cat food for torts?

[gerrod]

my homes hingeback is doing pretty well with fruits and veggies now which im pretty happy about but so far wont eat the mealworms or earthworms ive tried to give him. Ive heard you can feed em wet cat food for protein, is this true? It seems kinda weird to me but i know he needs protein and not really sure how to get it to him if he dont eat the live food i give him.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know anything about Hingeback tortoises, but if they're supposed to have animal protein occasionally (I stress OCCASIONALLY) then I like to use Purina Pro Plan. Its chicken-based dry cat food. I soak it in a bit of hot water to soften it, and feed it every couple of weeks to my Manouria tortoises and my Yellowfoot tortoises.

 

[terryo]

I don't know a thing about Hingeback's either, but I've been feeding my Cherry Head Purina Pro Plan, soaked, too since he was about 6 months old.

 

[chairman]

I have heard of others using top quality, low fat cat chow as a protein source for various tortoises. I don't think you'd have any problems if you fed this in moderation. Canned fish (packed in water, not oil) can also be used, though I would recommend the stuff marketed for humans for quality purposes.

However, I would definitely go with live food instead. Earthworms and slugs are favorites.