long soak so that maybe she'll have a BM. Last time it took her an hour to eat a piece of celery, and I just didn't have time this morning. Maybe when I come back I can persuade her. She is still friendly and active during the afternoon, but she seems more sluggish than usual in the mornings lately. It's in the seventies.
Am sorry to hear that.Thanks so much for asking! No, she hasn't eaten today.
Take it easy, or at least try to.She'll hopefully eat when she gets hungry. Oli gets into these "funny" moods too.
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Thanks! Does Oli usually do that in the winter? How long does it take before he eats again? And one last question, do you hibernate him?
Yep, he does when it's cold. He becomes restless and loses appetite.
Now, for example a couple of days ago he just would NOT eat! He drove me crazy, believe me. Today, despite the FREEZING COLD weather, he ate relatively well, thank GOD.Oli only hibernated the first Winter, here. I think - not sure though - that it's the relatively warm weather inside: central heating system, an electric heater, and of course his lamp.
Hope that helps.
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It does! That encourages me greatly! I've only had Ginger for a year, but for the first winter I had her, she did not behave like this, so I was getting worried. I "rescued" Ginger from the pet store, so I'm always afraid a problem might turn up. From the sounds of things, most torts loose their appetite in the winter? That would be such a relief! Ginger sounds like she needs to meet little Oli. They could be stubborn little buddies.
Oh GOD! You cannot imagine how stubborn Oli is!It does! That encourages me greatly! I've only had Ginger for a year, but for the first winter I had her, she did not behave like this, so I was getting worried. I "rescued" Ginger from the pet store, so I'm always afraid a problem might turn up. From the sounds of things, most torts loose their appetite in the winter? That would be such a relief! Ginger sounds like she needs to meet little Oli. They could be stubborn little buddies.
But I love him anyway. I cannot imagine what would happen with two stubborn torts meeting. Glad that you're relieved. And please keep us updated.
Good luck to Ginger!
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Similar to how cuttlebone is fed, that is place it in the enclosure and the tortoise will decide for itself "how much" it needs. Shells from eggs that have been hard boiled tend to decompose, as they are somewhat more fragile, than washed eggs that were not hard boiled. It may get trample to bits as well as consumed.
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