# How much to feed redfoots with protein



## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi everyone.

Just a quick question.

I feed my adult redfoot torts with fuzzie mice to give them protein. I feed them mice once a week. How often should I feed them fuzzies and how many in one sitting per tortoise? Do I let them gorge on them once a week or do I give them a certain amount? Is once a week to often? 

Thank you 

Craig


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

@N2TORTS


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

That's a great question because I have read and heard that it should make up 10% of their diet. My reds are juveniles and if I allowed them they'd eat slugs and worms all day! 

I don't let her have at it with feeders such as mealworms because I worry about her passing the exoskeleton. So that i feed in moderation.

Haven't tried pinkies yet!


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

I give my juveniles 1 pinkie a week. All my torts would eat worms, mealworms and cat food all day long if I let them. I only feed them mice now, my thoughts are surely they are getting calcium from the mice bones aswell.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

I use this Blueberry scented calcium supplement, I found on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0004E85CW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 And occasionally I'll catch them munching on an eggshell I've put in there...

(lol there's a spoon in the pic because she came out when I started digging!)


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

Your tort is pretty. Is he/she a cherry head redfoot. What kind of egg shell is it. I never thought of that mine have cuttlefish.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

When I ordered her I was told she was a Redfoot. But that clown nose has me wondering! I've been told by some TFO members I have a Brazilian (above), and a Columbian. This guy....


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

Just hard boiled egg (which is also a source of protein) and I throw the shells in sometimes.


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

Yes you do have a cherry head and a redfoot. Do they live together. Im going to put some egg shell in now. What colour is the plastron of the cherry head.


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

christinaland128 said:


> I use this Blueberry scented calcium supplement, I found on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0004E85CW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 And occasionally I'll catch them munching on an eggshell I've put in there...
> View attachment 106897
> (lol there's a spoon in the pic because she came out when I started digging!)


Whoa....I never heard of that!!!! Blueberry calcium! Interesting!!


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

I feed boiled chicken, bugs in the summer, & hard boiled eggs but not very often. I have never given my torts a lot of protein ever since I've had them. I think when I researched Redfoots back in 2008 when I first rescued mine at the pet store, I got scared with the over feeding, pyramiding, & too much protein stuff I read about. Plus they get protein from the mazuri that they are addicted too!!!


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi stojanovski92113

Interesting. Do your torts have any pyramiding at all. Have they ever laid fertile eggs.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> Yes you do have a cherry head and a redfoot. Do they live together. Im going to put some egg shell in now. What colour is the plastron of the cherry head.


Her plastron is yellow with some black marbeling. I have no recent pic and she's sleeping now!


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

She/he is a cherryhead. Redfoots have yellow plastrons and cherryheads have black marbeling. As he/she gets older the plastron will probably get darker in colour.


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## Anyfoot (Nov 28, 2014)

Some photos. 1st is one of my juveniles playing santa clause with a shrimp.
2nd is clarice. She was born with a cleff beak and 1 nostral. She's 9" long, I rescued her from a shop a few months ago, and in the 3rd clarice has kicked my cat out of her bed.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

Haha! Love the shrimp face! Aw, Clarice is so sweet. Nice of you to rescue her.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 28, 2014)

This was a good thread on Redfoot subspecies..http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/A-New-Update-on-red-foot-types.89886/


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> Hi stojanovski92113
> 
> Interesting. Do your torts have any pyramiding at all. Have they ever laid fertile eggs.


Yes. I bought 2 red foots that were at a pet store that had pyramding. They were older torts maybe 5 or so years old. I would take a pic but they are sleeping. I bought my other tortoise Juinior who was maybe 2 yrs old & I can show you a pic of him or her. Then I have my little flap jack I've had since a very baby!! Hold on for that pic!


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

Ohh and I have yet to have any eggs... I think I have all girls!!


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

Junior


Flapjack


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 28, 2014)

christinaland128 said:


> I use this Blueberry scented calcium supplement, I found on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0004E85CW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 And occasionally I'll catch them munching on an eggshell I've put in there...
> View attachment 106897
> (lol there's a spoon in the pic because she came out when I started digging!)


I've yet to try egg shell's...I will try that


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

They look gorgeous. What is the substrate you are using. It looks perfect for holding Humidity.


