& if so how much can I feed it to them?
Can Russians eat zucchini & bell peppers?
- Thread starter kira
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Yep, they can. You can offer them weekly or so as a part of a varied diet.
Yes, some tortoises absolutely love peppers. You can give zucchini, but make sure it isn't actually cucumber. Ccucumber isn't good.
As part of a very varied diet, those are fine... however, your tortoise doesn't really NEED anything from these. The bell peppers are higher in sugar than many veggies, so can cause parasite blooms in their gut. The zucchini is high in starch and protein, so is not ideal for RTs. The bottom line is, sure, they can be fed occasionally, but why would you want to, since they don't really have nutritional value to an RT?
kira said:
I thought zucchini was good since it is a squash, I wasn't sure how good bell peppers were, but I know some tortoises, my friends Russian for instance, will go nuts for them. Would other peppers be okay, the ones lower in sugar?
Winter squash or any kind of 'colored flesh' type squash would be better than zucchini as a part of a varied diet. Zucchini and summer squash aren't as nutritious, mostly it's water, starch, protein and a few little nutrients... whereas the hard-rind-type squashes are real mineral and vitamin powerhouses, and even have deworming properties. Make sure the squash was grown organically, or that you cut off the rind...
Peppers really aren't good for RTs... they go wild over it because it's sweet, but kids go crazy over candy, too.
Peppers really aren't good for RTs... they go wild over it because it's sweet, but kids go crazy over candy, too.
Spn785 said:
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RE: Can Russians eat zucchini & bell peppers?
I feed my RT sweet potato and butternut squash pretty frequently. Biochemnerd, how frequently is too much? Does butternut squash also have deworming abilities?
I feed my RT sweet potato and butternut squash pretty frequently. Biochemnerd, how frequently is too much? Does butternut squash also have deworming abilities?
RE: Can Russians eat zucchini & bell peppers?
Sweetpotato has a lot of starch in it, so isn't ideal for RTs. Not sure if butternut squash can have deworming abilities, pumpkin does, for sure. But it shouldn't really be fed more often than maybe once a month.
Sweetpotato has a lot of starch in it, so isn't ideal for RTs. Not sure if butternut squash can have deworming abilities, pumpkin does, for sure. But it shouldn't really be fed more often than maybe once a month.
Jenncure said:
biochemnerd808 is hitting this nail squarely on the head.
Yes you can feed these things. They are not toxic. They are also not the best foods for them.
Many sources sell a Testudo seed mix. I got mine from Tyler and Sarah at tortoisesupply.com and love it. These seed mixes, weeds, certain leaves like grape, mulberry and hibiscus, spineless opuntia cactus pads, and maybe some endive or escarole, should make up the bulk of a russians diet. There are so many good food choices, I can't understand why anyone would want to feed items that are even questionable. Tortoises don't need treats. They need a consistent good diet with the right nutrient balance and fiber content.
Yes you can feed these things. They are not toxic. They are also not the best foods for them.
Many sources sell a Testudo seed mix. I got mine from Tyler and Sarah at tortoisesupply.com and love it. These seed mixes, weeds, certain leaves like grape, mulberry and hibiscus, spineless opuntia cactus pads, and maybe some endive or escarole, should make up the bulk of a russians diet. There are so many good food choices, I can't understand why anyone would want to feed items that are even questionable. Tortoises don't need treats. They need a consistent good diet with the right nutrient balance and fiber content.
Thank you, Tom.
If a person absolutely MUST feed a treat now and then, I would recommend dandelion flowers, hibiscus flowers and such.
A human gut has a much wider variety of enzymes, adjusted to digesting an omnivorous diet. We can handle digesting treats without it seriously messing with our health (within healthy limits, of course). A tortoise has a much more limited variety of enzymes, so feeding things with e.g. too much sugar can have much more serious repercussions.
I'm one of those weird people who is raising her kids with raisins being about as sweet as a treat gets in our house, and I understand that this is not the norm. Think of it like this: You wouldn't give your dog chocolate, knowing that it can cause kidney failure, right? Your tortoise will 'love' eating a good daylily blossom. No need to give unhealthy treats.
If a person absolutely MUST feed a treat now and then, I would recommend dandelion flowers, hibiscus flowers and such.
A human gut has a much wider variety of enzymes, adjusted to digesting an omnivorous diet. We can handle digesting treats without it seriously messing with our health (within healthy limits, of course). A tortoise has a much more limited variety of enzymes, so feeding things with e.g. too much sugar can have much more serious repercussions.
I'm one of those weird people who is raising her kids with raisins being about as sweet as a treat gets in our house, and I understand that this is not the norm. Think of it like this: You wouldn't give your dog chocolate, knowing that it can cause kidney failure, right? Your tortoise will 'love' eating a good daylily blossom. No need to give unhealthy treats.
Tom said:
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I'm a terrible parent, every Sunday I pick one of those treats (tomato, carrot, zucchini, or bell pepper) to give him. Of course it's also bath day, so I feel like I'm making up for sticking him in a tub.
I give mine a treat from time to time but it's really about maybe a half inch long strip of whatever, cut super thin like paper and very skinny cut. I will do whatever I am cooking (that's non toxic). Otherwise I will take them a piece of cactus or a flower. They just love the bright colors is what I have found so flowers are great. I don't give them veggie treats very often at all but they are soooo spoiled. If I am at the cutting board and they are freaking out in their enclosures since they can see me I will just go get a small leaf of lettuce or something from their food that week and give it to them. The wanting of snacks is just because they are spoiled food monkeys and I have found they don't really care what it is that you give them. I would argue my dogs are the same.
The worst they get is if they are in the bath and I am over at the cutting board prepping veggies (which happens a lot since I am a vegetarian that doesn't eat very much processed food) and they can see and probably smell the food. Henry has once escaped his dish and came running toward the cutting board.
Being that I am in Michigan in the winter I grow the flowers indoors and just cut them off some when they are in desperate need of a snack. It's a good plan if you don't live in a warm weather state and as an added bonus they serve as a decoration.
Radicchio is another good treat because it's red so they think they are getting something really fun.
The worst they get is if they are in the bath and I am over at the cutting board prepping veggies (which happens a lot since I am a vegetarian that doesn't eat very much processed food) and they can see and probably smell the food. Henry has once escaped his dish and came running toward the cutting board.
Being that I am in Michigan in the winter I grow the flowers indoors and just cut them off some when they are in desperate need of a snack.
It's a good plan if you don't live in a warm weather state and as an added bonus they serve as a decoration. Radicchio is another good treat because it's red so they think they are getting something really fun.
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