In the following I will attempt to review and critique the Redfoot Care Sheet that is published on this Forum by Redfoot NERD.
I will say at the outset that I feel Mr. Kilgore (Redfoot NERD) means well and that he cares about his animals. However, there are some errors, both great and small that need to be addressed. I have copied his Care Sheet and will comment to specific statements in blue BOLD italics.
REDFOOT TORTOISE CARESHEET
ALL Tortoises on the planet require that 4 parameters be "IN BALANCE".
Temperature - Humidity - Lighting - Diet
Redfoot tortoises require the same parameters - UNIQUE from EVERY OTHER tortoise.
In other words = Redfoot tortoises are 'totally-different' than say Russian tortoises.
Different continent.. climate.. diet, etc.
"Redfoot tortoises require the same parameters - UNIQUE from EVERY OTHER tortoise."
This statement is self-negating...on the one hand NERD is claiming that redfoot tortoise are the same as all other tortoises while simultaneously claiming that they are completely unique.
While he is correct in saying that red-footed tortoises are very different from Russian tortoises, red-footed tortoises are actually NOT unique in the tortoise world. The Bell's hinge-back tortoise fills the very same ecological niche as red-footed tortoises in much of their range in Africa. They consume many of the same food items and live within many of the very same habitats and micro-habitats.
Likewise, the elongated tortoise of Asia lives a very similar lifestyle in much of its range in Vietnam, Thailand and India. The Forsten's tortoise does as well.
BASICALLY THESE "BASICS" ARE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS -
you will find I tell WHY and then What when explaining ..
how to keep everything "IN BALANCE".
+++
This may seem like a lot to read and sometimes repeated - only to help
make it better understood!
This following Caresheet was created in 2005. Does it work you might ask?
It has 'started' literally hundreds of hatchlings -
these are just a few examples.. shown 3-4 years old -
****
Chances are you've not seen many "Captive Raised" like these !!!
The animals depicted in the photos are indeed nice looking. But they are neither remarkable or rare in captivity anymore. NERD'S claim that 'you've not seen many "Captive Raised" like these' indicates that only he--or those who follow is regime--can get these results. It is insulting to those of us who do so-- and have done so for decades without ever even hearing of NERD.
** DIET **
I use the size of their head as a guage to how much is fed..
I figure their stomachs are about the same size..
maybe even smaller!
This statement is completely misleading. A small tortoises' EMPTY stomach might be the size of its head but their stomachs are designed to expand far beyond this size when eating. NERD is here implying that one should only feed enough to fill the animals head.
FEED:
hatchling's 1X ( size of head ).. every-day -
juvenile's [ 4" - 6" SCL ] 3X .. 'every-other day' -
adult's [ 6+" SCL ] 6X .. every 3rd day.
Over-feeding is too common.. and easy to do!
RESIST OVER-FEEDING.. which causes health issues!
This is another misleading, throwaway line. Over-feeding bad foods is what causes health issues. A tortoise will only eat as much as its stomach can handle. They stop eating after this point. It is the constant diet of inappropriate foods that will make them sick in time.
Keeping them 'hungry' is better than feeding too much!!!
+++
Feed your hatchling "once" daily.. whatever they don't eat at one setting..
discard.. PERIOD.. too much is bad for their kidneys!
This admonition is simply 100% wrong. First, these animals are browsers in nature and thus will consume appealing food items as long as they are active. They may eat and then rest a short distance from their food source--such as a flowering or fruiting tree or shrub, and then return and continue to eat later.
The statement 'too much is bad for their kidneys' is laughably inaccurate-- and in fact I'm pretty sure biologically impossible too. As long as the animal is not severely dehydrated or consuming toxic food items their little kidneys will be quite safe.
A good plentiful water source is Vital also!
DO NOT RUSH THEIR GROWTH!!
