Help wirh feeding my redfoot tortoise!

Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
49
Location (City and/or State)
Maine
I have a young resfoot tortoise. She'll the size of my palm.... so I gave given my redfoot apples, tomatoes, different lettuces, kale, dandelion greens, collard and mustard greens, I always offer a green (lettuce of some type of a green) ans I've tried different squashes, cucumber, pansies, green pepper, cabbage, cilantro, dandelion flowers, grass, mushrooms, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, banana, artichoke.

Where I live, thwy don't have really to many veggies... but all the veggies above I have tried... but my little toetoisw doesn't seem to eat much. Which is obviously ok because he/she seems ok I guess. Ive tried eggs, catfood, turkey and tuna for protein.

My tortoise LOVES MAZURI XS TOERTOIAW FOOD. , the little pellets in a small bag.. which I hears was bad but its the only thing I feel it will eat! Or that I see him/her eat... whenever I add it to the food he goes running over and eats it but doesn't wanna eat any veggies or fruits! Somwtimes it will skip eating altogether for a day or two ans when he/she does it its only a few nibbles.... unless its a small pile of the mazuri pellets.

So my question(s) are..... is this normal?
Is mazuri really that bad?
And what other types of foods should I try offering?
And do you add calcium on top of food or just leave a cuttlebone ?

Thank uou!
 

YukdaTortoise

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If you just got her then maybe she just isn't used to her environment, but other that that I don't know but to answer your other questions. No Mazuri can be fed to tortoises especially Red Foots, you could try Fluckers tortoise food she might like pellets more than actual produce, you should put calcium powder on the fruits and veggies, but only two shakes. That is what I do if am wrong and you know feel free to correct me, Thank you.
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
49
Location (City and/or State)
Maine
If you just got her then maybe she just isn't used to her environment, but other that that I don't know but to answer your other questions. No Mazuri can be fed to tortoises especially Red Foots, you could try Fluckers tortoise food she might like pellets more than actual produce, you should put calcium powder on the fruits and veggies, but only two shakes. That is what I do if am wrong and you know feel free to correct me, Thank you.
Well I've had him/her for about 6-9 months now. . So I've had it a while ans it used to eat quite a bit when I first gor it... but the past few months... he just doesn't seem interested! Ans ok... that is a relief about the mazuri! Thanks so much!
 

TammyJ

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I disagree with some or all of the advice you have been given, Karebear. Especially the remark "...No Mazuri can be fed to tortoises..."!!! Certainly you can give your tortoise Mazuri! BUT. Cut down on the days you feed it to one or two days a week, and always mix it with a variety of other food. If you don't watch it, your tortoise will have you like a slave, coming creeping every day with the required Mazuri or nothing!
As for the calcium powder, you can give it calcium powder a pinch or so about once per week mixed with the food, or find some other natural source of calcium like opuntia cactus pads (the soft young pads are great!) hard boiled egg shells are good too.
Don't let your tortoise dictate to you what it eats. While it is still young, you train it to eat what you provide which should include all the good recommended foord for the species. Keep your temps and humidity levels accurate, have a proper setup and your little tortoise will learn to behave and respond to your excellent tort care!
Others will no doubt have something to say here, there are lots of more expert people than I am on this site. All the best!
 

Toddrickfl1

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Try softening the Mazuri with water and make it into a mush. Then finely chop other greens, fruits etc and mix it into the Mazuri mush. If your tort wants to eat some Mazuri he'll have no choice but to eat other stuff as well. Or you could grind the Mazuri in a coffee grinder and use it to coat other items like greens to get your tortoise to eat it.
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
49
Location (City and/or State)
Maine
I disagree with some or all of the advice you have been given, Karebear. Especially the remark "...No Mazuri can be fed to tortoises..."!!! Certainly you can give your tortoise Mazuri! BUT. Cut down on the days you feed it to one or two days a week, and always mix it with a variety of other food. If you don't watch it, your tortoise will have you like a slave, coming creeping every day with the required Mazuri or nothing!
As for the calcium powder, you can give it calcium powder a pinch or so about once per week mixed with the food, or find some other natural source of calcium like opuntia cactus pads (the soft young pads are great!) hard boiled egg shells are good too.
Don't let your tortoise dictate to you what it eats. While it is still young, you train it to eat what you provide which should include all the good recommended foord for the species. Keep your temps and humidity levels accurate, have a proper setup and your little tortoise will learn to behave and respond to your excellent tort care!
Others will no doubt have something to say here, there are lots of more expert people than I am on this site. All the best!
Thank yoh! I appreciate that.. I always heard pekple say that mazuri3 is bad.... but Kenan feom kamp Kenan on YouTube uses it and he has lots of redfoots... and I find it hard to believe he doesn't know what he's doing. Rhank you for the help tjo!
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
49
Location (City and/or State)
Maine
Try softening the Mazuri with water and make it into a mush. Then finely chop other greens, fruits etc and mix it into the Mazuri mush. If your tort wants to eat some Mazuri he'll have no choice but to eat other stuff as well. Or you could grind the Mazuri in a coffee grinder and use it to coat other items like greens to get your tortoise to eat it.
[/QUOTto!
Oh yeah I shoukd try that! He/she is so funny. I tried mixing the actual pellets in with veggies but it always found them ans picked them out but maybe the grinder will help. Thanks!
 

JTH

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Mazuri tortoise chow is fine as a base diet, I've used it on red-foots and elongateds successfully. But agree that getting the tortoise to eat a variety of greens and chopped fruits/veggies is ideal. The idea of mixing the Mazuri with the other foods is good, even grinding it to a powder is fine. A bit of higher protein food weekly is also good; I've used a high quality dog food on occasion, but no need to over-do it!
 
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