Canned pumpkin- OK or not? (And how about other preserved foods?)

[Madkins007]

This came up on the Sulcata's Diet thead- is canned pumpkin OK or not- not pumpkin itself, but CANNED pumpkin?

Are ANY canned foods- which would include baby foods, etc.- a valid tool or option for the tortoise keeper?

And if you have any data to back up your claims, I would really appreciate seeing it.

 

[Laura]

I wouldn't feed it as a norm, but if you got an animal with diarhea or constipation, it is recommended here and by Vets all the time. It also may entice an animal to eat since it is colored.
baby food. ... same thing. Soaks are used to help a sick animal, not a daily food source.
I feed Mazuri too but again, not as a staple.

 

[kanalomele]

I have used it exactly as Laura described above. Definitely not a staple or even regular part of a torts diet, but I have given it for specific uses. Pumpkin, yes even canned has a lot of fiber, and promotes a healthy bowel. I rarely have a need.for it at the precise time it is in season... So canned has always worked for me.

 

[jaizei]

With regards to this: (And how about other preserved foods?), I think it is important to differentiate between foods that are preserved by canning versus foods that are preserved with chemicals additives. I do not think there is anything wrong with using canned foods as long as there aren't added ingredients other than water (namely salt). I would not make canned foods a staple but I do not see them as inherently bad.

I did not think canned pumpkin was controversial. It is often recommended for the uses Laura described, not just for tortoises but for many other herbivorous/omnivorous reptiles.

 

[DeanS]

My stance has always been that if you find a patch (or even the market) where you can get a good solid (not too hollow) pumpkin...then it can sit in a cool place for up to six months! When you hear about the worming properties of a pumpkin...it's in the content of the seeds (anthelmintics)...and the seeds have to be split open to reap the benefits. You're not going to find seeds in canned pumpkin. It's nothing but pureed meat...which maybe OK for us...but there's no benefit for your tortoise.