FEEDING SCHEDULE.. first 2 days "greens alone".. next day "fruit alone"..
next 2 days "greens alone".. next day "fruit treat" - pineapple or something different..
next day "animal protein" ALONE.. ( NOT Mazuri.. protein level too low & not animal source ).
Sprinkle re-hydrated cat food with Calcium Carbonate powder (no D3).
"Chop/slice" everything small enough.. "bite-size"
On "greens" day we do not feed fruit because they often sort thru
and only want to eat the fruit.. like a kid and candy
-- Again.. these are all at least 6 months/3"
+++
" Diet-options "
In order of calcium content:
Grape Leaves, Dandelion Greens, Curly Endive ( not Belgian ) / Chicory,
Escarole, Collard Greens and last but not least.. Hibiscus (blooms & leaves).
Although a variety is good no doubt..feed what is available per season..
or what the "Produce Mgr." can order for you..
you may be surprised what you can get when you ask!
No reason to feel that you are betraying your baby
because you can only find a few things in the winter.. for example!
About "Half?" of my redfoot tortoise's diet consists of fruit & protein.. combined!
A source of animal protein is vital also..
{ redfoot tortoises are much more carnivorous than most believe or will accept! }.
Here is another gross inaccuracy. That red-footed tortoises 'require' animal proteins is a fallacy that has been perpetuated by one person repeating what another person said, who got that idea from another misinformed person, who copied another persons article about pet tortoises, and so on. That's how such misconceptions become ingrained. Added to that is the fact that red-footed tortoises, being designed to ingest small dead animals as they encounter them, will indeed consume animal proteins like crazy. So keepers think, 'Um, boy I guess they really must have it'.
Ultimately we have NERD making the claim that 'redfoot tortoises are much more carnivorous than most believe or will accept!'
Here are the facts as discovered by actual field observations made by unbiased researchers where these animals actually live...
In the study:
FOOD HABITS AND NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF
CHELONOIDIS CARBONARIA (SPIX 1824) (TESTUDINIDAE, CHELONIA)
IN THE SOUTHERN PANTANAL, BRAZIL
the authors collected the animals and then waited for them to produce scats (that means they waited till they pooped) and then examined the individual scat.
In this region both sexes consumed mostly fruits-with their seeds, plant matter, fungi, invertebrates and dead animal parts. But please take this point to heart--the vertebrate 'animals' they consumed consisted of parts of small dead birds (that had likely been left behind by a predator), and part of a snake skin.
The number of scats these items were found in was 3. That's not a lot is it?
Invertebrates were far more commonly ingested but still, the overall percentage of these things in the diet was small.
In this study:
Flexibility of digestive responses in two generalist herbivores, the tortoises Geochelone carbonaria and Geochelone denticulata
the authors repeatedly referred these animals as 'generalist herbivores' and not omnivores. This is because the amount of animal proteins they ingested did not rise to the level where one would call them omnivores--and certainly not carnivores!
I could go on but suffice it to say, in NONE of the numerous dietary observations that have been published in recent years in any way point to red-footed tortoises 'needing, or requiring animal protein'.
Thats none=not a single one. Further, the studies have been conducted throughout Brazil and in various habitats.
Their main source of D3 is derived from their diet...
I'm fairly certain that this is up for debate as well.
I also ( per Andy Highfield ) - http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/webdiet.htm
use a "weight-management" type dry catfood every 7 days or so..
well moistened until soft.. and "dowsed" with pure Calcium Carbonate powder (no D3)..
( wait until your hatchling is 6 months old/over 3" or so before "supplementing"
with protein and calcium on a weekly basis )
Always remember.. protein and calcium goes a long way!
Andy Highfield's recommendations are not based on anything actually discovered in nature and are in fact completely arbitrary. Mr. Highfield is not regarded as an authority on red-footed tortoises by professional tortoise breeders or knowledgeable long term keepers. That he has written a book about tortoises in no way means one should take his advice outright! There are many books and magazine articles out there that are chock-full of misinformation.
