apples?

[Dragour the tortoise king]

Can i give my russian tortoise apples

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Fruits are generally too high in sugar for torts digestive systems to manage.

This is an up to date caresheet which will help you with all aspects of care

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

If you post pics of your tort and his enclosure you'll get great advice to make sure he has the best home to keep him happy and healthy

 

[Maggie3fan]

Can i give my russian tortoise apples

You can give a tortoise anything you want, but a steady diet with the sugar in fruit will cause a sick and unhealthy tortoise. If you want to offer a treat give him a couple slices, and not more and not daily or weekly. Their kidneys cannot process sugar the way we do. So too much fruit is bad, a little treat is ok

 

[MEEJogja]

Apples have a higher sugar content than a lot of fruit. It seems like an odd choice seeing as we're always being told to watch our torts sugar intake. I would go for a fruit which gives more bang for it's buck - high fiber and low sugar. Papaya is a favourite of mine.

 

[Yvonne G]

Apples have a higher sugar content than a lot of fruit. It seems like an odd choice seeing as we're always being told to watch our torts sugar intake. I would go for a fruit which gives more bang for it's buck - high fiber and low sugar. Papaya is a favourite of mine.

No, Russian tortoises should not be given fruit.

 

[MEEJogja]

No, Russian tortoises should not be given fruit.

My bad, I should stick to the forest tortoise section ?

 

[KarenSoCal]

I think I remember learning that apple seeds are toxic, so be very careful he doesn't get any of those.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I think I remember learning that apple seeds are toxic, so be very careful he doesn't get any of those.

Thanks for mentioning that.
Redfoot and Yellowfoot can process sugars. But if I feed apples (pretty rare) I core them.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I think I remember learning that apple seeds are toxic, so be very careful he doesn't get any of those.

The key word here is ‘high does’ ( but who knows how many that is... )

Apple seeds, however, contain a plant compound called amygdalin, which can have a toxic effect. ... It is harmless when a seed is intact, but when a seed is chewed or otherwise damaged, the amygdalin degrades into hydrogen cyanide. This is very poisonous and even lethal in high doses.

Some more info......

Most apple cores contain around 5 apple seeds. However, this amount will vary based on the health of the plant. You would need to finely chew and eat about 200 apple seeds, or about 40 apple cores, to receive a fatal dose.

 

[KarenSoCal]

You would need to finely chew and eat about 200 apple seeds, or about 40 apple cores, to receive a fatal dose.

Well, I guess I'm not going to succumb to apple seed poisoning then. But I still wouldn't chance it with a tortoise! If nothing else, he would get sick enough to scare a keeper nearly to death, and the keeper might never know what happened.

Nope...I don't need that kind of excitement!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Thanks for mentioning that.
Redfoot and Yellowfoot can process sugars. But if I feed apples (pretty rare) I core them.

I don't know where I picked up that bit of info. One of those tidbits that we snag along the way and stuff into the corner of our memories. Like don't mix ammonia and bleach.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Well, I guess I'm not going to succumb to apple seed poisoning then. But I still wouldn't chance it with a tortoise! If nothing else, he would get sick enough to scare a keeper nearly to death, and the keeper might never know what happened.

Nope...I don't need that kind of excitement!

Or, just core the apple. ?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I imagine that ratio would be smaller for a 2 pound tortoise.