Hungry Russian Tort...How much is too much?

[jrholls]

Our new tort (Bo) seems to be a tortoise version of the garbage disposal. So far we haven't given her a meal she hasn't eagerly finished. Since my last tort only ate on occasion, I'm not really sure if I'm feeding too much. Also she seems to have no preference in food because she eats everything we give her. There is a lot of info availabe about what to feed her, but is there any info on how much? Thanks guys

 

[Yvonne G]

You have to remember that the "eating" season in a Russian's real world is very short. They have to eat as much and as quickly as they can because the weather will soon turn cold and it will be time for them to hibernate. It takes a very long time for a pet Russian to get over this "feeling", if ever.

I just put down a big handful for each tortoise. If he eats it up fast and looks around for more, then tomorrow I'll give a little more than a handful.

Russian tortoises DO tend to get overweight in small habitats. That's why its very important to provide the largest habitat you can, to allow them to get plenty of exercise.

 

[jrholls]

Here's a couple pics of her enclosure. We're very proud of it

 

[zoogrl]

What an awesome enclosure! I would be proud too!

 

[Torty Mom]

Great enclosure! Nice and big!! Little Bo Fat Fat should get plenty of exercise!! I love her name by the way sooo cute. What if you feed her twice. Once in the am and then once in the pm. Maybe after she gets settled in she will realize food in coming on a regular basis and will settle down.

 

[jrholls]

That's what we are doing...She basically gets breakfast, dinner, and most nights second dinner

 

[pdrobber]

Her legs look a little thinner than the average Russian's IMO so I don't think letting her pig out a little is too bad.

 

[ChiKat]

What are the dimensions of that enclosure? Looks great!
Bo is adorable I always wonder if I'm giving my Russian too much or too little He's a slow eater so the 20-minute rule doesn't work for him- he eats one tiny piece of lettuce in 20 minutes (slight exaggeration but whatever )

 

[RianSeeking]

I use the one big handful per Russian rule as well. I'm fairly sure both of mine are part locust.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's what we are doing...She basically gets breakfast, dinner, and most nights second dinner

That's way too much food. Once a day is plenty for a tortoise Bo's size.

 

[bllauben]

I don't know if I'm lucky or something, but with all 5 of my pets, I allow them to eat how much they desire and not one of them is over weight. With the exception of my 10 year old cat who could use a few pounds, most of the time my pets leave some food in their dishes.

 

[ChiKat]

I give Nelson his dinner and sometimes he'll leave a leaf or two. I leave it in there, and even though it dries up he always eats it the next morning

 

[tortoises101]

I agree with Yvonne. Russian tortoises are only active round 3-6 months of the year, and spend the rest of the time estivating/hibernating. I don't dump a pile of food in the enclosure, but rather prefer to scatter the food in different areas so they can graze and to encourage foraging. Scattering the food also gives them more excercise.
Sorry to piggyback on your post, Yvonne.

 

[tortoisenerd]

For a growing tort I believe in feeding as much as they want (ie. put down a pile of food with as much as they will eat that day)...if they get some chub, they will grow out of it. Once a tort reaches adult size, you need to start watching weight vs. SCL. There are some charts you can use as a guideline such as the McIntyre ratio (for Russians), which I included below. You then figure out the amount to feed to maintain their weight by tracking it over time (weighing & measuring monthly). With good exercise, hopefully you can feed your tort as much as they want to eat and they can maintain their weight, but often in captivity the food quantity needs to be limited. Also verify you are not feeding high calorie foods to an overweight tort (mostly the commercial diets). Keep in mind that for example an entire 5 oz bag of spring mix is like 30 calories...so if a tort eats a handful of that, their caloric need is very low.

I would cut back to once a day feedings (but enough that the tort leaves a bit) and take it from there with tracking weight and SCL regularly (you can check the chart below right now). If the tort can't fit into its shell all the way or has chub sticking out, that usually a sign they are getting chubby. You also want to watch for the other spectrum in that they are light for their size. Weight loss or gain in an adult tort can be signs of health problems too, so besides general health, there are good reasons to check weight regularly. My tort eats a pile of greens about his size, but each tort is different.



To measure SCL (straight carapace length) I like to use digital calipers, but this method also works great...click to biggify it: http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm