Redfoot juveniles...How much to feed?

[LRBailey]

My new redfoots are both very young. One is 5 1/2 months old and the other 9 months. I read somewhere that you should feed them the amount equal to the size of their head. Is that really enough? Seems like they would be starving.
I'd really like to know how much and how often these guys need to be fed.

 

[Madkins007]

I've been working on a plan to help better describe what they should eat and how much at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/diet.html

Right now, I am playing with the "Two Bowl method". Imagine you have a head-sized bowl, and a shell-sized bowl.

Shell bowl: Fill this loosely with foods that offer calcium, fiber, moisture, and other nutrients but are low in calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Some examples would be most greens and lettuces, cabbage, kale, parsley, Arugula/rocket, summer squash, bell pepper, cucumbers, carrot, mushrooms (offer mushrooms fairly often). Try to offer a mix of high-nutrient foods (like turnip greens) and low-nutrient foods (like leaf lettuce).

Offer most days. Cut back if the weather is cool or hot, or dry, or if the tortoises are less active. Offer the lower-nutrient foods as a snack if the torts are still hungry or after a day of richer foods.

Head bowl: Fill with fruits, meats, bugs, worms, and other foods high in calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. There are a lot of options that work in this bowl.

Offer once or twice a week. Offer it more often to rapidly growing tortoises (roughly 2-6 years old), mating or egg-bearing torts, torts that are especially active, etc.

Snacks: Low-nutrient foods, like leaf lettuce, mushrooms, and live bugs or worms make great snacks and do not have to be limited too much- rather like plain celery sticks for a dieter.


The goal here is to help you learn how much of what kinds of food your tortoise needs. As you get more comfortable and experienced in it, you can change things up and retire the bowls.

 

[LRBailey]

Thanks for the info!