feeding my red foot (im a user from UK!)

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ashleigh-Jade22

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Hi there,
Im getting my Red foot this weekend and although i live in the UK this is the best forum ove come across so i really hope someone can help me?! im just wondering what salads/fruit/veggies can i feed my red foot? ive seen loads of topics on this and i do not want to feed him pellets or anything i want him to have a proper diet but im so so confused on what i can give him. i know that twice a week he should have fruits and the rest of the week have salads but what sort of things. could you possibly tell me you red foots weekly menu so i can have a better understanding?! the red foot i get will be 1 year old :)

Many thanks

:)

Ash
 

EddieW

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If you go to turtletary.com, there is a complete care sheet with lists of what foods to feed your red foot and where. A lot of red foot users on here follow that guide.

*when
 

mintybum

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Hi
I am also in the uk, I fin dit quite easy to feed my redfoot but i do get jealous of the USA folk and their easy of getting hold of some fruits like prickly pear. We have 2 redfoots and 1 cherryhead, the 2 reds are about 2 year old, i tend to feed them every other day, a varied diet of greens (endives, frissee. various lettuces and dandelions, look for the printable weed catalogue on here it is invaluable)
tomatoes very little of, mushrooms, courgettes, mango, melon, pear, apple, most all fruits really every two weeks i give them dried catfood or tuna for the protein they also enjoy digging in to a sunday dinner with my chicken in the summer so dont mind the odd cooked veg. my Redfoot is also 13 years old and his shell is beautiful and smooth so I can't be doing a bad job with the foods, roll on summer eh, I casn't wait to get mine outside again.
 

tortadise

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Daily the best salad would consist of;
Mustard,turnip greens, or collards, dandelions, 3 times a week add yellow squash some red, yellow or green bell peppers, rose flower, hibiscus flower and twice a week maybe. Banana, apple, strawberries ( sparingly very high in sugars that can cause kidney inflammation if over fed) and some carrots. That's a typical great diet for a redfoot.
 

Yvonne G

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tortshack said:
Daily the best salad would consist of;
Mustard,turnip greens, or collards, dandelions, 3 times a week add yellow squash some red, yellow or green bell peppers, rose flower, hibiscus flower and twice a week maybe. Banana, apple, strawberries ( sparingly very high in sugars that can cause kidney inflammation if over fed) and some carrots. That's a typical great diet for a redfoot.

Hi tortshack:

Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself and your turtles?
 

tortadise

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emysemys said:
tortshack said:
Daily the best salad would consist of;
Mustard,turnip greens, or collards, dandelions, 3 times a week add yellow squash some red, yellow or green bell peppers, rose flower, hibiscus flower and twice a week maybe. Banana, apple, strawberries ( sparingly very high in sugars that can cause kidney inflammation if over fed) and some carrots. That's a typical great diet for a redfoot.

Hi tortshack:

Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself and your turtles?

certainly i will
 

ashleigh-Jade22

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Thank you so so much for all your advice. I know ive read it a million times over but like mintybum said its not as easy to get our hands on some of their fruits/salads! and to be honest some of the stuff i read im sont even know what it looks like!! and mintybum - what summer?! haha
Im definately more confident with what to feed my little fella now when i get him!! cannot wait to get him, ive been so excited for weeks for his arrival!! We finally sourced a brilliant pet shop who gets their torts form reputable breeders and are so so helpful and seems like they know exactly what their talking about which is more then can be said for a lot of them ive been too!!
I was thinking about feeding him pellets once a week for a little more variety and i know theres a lot of debates on pellets and the lady who im getting the red foot off said she doesnt reccommend them coz if the tort wasnt fed on pellets as a hatchling likihood is he wont when i get him home, so maybe ill abadon that idea!!

Again many thanks for your advice! love this forum!!!! :D:D
 

Madkins007

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There are lots of good sites that discuss diet and what you can and cannot feed. The variety of info may seem overwhelming, but this is because there is no ONE PERFECT method. Each keeper finds what works for them and goes with it.

The Library, linked below, has several good articles, diet lists, and links that can help but the basic idea is:

1. Variety. You don't need to offer a dozen different items every day, but if you used turnip greens as the main green this week, use something different next week. Even most of the 'bad foods' like spinach and Iceberg lettuce are OK in a rotation with other things- almost all 'bad foods' have some redeeming nutrients to help.

2. Amount. Tortoises like to feel full, but much of the food we have available is very nutrient rich and can cause obesity and other issues. Mentally divide the food into two groups- low-energy stuff (greens, flowers, veggies, hays, mushrooms) and high-energy stuff (meats, fruits, pellets, etc.) Feed a handful of low-energy stuff about the size of the tortoise's shell. Feed the high-energy stuff in an amount about the size of the tortoise's head.

3. Ratios. For red-footed tortoises, figure-
--- about 70% of the diet will be greens, lettuces, hays, edible flowers, stems, stalks, edible leaves, mushrooms, etc.
--- about 20-30% of the diet will be fruits and vegetables with seeds in them
--- about 10% (or less) of the diet will be meats, bugs, worms, slugs, etc.

(No one expects you to weigh and measure this- these are just rough guidelines)

4. Wholesomeness. While there is no real reason to get organic stuff from the store, the fresher and less processed any of the food is, the better. The ideal goal would be to let them graze in a well-planted outdoor enclosure. However, also remember that they often eat things like carrion and very over-ripe fruit, so day-old stuff and family meal leftovers (that are otherwise appropriate foods) are perfectly OK.
 

ashleigh-Jade22

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Madkins007 you are an absolute star!! thats the best breakdown of the foods i could have asked for!! Im pretty confident on feeding him now! :D

thanks of lot guys your all ace!! :)
 
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