Red foot- 3 years old, eating fruit/vegs only after they’ve dried up

SMK

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My redfoot tortoise will soon be 3 years old.
I got her when she was a 2+ month old hatchling, 2 3/4 inches and 56 grams. She is now 5 inches and 700+ grams. She’s very active and alert.

This has happened countless times: I put greens and fruit in her enclosure, nice and fresh, crisp, and moist.

She leaves them sit for hours and hours, and when they are all dried and shriveled, she eats them. In fact, she almost never touches them until they’re dried up.

Is this okay, and is there any reason a red foot would prefer greens and fruit this way? Thanks.
 
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harrythetortoise

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My redfoot tortoise will soon be 3 years old.
I got her when she was a 2+ month old hatchling, 2 3/4 inches and 56 grams. She is now 5 inches and 700+ grams. She’s very active and alert.

This has happened countless times: I put greens and fruit in her enclosure, nice and fresh, crisp, and moist.

She leaves them sit for hours and hours, and when they are all dried and shriveled, she eats them. In fact, she almost never touches them until they’re dried up.

Is this okay, and is there any reason a red foot would prefer greens and fruit this way? Thanks.
Do you normally give food in the mornings? Maybe she normally prefers to eat later in the day, and not necessarily have to do with the moistness of food?
 

SMK

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Do you normally give food in the mornings? Maybe she normally prefers to eat later in the day, and not necessarily have to do with the moistness of food?
Yes, that’s a possibility. What the situation actually is, is that I feed her around 6 pm, but see her eating it way later at night, or often even the next morning. Maybe I should try giving it in the morning, and see if she’ll eat it fresh. Thanks.:)
 

harrythetortoise

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Yes, that’s a possibility. What the situation actually is, is that I feed her around 6 pm, but see her eating it way later at night, or often even the next morning. Maybe I should try giving it in the morning, and see if she’ll eat it fresh. Thanks.:)
I agree with ZenHerper that you should feed her in the morning.
Mine usually wakes up around 7am and goes to bed by 5-6pm :)
I leave the food in the morning after a warm soak, and he would eat a little in the morning, but mostly around noon and later in the afternoon.
 

ArmadilloPup

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Did she used to eat ravenously as a little one but became lazier over time? That's what happened with my red foot. Now I chop the veggies because they will wilted and get rubbery by the time she eats. She used to always eat after a soak too, now it's 50/50. After becoming a "teenager," she hangs out in the bushes or lays around in the UV for hours before casually checking out what's for lunch. I put food down at around 8am and may refresh it later in the day if it has something that spoils fast like fish, but often don't see her eat until around 3 or 4pm. She is also a night scavenger and that's when I hear her snacking on cuttlebone. I take it as a sign that they are comfortable in their environment. And well-fed.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Its thought that a lot of what Redfoot eat in the wild is fallen and semi spoiled fruit and protein with some mushrooms thrown in.
I have a few Redfoot that eat immediately and a "second string" team that seem to prefer the old, wilted leftovers.
And this is definitely by choice. Not hierarchy. Because I place food in at least 4 places throughout my pens.
I've often said that if you allowed a RF to pick what it wanted for dinner. It would be disgusting!
It is important to feed at the same time each day. I feed mine early. Before it gets very hot.
They get used to that pretty fast. A few are always waiting for me to show up each day.
 

SMK

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Its thought that a lot of what Redfoot eat in the wild is fallen and semi spoiled fruit and protein with some mushrooms thrown in.
I have a few Redfoot that eat immediately and a "second string" team that seem to prefer the old, wilted leftovers.
And this is definitely by choice. Not hierarchy. Because I place food in at least 4 places throughout my pens.
I've often said that if you allowed a RF to pick what it wanted for dinner. It would be disgusting!
It is important to feed at the same time each day. I feed mine early. Before it gets very hot.
They get used to that pretty fast. A few are always waiting for me to show up each day.
Interesting….?
 

SMK

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I agree with ZenHerper that you should feed her in the morning.
Mine usually wakes up around 7am and goes to bed by 5-6pm :)
I leave the food in the morning after a warm soak, and he would eat a little in the morning, but mostly around noon and later in the afternoon.
Thanks so much. Will definitely switch to AM feedings :)
 

SMK

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Did she used to eat ravenously as a little one but became lazier over time? That's what happened with my red foot. Now I chop the veggies because they will wilted and get rubbery by the time she eats. She used to always eat after a soak too, now it's 50/50. After becoming a "teenager," she hangs out in the bushes or lays around in the UV for hours before casually checking out what's for lunch. I put food down at around 8am and may refresh it later in the day if it has something that spoils fast like fish, but often don't see her eat until around 3 or 4pm. She is also a night scavenger and that's when I hear her snacking on cuttlebone. I take it as a sign that they are comfortable in their environment. And well-fed.
Yes, she was more ravenous when smaller (presumably because there’s more rapid growth at that period). I think you’re right to view it as a sign of being comfortable and well fed.:)
 

willee638

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My redfoot tortoise will soon be 3 years old.
I got her when she was a 2+ month old hatchling, 2 3/4 inches and 56 grams. She is now 5 inches and 700+ grams. She’s very active and alert.

This has happened countless times: I put greens and fruit in her enclosure, nice and fresh, crisp, and moist.

She leaves them sit for hours and hours, and when they are all dried and shriveled, she eats them. In fact, she almost never touches them until they’re dried up.

Is this okay, and is there any reason a red foot would prefer greens and fruit this way? Thanks.
Your baby red foot when you first got her was a little underweight as I too has one that weighted only 58gm & he didn't grow nearly as fast as my others that weighted in their 70's & 80's grams of the same age, I suspect it could be the origin of the country or area they came from to be slightly smaller & different eating habits. Does your red foot appeared any different from others in colours & shell patterns when you bought him? Mine was darker in colour but ate pretty much the same foods & since yours ate only dried up stuff does she needs to drink often?
 

