What a REDFOOT can eat....

ZEROPILOT

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After making today's feeding, I took a photo of the random days meal for my REDFOOT group and noticed that it's almost 100% fruit and it is 100% items that would make other species very ill.
Most days i take for granted how easy it is to feed my tortoises. What a gigantic selection of foods a REDFOOT can safely eat.
While this is not what anyone would call a fantastic selection today,(and should not be fed every day) it still shows that if you have it in your house, your RF can probably eat it.
This will get scattered around the enclosure with some hibiscus flowers, leaves and cactus.
 

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ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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Today I fed some cactus, a piece of Jack fruit, and some tuna fish. They really are garbage disposals lol.
Yep
Here's tomorrows offering I'm popping in the fridge.
Itll also have some zucchini and squash ends tossed in.
 

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S2G

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Those are some crazy mixes. I'm still figuring out my long term indoor winter enclosure before I pull the trigger on one, but it's nice they can eat all that.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Those are some crazy mixes. I'm still figuring out my long term indoor winter enclosure before I pull the trigger on one, but it's nice they can eat all that.
They are forest floor vacuum cleaners.
Their diet would KILL some other species.
 

Hotsause

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Everything I’ve read says not to feed them , but obviously yours do ok with them so who knows.
 

ZenHerper

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Everything I’ve read says not to feed them , but obviously yours do ok with them so who knows.
Researchers know:

Redfoots are solidly omnivorous in the wild and do best in captivity on an omnivorous diet. Since carrion can be in short supply (and people find it squicky, potentially hazardous, and just plain stinky), other (fresher and cooked) meats are given in captivity.
 

Hotsause

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Researchers know:

Redfoots are solidly omnivorous in the wild and do best in captivity on an omnivorous diet. Since carrion can be in short supply (and people find it squicky, potentially hazardous, and just plain stinky), other (fresher and cooked) meats are given in captivity.
Yea we were talking about tomatoes though. I don’t see anything in that article about about diet.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Two things:
Tomatoes...A fruit. Are in the "nightshade" family.
Most of the plants in this family are toxic to tortoises.
Not tomato fruit. (The leaves ARE toxic)
Secondly, tomatoes are high in sugar. Most tortoises can not process sugars.
Redfoot can.
A lot of old information out there says offhandedly that tomatoes should not be fed. This is indeed still partially true. And you are correct that you read that. But it's like us now saying not to feed fruit.
It's only partially true because several species should not consume any.
But as far as RF go, it's just not true at all. The only side effect could be some diarrhea if fed in excess.
Tomatoes as a small part of the diet are just fine. And watching a RF chomp down on a few cherry tomatoes is fun to watch.
On a side note: About 100 years ago tomatoes where thought to be poisonous to humans as well.
 
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