Mushrooms

[fluffypanda17]

I bought some mushrooms today for my Redfoot. I thought they were ok but I want to check before I feed them to my little guy. Sooooo...... Are mushrooms ok for Redfoots? What's their nutritional value? And how often should they be fed?

 

[mainey34]

Mushrooms are good to add to your Redfoots diet. They can be fed daily.

 

[fluffypanda17]

Man I love this forum! You guys reply so quickly! Thank you very much. My Redfoot thanks you too!

 

[mainey34]

Mushrooms are good to add to your Redfoots diet. They can be fed daily.

Nutritional value...D2

 

[RedfootsRule]

Depends on the mushroom....White button? Very poor nutrition, and shouldn't really be fed as a staple food. Portabella and oyster are pretty good as far as nutrition goes, however, and can be fed every couple days. Low fat, low carbohydrates, yet high in fiber. Its a good thing to "balance" out your red foots diet with the sugary fruits.

 

[fluffypanda17]

Depends on the mushroom....White button? Very poor nutrition, and shouldn't really be fed as a staple food. Portabella and oyster are pretty good as far as nutrition goes, however, and can be fed every couple days. Low fat, low carbohydrates, yet high in fiber. Its a good thing to "balance" out your red foots diet with the sugary fruits.

I want to say it was white button... But I'll have to check later. I won't feed them that much (ill use the rest for me!). Next time I'll be looking for the portabella and or the oyster. I know I saw the portabella when I was at the store.. Thanks!

 

[Jacqui]

I thought the white young ones had more of the B family values, while the older portabella has a slight more food value on other levels. Still pretty much even source from what I recall reading. As with all things some tortoises much prefer the white ones and some the darker varieties. I fed both almost equally here.

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But do you know what I love best about mushrooms? Especially the white ones? They are great foods to toss randomly into an enclosure, so the tortoise has to look around and "hunt" his own food. The mental enrichment value out weighs the food value in my book.

 

[RedfootsRule]

I thought the white young ones had more of the B family values, while the older portabella has a slight more food value on other levels. Still pretty much even source from what I recall reading. As with all things some tortoises much prefer the white ones and some the darker varieties. I fed both almost equally here.

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But do you know what I love best about mushrooms? Especially the white ones? They are great foods to toss randomly into an enclosure, so the tortoise has to look around and "hunt" his own food. The mental enrichment value out weighs the food value in my book.

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Hm. This actually prompted me to do a little more research on it....
Portabella are higher in riboflavin and niacin (which help the body break down carbohydrates and other fats), and white button are slightly higher in B5 and B12.
It seems, however, that there is one that outshines them all: shiitake mushrooms. From what I can find, they are referred to as "the healthiest of them all". So perhaps we need to focus more on shiitake...

 

[Zamric]

and shiitake taste sooooo good!....and more expencive but not cost prohibitive!

 

[Jacqui]

and shiitake taste sooooo good!....and more expencive but not cost prohibitive!

That might be depending on how many pounds of them you would feed out in a day. Not something I have to worry about as local stores here don't carry them.

 

[Zamric]

and shiitake taste sooooo good!....and more expencive but not cost prohibitive!

That might be depending on how many pounds of them you would feed out in a day. Not something I have to worry about as local stores here don't carry them.

...ooh... I was talking about for me! WalkingRock gets them only if we have leftover salad!

 

[Jacqui]

...ooh... I was talking about for me! WalkingRock gets them only if we have leftover salad!

I understand.

 

[fluffypanda17]

Here are the actually mushrooms. I'm thinking white button but it doesn't even say what they're called..

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[RedfootsRule]

Older then most white buttons, but the gills are not yet exposed. I would say its older then most white button you find, but it is not near a mature portabella.

 

[mainey34]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-61572.html
This was another thread about mushrooms.
Read post #21

 

[RedfootsRule]

Emphasis on "wild-grown". Which 'shrooms on the market aren't...Thus, most of the Vitamin D is not what it would be in the wild.

 

[mainey34]

I dont see a reason why they cant be fed daily. I feed 1-2 slices of portabella a day to my redfoot.. hell, my sulcata will get a slice every once in a while.
Try this...... http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2482/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2485/2

 

[RedfootsRule]

I dont see a reason why they cant be fed daily. I feed 1-2 slices of portabella a day to my redfoot.. hell, my sulcata will get a slice every once in a while.
Try this...... http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2482/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2485/2

The sources you linked do not state where the product tested was collected, so it is therefore void. Only mushrooms grown in UV environments (which can be purchased, but are usually specified) will have a measurable amount of Vitamin D, as my post stated. The only way to give a measurable amount of Vitamin D is to expose it to UV rays for a specified amount of time (it varies) right after harvesting, which most packaged mushrooms are not. In fact, most growth processes I can find are indoor facilities.
There is no reason it CAN'T be fed daily, as it won't kill them. There is just no reason to fill them up on foods when there are more nutritious picks out there, thus I do not recommend usual daily feedings. The same goes for many foods.

I don't have the equipment at my home to do a full nutrient analysis. If I wanted to run down to my brothers lab, I could, but I really don't have the reason, nor desire to.
So, to the OP, it depends on your diet, the variety in the diet, and the quantity of mushroom offered. Mushrooms are relished by red foots, and they likely will fill up on it without eating the other more nutritious foods. One or two bites a day are fine, but this is difficult to ration. Focus on more nutritious picks. The mushrooms are a good thing to offer every few feedings, but you need to watch quantity, like any other food.

 

[mainey34]

I have also asked these questions. This is the advise ive been given. Some of the things i say are things i have experienced. As i have said, i feed my redfoot a slice or two of mushrooms. Now i dont do this months at a time. It can be done daily. It has been discussed on the forum many times. With different answer. I have shown some kind of proof to something with some kind of values.

 

[fluffypanda17]

Thank you both for your input, it has been very helpful.