It surprises me the protein level would be higher in digested material. Not sure I would understand an explanation of how it happens though. Good information.
Source of protein for sulcatas in the wild
- Thread starter franz_see
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A large component of the dropping is cellular debris from the excreting organs, and the lining of the intestine; it is full of bacteria and other "gut flora" all of which increase protein content.
It was explained to me in college Biology that ruminants don't actually digest the plant matter they ingest. Their flora and fauna digest it, and they digest the flora and fauna. So their stomach complex is actually a microorganism factory in essence.
So their droppings would be the remnants of the plant matter that did not get digested along with the digested flora and fauna that has passed through.
Sound correct?
So their droppings would be the remnants of the plant matter that did not get digested along with the digested flora and fauna that has passed through.
Sound correct?
Right.
I think tortoises digestion is similarly dependent on bacteria to break down their high-cellulose diets, but I have never seen any papers that support that theory.
I recall a fairly big distinction between ruminants like deer, camels, kangaroos, and cows, and non-ruminants like horses and elephants. The distinction being that the non-ruminants had much less efficient digestive systems and relied more on volume than efficiency. I think our tortoises would be grouped with the non-ruminants, but I will happily take correction if I am wrong.
I've worked with kangaroos in the past and I've been working with camels for more than 20 years. The efficiency of their digestive systems is astounding. My 300 pound donkey makes more poop than my 2000 pound camel and she eats twice the amount of food. We can feed the camel any kind of hay, weeds or leaves and those little milk duds always come out the same. Change the donkey's diet and you can really see a difference.
Hi Franz,
I hope you weren't confused by my suggestion to try mazuri. like i said, I give mazuri (as well as zoomed grassland and serra raffy vital) for the other nutrients that may be missing in the natural food i provide. when i do, i crush a small amount and mix it with the greens. i tried to feed whole pellets, but they turn up their noses at it. and if i give a higher percentage of mazuri in the mix, i am sure to get a lot of left overs.
despite the higher protein content, the amount of mazuri my torts are getting is insignificant compared to the amount of greens, so for the case of my torts, i do not think the high protein in the mazuri mattered much. they have grown, but i think bulk of the protein that caused their growth came from the natural food items.
mazuri is good, but i do not think it is essential. i hope i did not make you think it was solely responsible for my healthy herd.
if you want a high protein food item, try mung bean sprouts. it's one of the highest protein veggies we have locally. mine love it, but i give very sparingly since i am not sure if it's good or not.
I hope you weren't confused by my suggestion to try mazuri. like i said, I give mazuri (as well as zoomed grassland and serra raffy vital) for the other nutrients that may be missing in the natural food i provide. when i do, i crush a small amount and mix it with the greens. i tried to feed whole pellets, but they turn up their noses at it. and if i give a higher percentage of mazuri in the mix, i am sure to get a lot of left overs.
despite the higher protein content, the amount of mazuri my torts are getting is insignificant compared to the amount of greens, so for the case of my torts, i do not think the high protein in the mazuri mattered much. they have grown, but i think bulk of the protein that caused their growth came from the natural food items.
mazuri is good, but i do not think it is essential. i hope i did not make you think it was solely responsible for my healthy herd.
if you want a high protein food item, try mung bean sprouts. it's one of the highest protein veggies we have locally. mine love it, but i give very sparingly since i am not sure if it's good or not.
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