Need help with RF diet

Yvonne G

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I received the following in a private conversation from:

Katie_tortoise crazyNew Member
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from England

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What should I feed my red-foot tortoise and what should I avoid? When I got my red foot from a trusted pet shop called the Trop Shop in Grays he was three years old and the feed him greens and one a week a strawberry .

I have read all different things to feed and what not to but am confused. I really need your help!!
 

ascott

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I received the following in a private conversation from:

Katie_tortoise crazyNew Member
Joined: Today
from England

New
What should I feed my red-foot tortoise and what should I avoid? When I got my red foot from a trusted pet shop called the Trop Shop in Grays he was three years old and the feed him greens and one a week a strawberry .

I have read all different things to feed and what not to but am confused. I really need your help!!

Yvonne, I know that this is a species that is listed as able to handle fruit and high protein....and as you know I have California Desert Tortoise here and they are close to my heart for care....I follow more in line with what I offer them (more greens, leafy greens and I also am a firm believer--even though others do not---that romaine, red leaf, green leaf, endive and radicchio are super great and offer them in abundance) if a care giver has a yard of turf available to me that is the most precious resource--as here in the high desert that would be a luxury that I do not easily have at hand. Back to Redfoot.....while I can offer fruit, I rarely do--like a few times a year. I offer clean boiled chicken a few times a year and will make a bunch and feed it to them until it is gone, over a few days and then back to greens....

That is just what I do and it appears to be a favorable set up.....that is just my two cents and I am sure others will offer up their great information.....now I am going to run back up to the bleachers and watch the good info flow in :)
 
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Yvonne, I know that this is a species that is listed as able to handle fruit and high protein....and as you know I have California Desert Tortoise here and they are close to my heart for care....I follow more in line with what I offer them (more greens, leafy greens and I also am a firm believer--even though others do not---that romaine, red leaf, green leaf, endive and radicchio are super great and offer them in abundance) if a care giver has a yard of turf available to me that is the most precious resource--as here in the high desert that would be a luxury that I do not easily have at hand. Back to Redfoot.....while I can offer fruit, I rarely do--like a few times a year. I offer clean boiled chicken a few times a year and will make a bunch and feed it to them until it is gone, over a few days and then back to greens....

That is just what I do and it appears to be a favorable set up.....that is just my two cents and I am sure others will offer up their great information.....now I am going to run back up to the bleachers and watch the good info flow in :)

Thank you I will definitely try him with clean boiled chicken. And I will start to give him some fruits every few weeks
 

ZEROPILOT

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I offer my Redfoot as much as 70% fruit. Especially in the summer time.
Fruit, flowers and hibiscus leaves. Then greens. Some cactus. And lastly protein.
Redfoot are special in that they can consume a very wide array of foods.
Think about what they might encounter on the forest floor. Fallen fruit. Dead animals and maybe some soft plant material and a mushroom or two?
I've always offered a diet high in fruit content.
But they will literally eat whatever suitable food you have available for them. Mix it up. Adults are especially easy to feed.
Avoid a lot of super sugary foods like banana and offer things like figs.
Craig AKA @Anyfoot raises Redfoot in the U.K.and does an admirable job of it. So it can be done over there. And done well.
 
Last edited:

Toddrickfl1

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I give my RF about a 50/50 mix of fruit and greens. Here are some of the food items I give him Romaine, kale, endive, turnip greens, mustard greens, hibiscus leaves and flower, Radicchio, dandelion greens and flower, sweet potato, mushrooms, cactus, mulberry leaf, papaya, banana, pineapple, mango, strawberry, peach, blueberry, cantalope, avocado, kiwi, honeydew, fig, and Mazuri a couple times a week. He also eats worms/slugs/bugs/snails etc outside in his pen.

Never just one item, a mix of several of the above. Also never the same mix a different variety daily.
 

daniellenc

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My RF gets a piece of fruit the size of his head once a day, with greens and weeds, and boiled shrimp twice a month. Mazuri is twice a week only and veggies like squash, zuchinni, pumpkin, and mushroom twice a week as well. I grow mulberry, hibiscus, plantain, clover, dandelion, turnip greens, radish greens, and others that are staples. In winter I can buy all these at the store along with cactus, radicchio, endive, arugula, and so many more. Just offer a huge variety of fruit and greens and add protein here and there and you’ll be fine. The only wrong way is offering no variety.
 

MysticCaribou

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My Redfoot gets turnip greens, mushrooms & zucchini as the main go to, but I always add some fruit - melon, strawberry, blueberries and others that I might have. Fruit is fed daily, but about 15% of her meal. I also feed safe flowers and other vegetables. If I run out of fresh foods I will feed her Mazuri pellets. Maybe once a week at the most.
 

Redfool

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About 50% of my RFs diet is hibiscus leaves and flowers. Free food from 20 bushes. The other 50% is fruits veggies and greens. Mazuri twice a week. Mushrooms occasionally. Going to plant a patch of arugula and chicory. Calcium carbonate supplement. Don’t need D3 for outside torts, sunlight metabolizes CaCO3. This has worked for RFs of all ages for over 25 years.
 
Joined
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Yvonne, I know that this is a species that is listed as able to handle fruit and high protein....and as you know I have California Desert Tortoise here and they are close to my heart for care....I follow more in line with what I offer them (more greens, leafy greens and I also am a firm believer--even though others do not---that romaine, red leaf, green leaf, endive and radicchio are super great and offer them in abundance) if a care giver has a yard of turf available to me that is the most precious resource--as here in the high desert that would be a luxury that I do not easily have at hand. Back to Redfoot.....while I can offer fruit, I rarely do--like a few times a year. I offer clean boiled chicken a few times a year and will make a bunch and feed it to them until it is gone, over a few days and then back to greens....

That is just what I do and it appears to be a favorable set up.....that is just my two cents and I am sure others will offer up their great information.....now I am going to run back up to the bleachers and watch the good info flow in :)
Thanks for the help. I will start to add some of the suggested foods to my tortoises diet
 
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
England
About 50% of my RFs diet is hibiscus leaves and flowers. Free food from 20 bushes. The other 50% is fruits veggies and greens. Mazuri twice a week. Mushrooms occasionally. Going to plant a patch of arugula and chicory. Calcium carbonate supplement. Don’t need D3 for outside torts, sunlight metabolizes CaCO3. This has worked for RFs of all ages for over 25 years.
Thanks for the help. I will start to add some of the suggested foods to my tortoises diet
 
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