Well we need food

matheny00

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Being self employed we have now been shut down with no income for going on 6 weeks. Things are starting to thin out so we are going to the yard for food for our 2 redfoots. Can someone please tell me what in these pics is safe food for them.
Thank you20200323_093252.jpg20200323_093250_HDR.jpg20200323_093247_HDR.jpg20200323_093244_HDR.jpg20200323_093238.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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They won't eat the horse weed (first few pictures), but the prickly lettuce in the last picture is edible.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Being in Florida, I'm pretty sure that our weeds are different.
I'd place one into my untreated yard and watch and see what he eats. Then concentrate on those plants.
Don't forget that Redfoot can eat many things that other tortoises can not. Including fruits, vegetables and protein.
A lot of the things that your family is eating, they can eat the trimmings that you may currently be throwing away.
Read over the Redfoot foods list. I think you're going to feel a lot better about feeding them.
They are natures vacuum cleaners.
 

Tom

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Being self employed we have now been shut down with no income for going on 6 weeks. Things are starting to thin out so we are going to the yard for food for our 2 redfoots. Can someone please tell me what in these pics is safe food for them.
Thank you
Here is a list of good items that are easy to find in our climate here in SoCal:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
 

matheny00

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Location (City and/or State)
Anaheim, Calif
Here is a list of good items that are easy to find in our climate here in SoCal:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
Thanks on the hibiscus can that be a staple or limited food item?
 

matheny00

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Location (City and/or State)
Anaheim, Calif
we give them bell peppers, zucchini, apples, bananas, grapes, blueberries for their fruit randomly every few days.
We give hard boiled eggs for their protein once a month.
For their daily eats it is normally organic red lettuce.
Any advise on their diet.

Currently the 2 of them are about 6" x 4" live in a reptile habitat box 24" x 36", ceramic heat disk set to 92 at day 85 at night. 1 18" uv fluorescent tube.
We are in the now postponed process of moving them to a 30" x 72" new enclosure that will have a misting area for humidity and more roome for them.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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we give them bell peppers, zucchini, apples, bananas, grapes, blueberries for their fruit randomly every few days.
We give hard boiled eggs for their protein once a month.
For their daily eats it is normally organic red lettuce.
Any advise on their diet.

Currently the 2 of them are about 6" x 4" live in a reptile habitat box 24" x 36", ceramic heat disk set to 92 at day 85 at night. 1 18" uv fluorescent tube.
We are in the now postponed process of moving them to a 30" x 72" new enclosure that will have a misting area for humidity and more roome for them.
They will require separate enclosures.
 

ZenHerper

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They get along great they sleep next to each other at times and eat well togeather

And those are both signs of aggression in a tortoise.
I know it looks like affection to us mammals. But they're not like us.

I have to agree with ZP, the photo in your avatar is not evidence of snuggling.

A dominant/bullying tortoise will jam its face into the subordinate individual. This is incredibly stressful for the bullied tort and can lead to all sorts of physical and mental health problems.

It is silent, but deadly.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I have to agree with ZP, the photo in your avatar is not evidence of snuggling.

A dominant/bullying tortoise will jam its face into the subordinate individual. This is incredibly stressful for the bullied tort and can lead to all sorts of physical and mental health problems.

It is silent, but deadly.
It's hard to think like a tortoise.
You're not alone.
 

Tom

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@matheny00

I know it is not convenient, and its not what you want to hear, but you have a problem. You need to separate them before it evolves into a much bigger problem. Tortoises should never be housed in pairs.

We had a member here a few years back who ignored this advice with her two RFs. Six weeks later she came back asking for advice about what to do. One tortoise had bitten off and eaten the tail and most of the back leg of the other.

Other members have come home to find one tortoise eating the head of the other. We've seen several cases of missing or damaged eyes, but the most common thing is for one or the other to just slowly decline over time. The chronic stress is not good for either of them.
 

matheny00

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Location (City and/or State)
Anaheim, Calif
@matheny00

I know it is not convenient, and its not what you want to hear, but you have a problem. You need to separate them before it evolves into a much bigger problem. Tortoises should never be housed in pairs.

We had a member here a few years back who ignored this advice with her two RFs. Six weeks later she came back asking for advice about what to do. One tortoise had bitten off and eaten the tail and most of the back leg of the other.

Other members have come home to find one tortoise eating the head of the other. We've seen several cases of missing or damaged eyes, but the most common thing is for one or the other to just slowly decline over time. The chronic stress is not good for either of them.
The sad thing is this is contrary to advice I got from other forums hence #2 being bought. What if we add a 3rd tort? The new enclosure will be big enough to separate if need be or being it is 6" long 36" wide ok?
 

Tom

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The sad thing is this is contrary to advice I got from other forums hence #2 being bought. What if we add a 3rd tort? The new enclosure will be big enough to separate if need be or being it is 6" long 36" wide ok?
RFs are generally a peaceable species, but there are always exceptions. You could try a third one, or more, and it might work, but if it doesn't work, then you'd need THREE separate enclosures.

Remember to quarantine any new additions for a few months.

I don't think 3x6' is large enough for one 6 inch tortoise if that is their only enclosure. If you have a second large enclosure outside that they spend most of their time in, then its not as bad. Yours are just about the right size to move outside full time with a heated night box, and your climate down there is pretty good for them. I'm up in Santa Clarita and its too hot and dry up here. By the time you build and paint a box, the weather should be perfect for moving them outside.

If you want to keep just your two, here is an example of a double door night box that is divided in the middle. This allows you to house them each in their own enclosure, but only heat and maintain one night box.
 

jr7162

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Aug 21, 2019
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Augusta KS
Would this list be ok for a Hermanns also?
Here is a list of good items that are easy to find in our climate here in SoCal:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
 

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