While there was a time when I myself advocated the feeding of commercial cat food I no longer do. Regardless of what formula one chooses, virtually all cat foods are very high in fats for a reptile. In fact, this is an area where one might indeed risk kidney failure if feeding too much of this stuff.
Find a DRY Catfood with the highest PROTEIN % you can find - what I used back then
Is no longer made. A weight management is usually the best.
+++
LIGHTING:
Redfoot tortoises are near "Rainforest" tortoises.
They live on the edges of the forest.. which means they don't need a "basking" area.
+++
Boy, is that second line a whopper! Red-foot tortoises inhabit many various types of habitats throughout their gigantic range. They can be found in forest of all kinds--including forests that are leafless for much of the year, they can be found near beaches, in mangrove swamps, in fields, in grassy wet, and grassy dry areas, in deep forest and on and on.
The statement 'They live on the edges of the forest...which means they don't need a "basking" area' is yet another nonsensical, self-negating statement. If they are living along edges of the forest, it means they ARE NOT LIVING in the forest! They are in fact living where they can obtain sunlight and in many cases, warmth. Sadly, Mr. NERDS inability to see this simple fact--or admit that he might be wrong, is what contributes to his lack of credibility.
This UVB thing has been an issue with all of the "scientists" today..
I wonder how many 2nd generation hatchlings they have created -
meaning... how much actual "hands-on" experience do they have???
The answer to that question sir, is a lot more than you do.
+++
The rest of the Care Sheet is not terrible advice although it is very narrow in scope.
My last comments regarding Terry Kilgore's Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet have to do with the way it's written.
I counted 47 exclamation points(!), 23 instances of him using ALL CAPS IN A STATEMENT which comes across as him shouting at the reader. There are an "over abundance" of quotation marks, (parenthesis) and the like.
In short, the entire paper reads as if it was written by a fifth grader texting her friends. It's not professional in any way and actually makes the entire Tortoise Forum family seem juvenile.
I certainly hope I have not offended anyone--my intent is to correct fallacies.
I will say at the outset that I feel Mr. Kilgore (Redfoot NERD) means well and that he cares about his animals. However, there are some errors, both great and small that need to be addressed. I have copied his Care Sheet and will comment to specific statements in blue BOLD italics.
REDFOOT TORTOISE CARESHEET
ALL Tortoises on the planet require that 4 parameters be "IN BALANCE".
Temperature - Humidity - Lighting - Diet
Redfoot tortoises require the same parameters - UNIQUE from EVERY OTHER tortoise.
In other words = Redfoot tortoises are 'totally-different' than say Russian tortoises.
Different continent.. climate.. diet, etc.
"Redfoot tortoises require the same parameters - UNIQUE from EVERY OTHER tortoise."
This statement is self-negating...on the one hand NERD is claiming that redfoot tortoise are the same as all other tortoises while simultaneously claiming that they are completely unique.
While he is correct in saying that red-footed tortoises are very different from Russian tortoises, red-footed tortoises are actually NOT unique in the tortoise world. The Bell's hinge-back tortoise fills the very same ecological niche as red-footed tortoises in much of their range in Africa. They consume many of the same food items and live within many of the very same habitats and micro-habitats.
Likewise, the elongated tortoise of Asia lives a very similar lifestyle in much of its range in Vietnam, Thailand and India. The Forsten's tortoise does as well.
BASICALLY THESE "BASICS" ARE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS -
you will find I tell WHY and then What when explaining ..
how to keep everything "IN BALANCE".
+++
This may seem like a lot to read and sometimes repeated - only to help
make it better understood!
This following Caresheet was created in 2005. Does it work you might ask?
It has 'started' literally hundreds of hatchlings -
these are just a few examples.. shown 3-4 years old -
****
Chances are you've not seen many "Captive Raised" like these !!!
