ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

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dannomite

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Hey everyone, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. I bought some for my Baby Sulcata as part of his diet until its nice enough to get him outside grazing.

Here is the URL. To me it seems like it has the right Fibre/Protein amounts. I know a lot of sites like Sulcata Station state that you shouldn't feed any commercial Tortoise foods and I can see why when I look at a lot of the other ones they have too much Protein but this one seems specialized for these Torts so I was wondering if its all marketing or if the food seems legit? I soak it with water and it gets very moist and smells nice and grassy.

Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise Food
 

egyptiandan

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From what I can see with the ingredients, it's the only one I'd recommend as a supplement. :D

Danny
 

fel1958

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dannomite said:
Hey everyone, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. I bought some for my Baby Sulcata as part of his diet until its nice enough to get him outside grazing.

Here is the URL. To me it seems like it has the right Fibre/Protein amounts. I know a lot of sites like Sulcata Station state that you shouldn't feed any commercial Tortoise foods and I can see why when I look at a lot of the other ones they have too much Protein but this one seems specialized for these Torts so I was wondering if its all marketing or if the food seems legit? I soak it with water and it gets very moist and smells nice and grassy.

Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise Food

i use this when i feed mazuri.i soak it with the mazuri and they seem to like it.i usually use it once a week just for a change.
 

auerdoan

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Ive just started to try this out
my Leopard tort wont eat it alone
so when he opens his mouth to eat his spring mix im pushing some ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food in there sometimes he will take some on his own but im sure it will take some time

i understand everyones believes in there spring mix.

im trying to think this through.. in there natural enviernment they have a more fiberous meal and have evolved to eat this for perhaps thousands of years.

they may like this spring mix maybe because its smell

but im wondering in the long run what do we really understand about there health and there requirements.
so im going shooting for a 10 percent spring and 90 percent of there more natural food.over all i would really like to simulate there natural food lively grown in his pen.

this is going to take some research
to be continued
 

Greg T

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I bought some of this for my leopards, but they won't eat it. Even if I wet it and mix it in with the greens, they eat around it. I had to switch to mazuri, which they devour.

So you can try it because it is good stuff for them, but there is no guarantee they will eat it. Get a small bottle at Petco and try it out.
 

Madkins007

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My opinion on all supplements, pellets, etc. is that they serve a real purpose in emergencies, can serve to help supplement a diet, can help large-scale operations control costs, and that there is probably nothing really wrong with the 'professional name brands' if you follow their feeding guidelines.

Having said that, one thing about Mazuri is that supposedly uses a molasses sweetener to encourage animals to eat it. This does not necessarily mean anything healthwise, it just means that the animals may not be choosing it over ZooMed for the health benefits.

My guys would not eat ZooMed- period- unless I crunched it up and sprinkled it over other things.

Personally, my 'code' for food is to use as fresh/live, wholesome/organic, and varied as possible.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I don't understand you saying you want to feed a more natural diet...and that's pellets? I ain't never seen any tortoise in the wild chase down a jar of a commercially pelleted food products and get the jar open. I had never believed in feeding that stuff. But last winter I was given 20 pounds of Mazuri and started feeding it to Bob once a week or so. Because it was winter and that means that he's stuck inside for 7 months and he's eating grocery store greens and hay his poop was pretty soft. But when I started feeding the Mazuri his poop firmed right up. I use it as a supplement, only one of my tortoises won't eat it, and now my little Queenie won't eat anything but the Mazuri. When I first got her she ate anything green and grazed really good. But I gave her 4 Mazuri pellets one feeding and nowI am in a struggle to make her graze or eat anything green. She LOVES Mazuri. So I'm in a contest of wills with her. I am afraid she will win...
 

auerdoan

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Sounds like i need to look up this Mazuri.
i would nt call something in a bottle natural, but because it is in one, i wouldnt say it the furthest thing from natural.

remember the saying everthing in moderation.
 

