Russian Tortoise Eating Parrot Pellets

[Lindsay79]

Hey Everyone,

I have a sweet Russian Tortoise that can roam the house a few hours a day and I also have two messy parrots.

I noticed that my Russian Tortie likes to hang out underneath the parrots playstands and eats a little bit of the fallen pellets every so often.

Just to be clear....he gets a diet 99% of the time that is filled with greens, veggies and other tortie approved yummies.

But I was wondering if the small amount of these pellets every so often is ok for him.

The ingredients are:
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Oranges, Apples, Calcium carbonate, Dicalcium phosphate, Grapes, Bananas, Iodized salt, Natural flavors, DL-Methionine, Choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, Niacin supplement, Biotin, d-Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin supplement, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin A acetate, Vitamin D3 supplement, Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 supplement, Folic acid), Citric acid (preservative), Mixed tocopherols (preservative), Yellow 5, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Red 40, Yellow 6, Minerals (Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Sodium selenite, Calcium iodate), Color added, Blue 1, Red 3

Thank you!

 

[Maggie3fan]

No, parrot food is not good for tortoises, he's most likely eating bird poop as well...and allowing him to roam your floor is the biggest no no there is...almost. There are so many heartbreaking stories we hear here. The floor is too cold for a tortoise. He's eating dust bunnies, and cat hair and your hair, buttons, paper clips, ad infinitum. The story that affected me the most was a newcomer who had a small Sulcata and because she didn't have a yard he roamed the floor. we warned her and she says and I quote..." I watch him really good"...but she didn't see him one day until she closed the door on his head...crushed...dead...Keep your Russian up off the floor

 

[Tom]

Hey Everyone,

I have a sweet Russian Tortoise that can roam the house a few hours a day and I also have two messy parrots.

I noticed that my Russian Tortie likes to hang out underneath the parrots playstands and eats a little bit of the fallen pellets every so often.

Just to be clear....he gets a diet 99% of the time that is filled with greens, veggies and other tortie approved yummies.

But I was wondering if the small amount of these pellets every so often is ok for him.

The ingredients are:
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Oranges, Apples, Calcium carbonate, Dicalcium phosphate, Grapes, Bananas, Iodized salt, Natural flavors, DL-Methionine, Choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, Niacin supplement, Biotin, d-Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin supplement, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin A acetate, Vitamin D3 supplement, Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 supplement, Folic acid), Citric acid (preservative), Mixed tocopherols (preservative), Yellow 5, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Red 40, Yellow 6, Minerals (Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Sodium selenite, Calcium iodate), Color added, Blue 1, Red 3

Thank you!

I agree with Maggie. Tortoises should never be loose on the floor. It is not safe, and it can't be made safe no mater how close you intend to supervise. We just had a case here last week of a tortoise that had eaten a pair of earrings and a coin. It will probably need surgery, and it very well might die. We see so many of these every year. Smashed heads, broken bones from being kicked or stepped on, respiratory infections from the cold, splayed legs from the slick surfaces, escapes (people leave the door open "just for a second"...), dog maulings, and ingestion of inappropriate things.

Keep your tortoise in its enclosure. If the enclosure is too small, make it bigger.

A small amount of parrot pellets won't kill your tortoise.