Diet for a year-old redfoot

redfootdaddy

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5 Year Member
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Aug 2, 2014
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto ON
Hello! So. My wife and I have read just about everything we can find on what's good for redfoots to eat and what to avoid and we know that there is lots of conflicting information, which is why so far we've stuck to the basics. But that means that so far her diet hasn't been varied.

We'd really like to get some feedback on what we've come up with for a diet for her.

So. Following the advice we've seen here, we're going to start a feeding schedule of greens, veggies, fruits, and an occasional pellet (we use Zoo Med Forest Tortoise pellets, about half a pellet at a time). We'll keep notes on what we're feeding her and when so we can get a better idea of what she likes and what she isn't touching, and to make sure we're not overfeeding her things.

All together, whatever we feed her ends up being about a half cup of food, with the greens being the bulk of it. Half a mushroom, a small cube of fruit, two or three berries, a single baby carrot, those are the usual serving sizes of whatever. I want to be able to give her at least three different types of whatever it is to choose from (and I only have two greens this week, sadly)

So this is what her diet looks like this week:
Saturday (Greens and veggies): Arugula, green leaf lettuce, carrot, spinach, mushroom
Sunday (Greens and fruit): Arugula, green leaf lettuce, tomato, squash, red pepper
Monday (Greens and pellet): Arugula, green leaf lettuce, pellet
Tuesday (no food)
Wednesday (Greens): Arugula, green leaf lettuce
Thursday (Greens and fruit): Arugula, bell pepper, squash, peach
Friday (Greens): Arugula, spinach, green leaf lettuce

Now, the reason it's a lot of arugula and lettuce is that when we get to the grocery store we always forget what she can and can't eat. So I went through our local produce section and made a list of everything available there and then cross-referenced it with TortForum. And I haven't even been to the Asian grocery store yet, and they usually have amazing produce sections. We'll be able to start growing her own greens when we get her tortoise table set up, but that's not for another few months.

Which brings me to the second part of what I would like feedback on! I know, this post is stupidly long already, but we would really appreciate the more knowledgeable members here taking a few minutes to let us know if we're on the right track. Okay. So first we have the list of CAN HAS OM NOMS, classified by greens, veggies, or fruit, and how often we can feed them to her.

Food - Category - Frequency
  • Kale - Greens - Medium
  • Red lettuce - Greens - Frequent
  • Green lettuce - Greens - Frequent
  • Spinach - Greens - Rarely
  • Cabbage - Veggies - Rarely
  • Turnip greens - Greens - Medium
  • Seaweed - Greens - Rarely
  • Dandelion - Greens - Frequent
  • Radish - Veggies - Frequent
  • Squash - Fruit - Frequent
  • Collard greens - Greens - Medium
  • Mustard greens - Greens - Medium
  • Green beans - Veggies - Rarely
  • Carrots - Veggies - Rarely
  • Endive - Greens - Frequent
  • Arugula - Greens - Frequent
  • Escarole - Greens - Frequent
  • Clover - Greens - Medium
  • Alfalfa - Greens - Medium
  • Parsley - Greens - Frequent
  • Watercress - Greens - Frequent
  • Sprouts - Greens - Frequent
  • Cactus - Greens - Frequent
  • Mushrooms - Veggies - Medium
  • Fresh basil - Greens - Medium
  • Broccoli - Veggies - Rarely
  • Zucchini - Veggies - Rarely
  • Sweet potato - Veggies - Medium
  • Papaya - Fruit - Frequent
  • Mango - Fruit - Frequent
  • Kiwi - Fruit - Frequent
  • Pineapple - Fruit - Frequent
  • Melon - Fruit - Frequent
  • Strawberry - Fruit - Frequent
  • Cherries - Fruit - Frequent
  • Bell peppers - Fruit - Frequent
  • Corn - Fruit - Frequent
  • Pumpkin - Fruit - Frequent
  • Blueberry - Fruit - Rarely
  • Apple - Fruit - Rarely
  • Banana - Fruit - Rarely
  • Tomato - Fruit - Rarely
  • Grapes - Fruit - Rarely
  • Peach - Fruit - Rarely
  • Hibiscus - Greens - Medium
  • Bok choy - Greens - Rarely
  • Spider plant - Greens - Medium
  • Hosta - Greens - Medium
  • Pansies - Greens - Medium
  • Sow thistle - Greens - Medium
  • Fennel - Greens - Frequent
  • Carrot tops - Greens - Medium

Keeping in mind that this is just what we have readily available to us.

Then there's this list of NO NOMS NEVER:
  • Rhubarb
  • Swiss chard
  • Celery
  • Onions
  • Plant leaves (tomato, etc)
  • Avocado
  • Beans
  • Peas

So that's our big list. It's all stored in a spreadsheet so we can keep track of her eating habits.

Tort owners - please let us know how we're doing? Oh! Gratuitous picture of the baby!

IMG_0358.JPG
 
Last edited:

kathyth

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
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Feb 28, 2012
Messages
3,156
Location (City and/or State)
Beaumont, CA.
Welcome. Cute tortoise.
Agree with above. Would compliment with Turtletary.com Redfoot Care sheet.
 

kathyth

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10 Year Member!
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Feb 28, 2012
Messages
3,156
Location (City and/or State)
Beaumont, CA.
At 6 months I start my Redfoots in protein weekly.
I buy ProPlan low fat cat food. Rehydrate a small amount sprinkle calcium powder and feed. Redfoots need protein.
Good luck.
 

redfootdaddy

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto ON
Thanks for the resources. I used TortoiseLibrary extensively when I was coming up with the original list, I just was hoping someone could check my work so I don't mess her up!
 

redfootdaddy

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto ON
I thought too much protein was a no-no? That's why beans and lentils are out. We do have cats who eat Blue Buffalo Indoor Health and the occasional packet of PC wet food, but I didn't think they could share . . .
 
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