over feeding tortoise?
- Thread starter brenM
- Start date
There is no reason your tortoise can't eat as much grass as it wants.
Don't worry about the amount of food he eats...worry instead about the amount of exercise he gets. Lack of exercise (living in an enclosure that's too small) is what leads to an overweight tortoise, not eating too much.
What's would you consider junk food for these animals?
I can't answer for David, but I can share my thoughts:
These tortoises should be eating mostly weeds and leaves with a high fiber content and a high calcium to phosphorous ratio. Wild studies show a fairly large percentage of succulents too, of which there are thousands of species in some parts of the range, and some grass too.
Mazuri tortoise chow is also a good way to supplement their diet and make sure their are no nutritional gaps.
The above is what I would consider "not junk". I would consider a diet high in typical grocery store greens, fruit, and pet store type prepared diets to be "junk".
These tortoises should be eating mostly weeds and leaves with a high fiber content and a high calcium to phosphorous ratio. Wild studies show a fairly large percentage of succulents too, of which there are thousands of species in some parts of the range, and some grass too.
Mazuri tortoise chow is also a good way to supplement their diet and make sure their are no nutritional gaps.
The above is what I would consider "not junk". I would consider a diet high in typical grocery store greens, fruit, and pet store type prepared diets to be "junk".
I would consider fruits and vegetables mainly as junk food. One thing people need to take in consideration if your tortoise was in the wild they would be spending most of the day foraging for food & shelter patrolling a territory usuallyseveral square miles. When they're in captivity their activity level is reduced greatly. they no longer spend most of their day foraging for food and shelter avoiding predators and patrolling their vast vast territories.
