Staple diet for Stars

[Gus]

Glad to hear that but my still a long way to achieve that.

I managed to get my Sheldon crazy on Mazuri.
All I need to do now is convert my Amber

Anyway, their staple vegs are usually a mix of radicchio, oak leaves, butterhead lettuce, romaine, coral lettuce, hibiscus, catus pads

 

[Malaefic]

Glad to hear that but my still a long way to achieve that.

I managed to get my Sheldon crazy on Mazuri.
All I need to do now is convert my Amber

Anyway, their staple vegs are usually a mix of radicchio, oak leaves, butterhead lettuce, romaine, coral lettuce, hibiscus, catus pads

Well my Amber won't even sniff at Mazuri so long way for her

 

[Starry night]

Why does everyone think it's ok to load your tortoise up with Mazuri. Most experts would recommend only feeding it to them once a week or so because it has a higher protein content and it's also not the most natural food for them. Try also getting some different grasses mixed in with those greens as they need high fiber and just greens can produce loose stools. These animals are not like dogs or cats and have adapted to years of being fed man made foods.

 

[Gus]

Hi Starry

I strongly agree with what you have said why does everyone think it's ok to load your tortoise up with Mazuri because These animals are not like dogs or cats.

And we should feed them with diff type of vegetable and different grasses which I'm started and as for mazuri I will still mix it once a week just to finish the pack which i have just bought.

we should provide our pet with fresh food only.

Thanks

Why does everyone think it's ok to load your tortoise up with Mazuri. Most experts would recommend only feeding it to them once a week or so because it has a higher protein content and it's also not the most natural food for them. Try also getting some mixed in with those greens as they need high fiber and just greens can produce loose stools. These animals are not like dogs or cats and have adapted to years of being fed man made foods.

 

[onarock]

I have 8 platynota that I keep outside year round. They eat mainly grasses.
Kukuya
Bermuda
Seashore Paspalum
They also eat
opuntia and a variety of sedum that grows where I live called I'Iwi and the occasional hibiscus leaves and flowers

 

[Dagui]

Hi, would like to ask, i can't get any fresh dandelions n mulberry leaves over here, but i came across dried ones, can i feed it to my tort as well?

 

[patrickstar]

guys,

i wud like to kno, issit ok for my stars if i feed them with cactus pad & hibiscus leaves & flower for their staple diet.. they enjoy it but realli wanna kno ur opinion.

tq

I

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I feed my stars butter lettuce, endive,escorole,zuccini,grated carrotts,optima cactus,red leaf from my garden,swiss chard not to much from my garden,pumpkin flowers,hibiscus flowers, rose petals, I usually leave the flowers in there enclosures, they like them more dried.I also have dried mulberry leaves,grape leaves,and hibiscus leaves always in the enclosure for them to pick at, plenty of water plus I put them in warm water every e days to keep them clean, and they clean themselves out also. Then I put a little mineral oil in between there necks and legs. I use peices of carpetining in there enclosure to lie on, I just pick it up every otherday and wash it. I also cover them at night to make sure they don't get any drafts. I think they are spoiled. They also have a huge mirror, they like looking at themselves......patrickstar

 

[samstar]

My Stars are both hooked onto Mazuri although I do feed them salad once a week which they take in reluctantly.

 

[samstar]

I have been feeding them with salad mix the past couple of days mixed with Mazuri and they just gobble up everything, sometimes I add a little grape juice or papaya juice over their food to spice up the flavour, hibiscus once in a while.

 

[jzdennis4]

How do you guys feed your tortoise with carrot??? Mine totally show no ot interest few bite only. probably its too hard for them is it?

 

[ISTortoiseLover]

yes, at least, i know i do feed my star tort carrots. Its good for them, but always feed a variety. Your stars are still young, u might wanna chop the carrots into small bits for them.

Btw, do u have a backyard to keep that sulcata of yours when its bigger?

 

[jzdennis4]

yes, at least, i know i do feed my star tort carrots. Its good for them, but always feed a variety. Your stars are still young, u might wanna chop the carrots into small bits for them.

Btw, do u have a backyard to keep that sulcata of yours when its bigger?

yup got a garden my sulcata only 11cm big lol

 

[ISTortoiseLover]

nice, would love to see more pictures of them.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is from the Tortoise Trust website:

Indian Star tortoises (Geochelone elegans) have dietary requirements that fall mid-way between that of Mediterranean tortoises (Testudo species) and Leopard tortoises (Geochelone pardalis). In captivity, they should not be given fruit either in quantity or on a routine basis, or they will suffer serious digestive tract disorders. They need a diet which is very high in fiber, is low in sugars and easily digestible carbohydrates, and which is primarily based around coarse green leaves, mixed grasses, and flowers. Juveniles and egg-laying females require large amounts of calcium. Use a supplement - always. Good foods include:

* Hibiscus leaves and flowers
* Mulberry leaves
* Fresh lawn grasses (this is a grazing species)
* Petunia leaves and flowers
* Clover
* Dandelion
* Plantain (the 'weed', not the similar sounding fruit)
* Sanseveria sp.
* Mesembryanthemum sp.
* Crassula sp.

Try to avoid a diet based upon 'supermarket salad'. This will not offer adequate fiber, and tends to be very poor in essential trace elements and other nutrients. Thousands of baby Indian Star tortoises are sold each year in some parts of the world as pets: the vast majority die within 12 months because the basic feeding advice given here is ignored. If you keep this species, you must provide an adequate diet and must ensure that both calcium and vitamin D3 needs are met.