Canadian Mojo

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Diural (daytime) reptiles do not eat late. They need the heat of midday in order to digest their meals.

RFs should have morning feeds. =))
Does it really matter since RF's have more-or-less constant temperatures (especially in an indoor enclosure) and don't generally bask?
 

ZenHerper

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Does it really matter since RF's have more-or-less constant temperatures (especially in an indoor enclosure) and don't generally bask?
Interesting posit!

RFs don't have to seek out basking spots in their environment of origin...it is always hot. In order to avoid the blazing heat of midday, they always stay where it is heavily shaded and damp/humid.

They may indeed have a split dawn-dusk activity modality while living in natural weather conditions, with some possible aestivation-like slowdown from time to time during midday in summer.

While a keeper may use a tightly managed temperature scheme in captivity, the animal itself still lives at the behest of its DNA. Evolutionarily-established circadian routines must be respected.

Consider people who do overnight shift work. Simply changing their hours of operation does not mean that they can function stress-free. When a species evolves a diurnal lifestyle, there are rules that manage the brain, hormone-secreting and metabolic organs, cardiovascular & immune function, etc.. Work against the rules, pay a serious price in time.


Captive animals should be maintained as closely to their environments and circadian schedules of origin. While adults grow into individual preferences along a continuum of behavior, babies and youngsters should receive a more strict interpretation for routine care.
 

willee638

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Exactly, when I first started having red foot tortoises as pets I was told by pet shop salespersons I needed to buy UVA+UVB lamps are essential. I guess pet shops would tell everybody the same thing regardless if it was a Leopard, Greek, Red foot or Sulcata tortoise to use the same substrates, lights & tortoise feeds. I learnt myself that red foots didn't like being under lambs or direct sunlight & quickly ran to shaded areas to hide, pet shops are severely under knowledge in knowing the animals they sell.
 

Canadian Mojo

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Interesting posit!

RFs don't have to seek out basking spots in their environment of origin...it is always hot. In order to avoid the blazing heat of midday, they always stay where it is heavily shaded and damp/humid.

They may indeed have a split dawn-dusk activity modality while living in natural weather conditions, with some possible aestivation-like slowdown from time to time during midday in summer.

While a keeper may use a tightly managed temperature scheme in captivity, the animal itself still lives at the behest of its DNA. Evolutionarily-established circadian routines must be respected.

Consider people who do overnight shift work. Simply changing their hours of operation does not mean that they can function stress-free. When a species evolves a diurnal lifestyle, there are rules that manage the brain, hormone-secreting and metabolic organs, cardiovascular & immune function, etc.. Work against the rules, pay a serious price in time.


Captive animals should be maintained as closely to their environments and circadian schedules of origin. While adults grow into individual preferences along a continuum of behavior, babies and youngsters should receive a more strict interpretation for routine care.
No argument about circadian rhythm, I did the night thing for years. You only partially ever adjust.

I just wonder about what the actual rhythm is for a RF because they're so different than the desert torts. They're little walking garburators foraging in a constantly hot, wet environment that never sees the sun. Since protein and sugar are available to them, they can pick and choose their meals to a much greater extent. There's really no reason they can't grab a late day snack and go have a nap some place safe while the nocturnal predators are prowling about.

My hunch is they're wired to eat whenever their stomach tells them to.
 

newCH

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Hmm, guess we are a bit different at our house. I don't feed outside. It brings bugs and critters. I feed at dinner time, evenings.
He gobbles up his food & then spends over night inside. Goes back out in the am. He gets his cuttlebone and water outside.
 

willee638

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I take my 3 red foots out to a park & they roam about closely supervised on a 2-3 thousand square feet grass field not visited by any other animals except small birds on trees, they enjoy half hidden in bushes to bask but not completely under direct sunlight & I find the warm sun's heat helps to stimulate their digestive systems as they usually poop during or after their visits. I'm certain all my red foots prefers outdoors much more than their enclosures, I usually don't leave uneaten food out more then 4 hours or for it to dry up & they eat at random times.
 

ZenHerper

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No argument about circadian rhythm, I did the night thing for years. You only partially ever adjust.

I just wonder about what the actual rhythm is for a RF because they're so different than the desert torts. They're little walking garburators foraging in a constantly hot, wet environment that never sees the sun. Since protein and sugar are available to them, they can pick and choose their meals to a much greater extent. There's really no reason they can't grab a late day snack and go have a nap some place safe while the nocturnal predators are prowling about.

My hunch is they're wired to eat whenever their stomach tells them to.
As I said, no doubt in the wild they do have a more dawn-dusk routine during the hottest conditions. Even to the point of being crepuscular on occasion. Bearing in mind that animals moving around too late will fall prey to nocturnal cats.

RFs are much more like turtles in their overall lifestyle and eating habits. Their craving for meat proteins may cause them to put off eating vegetation in hopes of finding a proper meat meal from time to time.

In captive indoor conditions, where the environment is tightly managed, animals have no reason to adjust their diurnal schedule. Adults moved outdoors will fall along a continuum.

Hatchlings and youngsters should be put on a regular daytime schedule so they don't miss a meal if they fall asleep in the evening. Good quality meats (whole insects, eggs, etc.) should be given as a regular part of the diet.
 

willee638

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My red foot tortoises are very finicky eaters, they also love meat proteins & love seafoods & chicken & a variety of fruits & vegetables but don't show interest in eggs. I once even saw my baby red foot chewing on a dead mouse it found outdoors killed by a cat. I had seen adult red foots eating baby mice but didn't think baby RF would also be interested as well.
 

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