# Best worms for protein



## Beasty_Artemis (Sep 6, 2017)

So what worms are the best to feed to a tortoise? My red foot has had superworms. But are there othere kinds that are edible for a tortoise?


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## richosullivan (Sep 7, 2017)

Mine enjoy butterworms and wax worms.


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Sep 7, 2017)

Don't forget worms are a product of their diet ! So when you buy store bought worms they are given the least and the cheapest food possible.


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## richosullivan (Sep 7, 2017)

Grandpa Turtle 144 said:


> Don't forget worms are a product of their diet ! So when you buy store bought worms they are given the least and the cheapest food possible.



I gut load mine (like I do my crickets for my chameleon). I use Total Bites which seems work well.


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## lisa127 (Sep 7, 2017)

Earthworms (noghtcrawlers) are best nutrition wise. Also Phoenix worms.


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## David Save (Sep 8, 2017)

Do you have to feed your tortoise worms? Is there a way around it? Like maybe supplements for protein, or vegetables that will replace the worms?


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Sep 8, 2017)

David Save said:


> Do you have to feed your tortoise worms? Is there a way around it? Like maybe supplements for protein, or vegetables that will replace the worms?


Hi David


Yes ! Yellow foots and Redfoots and Box Turtles need some protein in their diet !


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## SteveW (Sep 8, 2017)

I'm a big fan of hard boiled eggs. For torts too


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## lisa127 (Sep 8, 2017)

David Save said:


> Do you have to feed your tortoise worms? Is there a way around it? Like maybe supplements for protein, or vegetables that will replace the worms?


My redfoot tortoise refuses live food so must get his protein from non living sources. But supplements and vegetables aren't enough.


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## David Save (Sep 8, 2017)

lisa127 said:


> My redfoot tortoise refuses live food so must get his protein from non living sources. But supplements and vegetables aren't enough.


So what do you do if they refuse life food, and they dont get enough from supplements and vegetables?


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## lisa127 (Sep 9, 2017)

David Save said:


> So what do you do if they refuse life food, and they dont get enough from supplements and vegetables?


You can feed hard boiled egg, cooked chicken, I sometimes use this.


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## Beasty_Artemis (Sep 9, 2017)

I also use shrimp , with the shells on for calcium.

I accidentally bought some mealworms the other day. I don't like them due to their hard shells. I foolishly fed her one, and she pooped out an undigested half of a worm...! I only Want to feed her worms that are easy to digest from now on.


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## Reptilian Feline (Sep 17, 2017)

My redfoots love sweet peas, champignons and hardboild eggs. Embers (the smaller one) also enjoys chicken heart. I have frozen chicken heart for my Pelomedusa variabilis, so when I fed him, I offered some to Embers and Tank Girl. Embers took to it right away, but Tank Girl (the bigger one) turns up her nose at it. I will try fresh chicken hearts when the frozen ones are all eaten. Protein can come from many sources, but for redfoots I think at least soem should come from the animal kingdom. I have sprinkled their food with gammarus and that was popular. I will also try some fish, but want to limit the amount I give them. It's fun to find out what they like to eat, but I don't want to hurt them. I also give them Versele-Laga Crispy snack fibre, because I bough some for my hamsters and the list of ingredients looked fine. They prefer that to the ZooMedd grassland pellets.

I wouldn't give them worms unless they were earthworms, because mealworms are very hard. Medusa didn't like the worms, but would eat the pupae with gusto.


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## lisa127 (Sep 17, 2017)

Beasty_Artemis said:


> I also use shrimp , with the shells on for calcium.
> 
> I accidentally bought some mealworms the other day. I don't like them due to their hard shells. I foolishly fed her one, and she pooped out an undigested half of a worm...! I only Want to feed her worms that are easy to digest from now on.


You can feed freshly molted ones of you're worried about it.


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