The animals depicted in the photos are indeed nice looking. But they are neither remarkable or rare in captivity anymore. NERD'S claim that 'you've not seen many "Captive Raised" like these' indicates that only he--or those who follow is regime--can get these results. It is insulting to those of us who do so-- and have done so for decades without ever even hearing of NERD.
** DIET **
I use the size of their head as a guage to how much is fed..
I figure their stomachs are about the same size..
maybe even smaller!
This statement is completely misleading. A small tortoises' EMPTY stomach might be the size of its head but their stomachs are designed to expand far beyond this size when eating. NERD is here implying that one should only feed enough to fill the animals head.
FEED:
hatchling's 1X ( size of head ).. every-day -
juvenile's [ 4" - 6" SCL ] 3X .. 'every-other day' -
adult's [ 6+" SCL ] 6X .. every 3rd day.
Over-feeding is too common.. and easy to do!
RESIST OVER-FEEDING.. which causes health issues!
This is another misleading, throwaway line. Over-feeding bad foods is what causes health issues. A tortoise will only eat as much as its stomach can handle. They stop eating after this point. It is the constant diet of inappropriate foods that will make them sick in time.
Keeping them 'hungry' is better than feeding too much!!!
+++
Feed your hatchling "once" daily.. whatever they don't eat at one setting..
discard.. PERIOD.. too much is bad for their kidneys!
This admonition is simply 100% wrong. First, these animals are browsers in nature and thus will consume appealing food items as long as they are active. They may eat and then rest a short distance from their food source--such as a flowering or fruiting tree or shrub, and then return and continue to eat later.
The statement 'too much is bad for their kidneys' is laughably inaccurate-- and in fact I'm pretty sure biologically impossible too. As long as the animal is not severely dehydrated or consuming toxic food items their little kidneys will be quite safe.
A good plentiful water source is Vital also!
DO NOT RUSH THEIR GROWTH!!
FEEDING SCHEDULE.. first 2 days "greens alone".. next day "fruit alone"..
next 2 days "greens alone".. next day "fruit treat" - pineapple or something different..
next day "animal protein" ALONE.. ( NOT Mazuri.. protein level too low & not animal source ).
Sprinkle re-hydrated cat food with Calcium Carbonate powder (no D3).
"Chop/slice" everything small enough.. "bite-size"
On "greens" day we do not feed fruit because they often sort thru
and only want to eat the fruit.. like a kid and candy
-- Again.. these are all at least 6 months/3"
+++
" Diet-options "
In order of calcium content:
Grape Leaves, Dandelion Greens, Curly Endive ( not Belgian ) / Chicory,
Escarole, Collard Greens and last but not least.. Hibiscus (blooms & leaves).
Although a variety is good no doubt..feed what is available per season..
or what the "Produce Mgr." can order for you..
you may be surprised what you can get when you ask!
No reason to feel that you are betraying your baby
because you can only find a few things in the winter.. for example!
About "Half?" of my redfoot tortoise's diet consists of fruit & protein.. combined!
A source of animal protein is vital also..
{ redfoot tortoises are much more carnivorous than most believe or will accept! }.
Here is another gross inaccuracy. That red-footed tortoises 'require' animal proteins is a fallacy that has been perpetuated by one person repeating what another person said, who got that idea from another misinformed person, who copied another persons article about pet tortoises, and so on. That's how such misconceptions become ingrained. Added to that is the fact that red-footed tortoises, being designed to ingest small dead animals as they encounter them, will indeed consume animal proteins like crazy. So keepers think, 'Um, boy I guess they really must have it'.
Ultimately we have NERD making the claim that 'redfoot tortoises are much more carnivorous than most believe or will accept!'
Here are the facts as discovered by actual field observations made by unbiased researchers where these animals actually live...
In the study:
FOOD HABITS AND NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF
CHELONOIDIS CARBONARIA (SPIX 1824) (TESTUDINIDAE, CHELONIA)
IN THE SOUTHERN PANTANAL, BRAZIL
the authors collected the animals and then waited for them to produce scats (that means they waited till they pooped) and then examined the individual scat.
