Soy protein is not an ideal source. http://www.tortoisetrust/articles/Feeding__FAQ.htm

Corn isnt that great either. If you are looking for convenience make a little window box and grow dandy lions in it . Just tare some off and toss it in there cage. Or grow hibiscus in your yard. Beautiful plant plus the leaves and flowers are one of the best foods for captive tortoises to eat.

This post was last modified: 03-28-2008 04:22 AM by Redfootedboxturtles.

Perhaps some day TRUE research on "forest/jungle" torts will surface.. or should I say be accepted by the "professor's" [ meaning those that profess ] to only find out that redfoot tortoises have in fact been known to be CARNIVOROUS!

Case in point:

A chicken breeder friend of mine asked me what would be a good source of animal protein for her redfoot. After I regained consciousness.. I asked "WHAT"???!!!.. go out to one of your barns and snatch up one of those chicks. Kill it and place it near one of your adults and see what happens!

She wrote back and said: "It was like a shark feeding.. they ate the WHOLE thing.. claws and all"!

Have you been studying my caresheets or following any of the threads on the redfoots.com forum Thalia?.. you'll find these Q?'s are answered for you there.

The key to ( redfoot ) tortoise care is KISS.. Keep It Simple Sweety.. or in my case early on especially - KISStupid.

It doesn't get much better that grape leaves.. hibiscus leaves and blooms ( althea blooms especially ) .. dandelions and curly endive! At least twice a week a meal of fruit alone! ONLY what they can eat in 10 minutes.. once a day. Over-feeding is unhealthy.

All the variety is o.k. - but find the ones that have what they need [ and are readily available ] .. calcium.. fiber.. and animal protein. KISS

Your redfoot's and you will be much happier when you do.

This post was last modified: 03-28-2008 08:49 AM by Redfoot NERD.

I have read through your websites, but I like to get a variety of information from many sources, especially because I'm concerned that I may not be able to get dandelion greens (they don't grow here) or curly endive. Apparently one store in town sells spring mix on Fridays, so I'm going to have to try to get there every friday. I got in contact with the researcher here who works with sea turtles and is partly responsible for the tortoise enclosure too, and she's going to send me some info too

Make it as complex as you like Thalia...

The more you research the more conflicting info you will get.

I'm not making it complex, I'm trying to make sure I have other options if the one store on the island that supposedly sells spring mix doesn't get their shipment a few weeks in a row. St. Kitts is a 3rd world country and an island so everything is imported, to give you an idea about the reliability of groceries, I like to make nachos, I've lived here since the end of December, the store where I shop has had tortilla chips 4 times since I moved here...

I don't want to say I'm going to feed them they way your websites say to, then get caught with nothing to feed them because a hurricane has stopped shipments of food, or something. I don't think that having excess information is ever a bad thing, but being under prepared definitely is.

Thalia what local greens are grown on your island? You need to find some dandy lion seeds, they will grow down there. Do things have to go threw customs on your island?

dandelions do not grow here, I haven't seen them and I will absolutely not import any seeds. The sugar cane which now grows wild is bad enough, I don't need to wreck the ecosystem by importing dandelion lol
There is tamarind, a few different varieties, bermuda grass (I think), lots of hibiscus, there's a whole "toxic plant garden" with things like Mango and aloe vera and oh goodness tons of different local and non-native plants that are all labelled. I might run down there and jot down some names and find out if they're actually toxic to tortoises. Unfortunately I'm not real familiar with plants so I'm not good at saying, OH that's a that tree. My photobucket account is full of "pretty pink flowers" lol ooh they have bougainville and giant milkweed, which must be like regular milkweed b/c the monarchs lay eggs on them.

Just feed them hibiscus, and some fruit a few times a week and a protein once a week. Thats all you need and trust me they wont get bored with that.

ok hopefully I'll figure out the quirks of the grocery stores here and all this worry will have been for naught