Mazuri
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You should only feed Mazuri a couple of times a week or so, mixed in with the other greens, IMO. The majority of the diet should be grass and safe weeds, as well as leafy greens, leaves and flowers from appropriate trees and bushes and cactus.
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I have a bag of Mazuri that I use only as a backup (like once a week) for those days I'm so busy I hardly have a few moments to collect fresh weeds from the yard or get some salad mix from the garden or fridge... So I don't mix it with anything other than some warm water.
Feed the mazuri as often as you like, its a safe replacement to a natural diet.
Tom is right though, natural weeds are best (clover and dandelion), but only if you get them from a source that does not spray, or is away from a road.
Tom is right though, natural weeds are best (clover and dandelion), but only if you get them from a source that does not spray, or is away from a road.
Livingstone said:
I wouldn't recommend feeding MAZURI 'as often as you like.' It should be treated as a supplement (especially given its high protein quotient).
I would recommend feeding it (in conjunction with a natural diet) every two to three days...it does have its benefits but too much and it will contribute to pyramding and possibly MBD.
yea what Tom and Dean said!
When I first decided to try Mazuri a year or so ago, none of my tortoises would eat it except for the Aldabrans. At that time, I decided to use it as a supplement, once a week for the Aldabrans just in case their grazing grasses and weeds were nutrient depleted.
This a.m. I noticed that my little Texas babies were a little soft (I'm bad about remembering to supplement), so I mixed up some Mazuri, calcium and vitamins with their greens. I feed this batch of breakfast to a yearling Manouria, 3 hatchling deserts and 4 baby Texas tortoises. When I went back around looking at all of them, they were all just really chowing down on that Mazuri! Even the Manouria, Emmie, was eating it!!
In my opinion, its good to get them used to eating it so that you have something to fall back on during the months when greens might not be readily available.
This a.m. I noticed that my little Texas babies were a little soft (I'm bad about remembering to supplement), so I mixed up some Mazuri, calcium and vitamins with their greens. I feed this batch of breakfast to a yearling Manouria, 3 hatchling deserts and 4 baby Texas tortoises. When I went back around looking at all of them, they were all just really chowing down on that Mazuri! Even the Manouria, Emmie, was eating it!!
In my opinion, its good to get them used to eating it so that you have something to fall back on during the months when greens might not be readily available.
Another thing to keep in mind is that MAZURI is best offered moist. NOW! As soon as you add water and let it sit for a few minutes, the protein content diminishes substantially (approx 10-15%, I believe...been too long since I last got entangled in chemistry, physics, etc)
DeanS said:
I feed mazuri everyday, with dandelion, clover, and grated carrots. I didn't mean long term exclusive use, but I can see how it reads that way.
When I serve mazuri I add boiling water to soften it, then let it cool before serving. It also gets the calcium and vit supplements mixed in when its in a porridge consistency, then I make one big mazuri ball.
Livingstone, You have an exceptionally beautiful tort, so don't get me wrong. Any kind of cooking, like boiling water, will greatly diminish the nutrient value of the food. Room temp water will make it just as mushy.
However, after seeing how good your tort looks, maybe the rest of us should start using boiling water!
However, after seeing how good your tort looks, maybe the rest of us should start using boiling water!
The interesting thing is the boiling water is absorbed into the mazuri like a sponge, so I only add enough to make it expand and soften. There is very little additional moisture once the process is complete, so it makes me wonder if the mazuri protein, vitamins, etc are absorbed by the tortoises gut faster because they have already been broken down.
When I look at feeding photos of owners that wet there mazuri, it always looks like the mazuri is sitting in alot of excess water. In those situations I think alot of the protein, vitamins, etc just float away since the tortoise is not ingesting the water residue left behind.
Either way, thanks for the compliment about livingstone. It is the ultimate reward to know that Im doing it right.
When I look at feeding photos of owners that wet there mazuri, it always looks like the mazuri is sitting in alot of excess water. In those situations I think alot of the protein, vitamins, etc just float away since the tortoise is not ingesting the water residue left behind.
Either way, thanks for the compliment about livingstone. It is the ultimate reward to know that Im doing it right.
Thanks for all the answers.. I work a lot during the week and thats why it takes so long to answer. I started adding dandelion and collard and romaine with his mazuri and I think he did a backflip. He really loved it
dmmj said:
I should have been clearer...most people want to boil the water before they add it to any manufactured diet...I just let the tap run lukewarm and then let the whole thing sit for 15 minutes or so...it's hot, boiling water that'll diminish the protein content. Hope that helps!
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You know, I've been using a product from ZooMed called Grassland Tortoise Diet, or something of the like, and I soften it with water and dice greens up and add calcium to the mix, (vitamins once a week) but anyway, my little guy loves it, but I've heard to stay away from premade food, I read the ingredients though and they're all recognized components of his diet, weeds, hays etc., protein is low, fiber is high, can I use this?
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Maggie Cummings
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I don't feed Mazuri in the summer when they can all graze. I add fresh greens and let them graze as much as possible. But in the winter I have to feed some Mazuri as it would be so expensive to feed all my animals fresh produce totally so I use Mazuri daily throughout the winter. I do mix some greens with it.
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