In this region both sexes consumed mostly fruits-with their seeds, plant matter, fungi, invertebrates and dead animal parts. But please take this point to heart--the vertebrate 'animals' they consumed consisted of parts of small dead birds (that had likely been left behind by a predator), and part of a snake skin.
The number of scats these items were found in was 3. That's not a lot is it?
Invertebrates were far more commonly ingested but still, the overall percentage of these things in the diet was small.
In this study:
Flexibility of digestive responses in two generalist herbivores, the tortoises Geochelone carbonaria and Geochelone denticulata
the authors repeatedly referred these animals as 'generalist herbivores' and not omnivores. This is because the amount of animal proteins they ingested did not rise to the level where one would call them omnivores--and certainly not carnivores!
I could go on but suffice it to say, in NONE of the numerous dietary observations that have been published in recent years in any way point to red-footed tortoises 'needing, or requiring animal protein'.
Thats none=not a single one. Further, the studies have been conducted throughout Brazil and in various habitats.
Their main source of D3 is derived from their diet...
I'm fairly certain that this is up for debate as well.
I also ( per Andy Highfield ) - http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/webdiet.htm
use a "weight-management" type dry catfood every 7 days or so..
well moistened until soft.. and "dowsed" with pure Calcium Carbonate powder (no D3)..
( wait until your hatchling is 6 months old/over 3" or so before "supplementing"
with protein and calcium on a weekly basis )
Always remember.. protein and calcium goes a long way!
Andy Highfield's recommendations are not based on anything actually discovered in nature and are in fact completely arbitrary. Mr. Highfield is not regarded as an authority on red-footed tortoises by professional tortoise breeders or knowledgeable long term keepers. That he has written a book about tortoises in no way means one should take his advice outright! There are many books and magazine articles out there that are chock-full of misinformation.
While there was a time when I myself advocated the feeding of commercial cat food I no longer do. Regardless of what formula one chooses, virtually all cat foods are very high in fats for a reptile. In fact, this is an area where one might indeed risk kidney failure if feeding too much of this stuff.
Find a DRY Catfood with the highest PROTEIN % you can find - what I used back then
Is no longer made. A weight management is usually the best.
+++
LIGHTING:
Redfoot tortoises are near "Rainforest" tortoises.
They live on the edges of the forest.. which means they don't need a "basking" area.
+++
Boy, is that second line a whopper! Red-foot tortoises inhabit many various types of habitats throughout their gigantic range. They can be found in forest of all kinds--including forests that are leafless for much of the year, they can be found near beaches, in mangrove swamps, in fields, in grassy wet, and grassy dry areas, in deep forest and on and on.
The statement 'They live on the edges of the forest...which means they don't need a "basking" area' is yet another nonsensical, self-negating statement. If they are living along edges of the forest, it means they ARE NOT LIVING in the forest! They are in fact living where they can obtain sunlight and in many cases, warmth. Sadly, Mr. NERDS inability to see this simple fact--or admit that he might be wrong, is what contributes to his lack of credibility.
This UVB thing has been an issue with all of the "scientists" today..
I wonder how many 2nd generation hatchlings they have created -
meaning... how much actual "hands-on" experience do they have???
The answer to that question sir, is a lot more than you do.
+++
The rest of the Care Sheet is not terrible advice although it is very narrow in scope.
My last comments regarding Terry Kilgore's Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet have to do with the way it's written.
I counted 47 exclamation points(!), 23 instances of him using ALL CAPS IN A STATEMENT which comes across as him shouting at the reader. There are an "over abundance" of quotation marks, (parenthesis) and the like.
In short, the entire paper reads as if it was written by a fifth grader texting her friends. It's not professional in any way and actually makes the entire Tortoise Forum family seem juvenile.
I certainly hope I have not offended anyone--my intent is to correct fallacies.