Cat food for protein

Druddy1985

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Windermere
Hey all, I've seen a lot of suggestions for using low fat dry cat food as a source of protein for picky eaters. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding the use of wet cat food? There are multiple choices for natural and organic chicken or fish wet cat food and was just wondering if that would be a bad choice.

Thanks in advance.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
There are better choices. I use the juice off a can of wet cat food to scent greens, but I don't feed them the actual cat food.
 

Druddy1985

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Windermere
There are better choices. I use the juice off a can of wet cat food to scent greens, but I don't feed them the actual cat food.

I agree there are many better options out there, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Toki seems to hate any protein I attempt to give him (chicken, ground beef, eggs).
 

Rachel337

New Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
Alberta, Canada.
Yea I think a high quality wet cat food is okay if they eat it. Have you tried shrimp? Mine loves boiled shrimp, she gets most of her protein from cat food she finds on the floor lol and she's thriving.
 

Druddy1985

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Windermere
Thank you all for the replies. I actually had a success story today. I mixed in some sweet potato baby food with ground beef and he ate it all up! Looks like I won't have to resort to cat food after all
 

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,120
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
What species of tortoise is Toki? He should just be fed the correct diet for the species. I have redfoots and they eat a huge variety of recommended food as well as a weekly much enjoyed handful of dry dog food, sardines or boiled egg with the shell.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,939
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
This is a Redfoot, Yellowfoot or a Box turtle were talking about?
I feed high quality dog food every now and again.
Try a few boiled shrimp.
The person at the grocery store LOVES when I ask for 3 shrimp.
Dog and cat food is ok for once in a while feeding.
 

Druddy1985

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Windermere
He is a redfoot hatchling
What species of tortoise is Toki? He should just be fed the correct diet for the species. I have redfoots and they eat a huge variety of recommended food as well as a weekly much enjoyed handful of dry dog food, sardines or boiled egg with the shell.

He's a redfoot hatchling
 

Kapidolo Farms

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
5,173
Location (City and/or State)
South of Southern California, but not Mexico
One of the contributors to this section @Redfoot NERD advocates not offering protein sources for several (6) months. I believe this is so the gut flora can get well established, but don't frankly recall his specific reason why to wait. I have followed this plan, and now offer, no grain, organic cat food kibbles. The frequency is almost daily, but a very small amount. It is whatever my cat did not eat from the day before. One teaspoon to about 1/4 cup (cats!). It is tumbled in with all the greens and other food items, they know it will be there and plow their face through the food seeking it, but end up eating all the food offered.

here they are at about 18 months of age.
 

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,120
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
One of the contributors to this section @Redfoot NERD advocates not offering protein sources for several (6) months. I believe this is so the gut flora can get well established, but don't frankly recall his specific reason why to wait. I have followed this plan, and now offer, no grain, organic cat food kibbles. The frequency is almost daily, but a very small amount. It is whatever my cat did not eat from the day before. One teaspoon to about 1/4 cup (cats!). It is tumbled in with all the greens and other food items, they know it will be there and plow their face through the food seeking it, but end up eating all the food offered.

here they are at about 18 months of age.
They look wonderful and healthy! Big appetites.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,939
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
One of the contributors to this section @Redfoot NERD advocates not offering protein sources for several (6) months. I believe this is so the gut flora can get well established, but don't frankly recall his specific reason why to wait. I have followed this plan, and now offer, no grain, organic cat food kibbles. The frequency is almost daily, but a very small amount. It is whatever my cat did not eat from the day before. One teaspoon to about 1/4 cup (cats!). It is tumbled in with all the greens and other food items, they know it will be there and plow their face through the food seeking it, but end up eating all the food offered.

here they are at about 18 months of age.
I do agree.
It's also what Craig @Anyfoot has found to work best
 

C. Nelson

Active Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
135
Location (City and/or State)
Grand Junction, CO
One of the contributors to this section @Redfoot NERD advocates not offering protein sources for several (6) months. I believe this is so the gut flora can get well established, but don't frankly recall his specific reason why to wait. I have followed this plan, and now offer, no grain, organic cat food kibbles. The frequency is almost daily, but a very small amount. It is whatever my cat did not eat from the day before. One teaspoon to about 1/4 cup (cats!). It is tumbled in with all the greens and other food items, they know it will be there and plow their face through the food seeking it, but end up eating all the food offered.

here they are at about 18 months of age.

I love how you leave their fate to the cat, i.e., "whatever my cat did not eat from the day before." : )
 

Druddy1985

New Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Windermere
Bit of an update;

He ate the heck out of some ground beef two days ago. I squeezed some fig juice on it and he went to town. I did notice he seemed a bit sluggish after, barely ate the next day, and went back to eating his normal amount today. He did the same thing last month when he was fed eggs for the first time, but he went about three days refusing food. So maybe the advice on here regarding not feeding protein for the first six months is something I should stick by moving forward.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,939
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Bit of an update;

He ate the heck out of some ground beef two days ago. I squeezed some fig juice on it and he went to town. I did notice he seemed a bit sluggish after, barely ate the next day, and went back to eating his normal amount today. He did the same thing last month when he was fed eggs for the first time, but he went about three days refusing food. So maybe the advice on here regarding not feeding protein for the first six months is something I should stick by moving forward.
Anytime they gorge themselves, they'll slow down a bit.
Especially if it's hot.
Just like us
 

William Lee Kohler

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2015
Messages
879
Location (City and/or State)
Eugene, OR
I have Redfoots and Hingebacks and have used canned cat food added to normal vegetable fare once or twice a week since the 80s. Some love it some few don't. It provides much better concentrated food value than the vegetable stuff my picky eaters will accept. Both these tortoises normally eat protein in nature including carrion. When protein based Purina Monkey chow was available I used this instead for my Redfoot.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
Try giving him earthworms or other caterpillars. My Redfoot adores earthworms

I worry about earthworms because mostly around here (absent digging them up) it means using bait worms which have been fed horrible things which I'd be passing along to my tortoise.

Jamie
 

Toddrickfl1

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
7,103
Location (City and/or State)
Ga
I worry about earthworms because mostly around here (absent digging them up) it means using bait worms which have been fed horrible things which I'd be passing along to my tortoise.

Jamie
Try tilling or loosening the dirt in a small section of your yard, like 2ft x 2ft. Then sprinkle coffee grounds on top of it and spray it with water daily. Cover it up with something like a piece of wood or garbage can lid. In a few days when you lift it you should have an endless supply of Earthworms.
 

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,120
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
I worry about earthworms because mostly around here (absent digging them up) it means using bait worms which have been fed horrible things which I'd be passing along to my tortoise.

Jamie
I am curious - what are the "horrible things" that the bait worms are fed? (....braces herself....)
 
Top