Traveller

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I use the ZooMed and Mazuri.
The ZooMed pellets I soak and mix with the greens I feed
to our Leopard. She eats it but doesn't inhale it like she does with
the Mazuri.
I feed the Mazuri once or twice a week just for variety.
I'm not totally sold on feeding only pellets but it sure
makes it easier to get the fibre.
Have you ever tried chopping dry timothy hay, not an easy task.
Although maybe someone with more experience has
some tips?
 

Madkins007

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I supplement the Red-foots greens with some chopped hay. To do it, I take a bag of mixed rabbit hays and sort of pull a wad out, then cut it into about 1.5-3" chunks with heavy scissors, letting the cut pieces fall into an clean ice cream pail. I'll cut until my hand gets tired and cut some more the next day.

I figure if I can trick someone into helping me and loaning me their paper cutter/chopper, I can do the whole thing faster by having one person sort of line the stuff up while the other chops away.
 

raYchiLL

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I use the Zoo-MED Grassland Tortoise food and my torts absolutly love it. I mean granted after days of eating the stuff they are over it which is why they need a varied diet but they are all about it and I haven't had a problem with it. I was worried in the beginning cus another forum told me not to use it but once I stopped and jus tried to cut up the timothy hay or orchard grass and soak the grass and greens with hay my baby was too smart and knows how to eat around the hay. So in short I am mixing both methods plus the occasional treats :D lol.
 

auerdoan

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maggie3fan said:
I don't understand you saying you want to feed a more natural diet...and that's pellets? I ain't never seen any tortoise in the wild chase down a jar of a commercially pelleted food products and get the jar open. I had never believed in feeding that stuff. But last winter I was given 20 pounds of Mazuri and started feeding it to Bob once a week or so. Because it was winter and that means that he's stuck inside for 7 months and he's eating grocery store greens and hay his poop was pretty soft. But when I started feeding the Mazuri his poop firmed right up. I use it as a supplement, only one of my tortoises won't eat it, and now my little Queenie won't eat anything but the Mazuri. When I first got her she ate anything green and grazed really good. But I gave her 4 Mazuri pellets one feeding and nowI am in a struggle to make her graze or eat anything green. She LOVES Mazuri. So I'm in a contest of wills with her. I am afraid she will win...

im not saying the container looks natural. but if you look closely at food
its chopped plant.
 

Yvonne G

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raYchiLL said:
I use the Zoo-MED Grassland Tortoise food and my torts absolutly love it. I mean granted after days of eating the stuff they are over it which is why they need a varied diet but they are all about it and I haven't had a problem with it. I was worried in the beginning cus another forum told me not to use it but once I stopped and jus tried to cut up the timothy hay or orchard grass and soak the grass and greens with hay my baby was too smart and knows how to eat around the hay. So in short I am mixing both methods plus the occasional treats :D lol.

I only use a pelleted food for my tortoises once a week. The rest of the time they graze. But I think if you offer your tortoises a nice variety of dark, leafy greens the rest of the time, once a week is fine for a pelleted food. (Also, babies won't eat grass or hay until they get a couple years old.)

Yvonne
 

Nay

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I haven't tried this yet but I use my small food processor for everything. How about hay? Just a thought.
Na
 

tortoisenerd

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That sounds great as long as the processor could handle it! I'd probably have a second cheap one to do that if it was me so I wouldn't have to clean out all the hay bits.
 
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Italianlnm

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Does anyone know where I can buy a smaller bag of Mazuri? I have a hatchling, and I am afraid that buying such a big bag, it will expire before they can eat it all.

Also, does it come in something other than the big pellets?
 

Greg T

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Do a search for mazuri in the "for sale" section and you will find a person who sells it in 3 pound bags. It only comes in one pellet size, but if you soak the pellets for a few minutes, they get soft enough for the torts to bite.

I'd try to feed the grassland and maybe alternate with mazuri to give some variety. I throw a little on the spring mix each night and they eat it all. :)
 

Sudhira

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My Greek says, yuck. Won't touch the stuff! Even when mixed with a tantalizing raspberry!
 
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