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

Does anybody Know why the 1st picture that I put on of my tort eating a shrimp has disappeared.


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> They look gorgeous. What is the substrate you are using. It looks perfect for holding Humidity.


Thank you, I'm trying, they do have pyramding but not bad  I'm using cypress mulch. I will take a big of my two bigger ones in just a bit


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> Does anybody Know why the 1st picture that I put on of my tort eating a shrimp has disappeared.


I never saw that picture


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

Big Red & Speedy in the back

Speedy


Big Red


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

My substrate is 6" organic topsoil, then a mix of forest floor and coir. I've got a mini ecosystem here, live plants, worms, pull bugs!  My one red digs for bugs sometimes. It's funny but she destroys parts of the enclosure! Stinker!


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

@stojanovski92113 your reds are beautiful!


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

christinaland128 said:


> @stojanovski92113 your reds are beautiful!


Thank you @christinaland128!!! I love them! I need to build a much bigger tort table. Big red and speedy are getting huge!!! And then out of nowhere Junoir had a huge growth spurt LOL. Flapjack is still small but will catch up eventually. Thank god my two cherry heads are just babies now  I LOVE REDFOOTS


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

@Anyfoot a plastron shot....


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

Christinaland128 that looks most likely a cherryhead. This is my male cherryhead, he's about 8" in length. 
Take note of the colour of his palstron. Northern redfoots have a yellow plastron.


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

stojanovski92113 . Your torts are perfect. My male above is also called speedy, And he lives up to his name. He as got
to be the most active tortoise I've ever seen. Quite funny cause he goes round all my female redfoots doing his head bobbing 
ritual trying to get them interested. But there having none of it. How big is the table they are in now.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> Christinaland128 that looks most likely a cherryhead. This is my male cherryhead, he's about 8" in length.
> Take note of the colour of his palstron. Northern redfoots have a yellow plastron.
> 
> 
> ...


Wow look at that guy!!!! Mine are the size of potatoes!


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

Wanted everyone to see my set up for my juveniles. I've opted for the 2x2x4ft vivarium after having nothing but problems with humidity in the tortoise table I had them in at first. Constructive criticism is more than welcome. All the plants are fake fabric so they hold the moister. Temperatures are 34deg(93) under ceramic bulb down to 28deg(82) at the other end. I spray it once a day. Humidity ranges from 90% down to 75% at lowest. I'm thinking of adding an automatic fogger. Has anyone had any experience with these. The substrate varies across the viv. Comprising of spagnum moss, cyprus mulce and coconut mulch, I've also got at the far end under the cyprus mulch about 2" of humus so they can dig in under the cyprus mulch. Thank you


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

I made a homemade fogging system from a crane humidifier. You can buy vinyl tubing at Home Depot.


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

Wow nice setup!


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

That's a good idea. I'm going to look into that. So is the mist/fog that comes out warm?


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## christinaland128 (Nov 29, 2014)

No, but with the CHE and the fineness of the mist it's not cold at all.


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> Christinaland128 that looks most likely a cherryhead. This is my male cherryhead, he's about 8" in length.
> Take note of the colour of his palstron. Northern redfoots have a yellow plastron.
> 
> 
> ...


Holy tail


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 29, 2014)

Anyfoot said:


> stojanovski92113 . Your torts are perfect. My male above is also called speedy, And he lives up to his name. He as got
> to be the most active tortoise I've ever seen. Quite funny cause he goes round all my female redfoots doing his head bobbing
> ritual trying to get them interested. But there having none of it. How big is the table they are in now.


My tort table is small!!!! A 4x6!! I'm in the works to do a "L" shaped tort table. My friend made it for me while I was on my honeymoon  but my torts r getting pretty huge!! I have 2 in the table & 2 in a kiddie pool


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## Anyfoot (Nov 29, 2014)

I have the same problem. I have 5 adult torts in a 4x6 table. However its open to a 16x16ft room for them to roam around.
I'm going to make an extention table and connect it to my existing table. I'm also going to put a few small random boxes in my tort room for them to use as hides. However my torts love to sleep together. They all go to same place to sleep. Not necessarily the same area every night. But they all follow 1 tort to sleep. Sometimes they banish my male to another area. But he comes bouncing back the day after trying his look with them.


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