Hermann's tortoise and eating invertebrates

DPtortiose

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Wild Testudo hermanni are known to consume insects and other invertebrates on a somewhat regular bases. Researchers that studied the stomach contents of wild tortoises found twenty-three snails in a single animal*.

So I was curious what would happen if introduced some 'waxworms' (Achroia grisella) to the animals and I taped their response:


I was quite surprised, usually they are a bit less enthusiastic about new foods and flavors. Moving food was also new to them. They also made a huge mess out of their meal, those 'talons' are really sharp. I might have opened Pandora’s box though. As you can see at the end of the video, some animals where perhaps a bit too emboldened by the taste of flesh.

On a side note: the animals normally get a varied diet of about ten to thirty different species of weeds herbs, depending on the season. They are fed daily and eat as much as they want every day. I'm not advocating that insects should be added as a significant part of their diet. But it might be a nice addition every once in a while, to mimic their natural diet more and to spice things up.

*Sources:

Haxhiu (1995):Results of studies on the chelonians of Albania. -Chelonian Conservation and Biology, Lunenburg, I (4): 326-327

Vetter, H. (2006). Herman's tortoise. Lörrach, Germany: Chimaira. ISBN 10:389973602: 87-90
 

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