Babies don't eat everyday? Can i trust this local conservation?

[Naulsteen]

Greetings!

So, while searching for a potential breeder/importer i stumble across a local conservation that also import tortoises from outside the country for distribution, this specific conservation seems to be(if haven't claimed themselves as one) a certified/verified conservation by the national natural resources institution since the people from the institution even pay a visit to the conservation centre and fun fact this conservation centre holds a official national record for possessing the largest yellow foot in the country.

But anyways, when i was trying to learn more about this local conservation i noticed that they also provided somekind of a guide(im not going to call it caresheet since it's not a 5 pages essay of how to care for baby tortoises) everything they suggested so far is pretty solid i would say like for example, mentions of humidity 70-80%, usage of waterdish and hiding spot, calcium 2x a week, fruit 2x week at maximum, suggested coco husk/forest bark, daily soaking and sunning, lighting(altho not that specific just in a general way).

But then they also got this "Fasting" section where they suggest that baby tortoises dont need to eat everyday(im sure you already know why) and they told you can do it in two ways, either you do the usual 5 meal days and 2 starve days OR you do it by feeding them today and dont feed them tomorrow and feed them again the day after tomorrow and so on, What really took my attention is the second option that they suggested, well of course it's still mere suggestion but if it's beneficial or if the baby could benefit from it i might apply that second method that they suggested, i've sworn to not use the first method since it's just too much but don't know about the second... Thoughts???

 

[jsheffield]

I aim to feed my torts every day but don't sweat it if I miss a day now and then....

Jamie

 

[Tom]

Greetings!

So, while searching for a potential breeder/importer i stumble across a local conservation that also import tortoises from outside the country for distribution, this specific conservation seems to be(if haven't claimed themselves as one) a certified/verified conservation by the national natural resources institution since the people from the institution even pay a visit to the conservation centre and fun fact this conservation centre holds a official national record for possessing the largest yellow foot in the country.

But anyways, when i was trying to learn more about this local conservation i noticed that they also provided somekind of a guide(im not going to call it caresheet since it's not a 5 pages essay of how to care for baby tortoises) everything they suggested so far is pretty solid i would say like for example, mentions of humidity 70-80%, usage of waterdish and hiding spot, calcium 2x a week, fruit 2x week at maximum, suggested coco husk/forest bark, daily soaking and sunning, lighting(altho not that specific just in a general way).

But then they also got this "Fasting" section where they suggest that baby tortoises dont need to eat everyday(im sure you already know why) and they told you can do it in two ways, either you do the usual 5 meal days and 2 starve days OR you do it by feeding them today and dont feed them tomorrow and feed them again the day after tomorrow and so on, What really took my attention is the second option that they suggested, well of course it's still mere suggestion but if it's beneficial or if the baby could benefit from it i might apply that second method that they suggested, i've sworn to not use the first method since it's just too much but don't know about the second... Thoughts???

Fruit should never be fed for most species.

Tortoises can certainly "survive" without eating every day. The question is: Is it "good" for them to skip feeding days? I think not. They wouldn't skip days in the wild by choice, but they also would not have the amount or types of food that we give them daily either. Personally, I used to follow that old info. I've done it both ways over many years with many species. I find feeding them daily to be the better way to go. They are grazers. I let them graze.

 

[wellington]

Like Tom said. Very few tortoises should get fruit. And as for skipping days of feeding, why? They would eat every day in the wild if food is available.
Personally, if one was to skip feeding then it should be done during the season that would be the hardest for the species to find food if they were wild in their homeland.
Seeing they aren't, food should be offered every day.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Babies of any species eat several times a day...you eat every day, don't you?

 

[Yvonne G]

What species of baby tortoise did you buy? Maybe the species you bought is one of the fruit-eating species. Except for the "starvation day" information, it sounds like your five page care guide is ok to follow. But look for your species here on the Forum, and read our care sheet too.

At the moment I have two baby enclosures set up, one with seven leopard hatchlings and one with one Manouria hatchling. I put food at their feeding stations every day. I put a big enough pile of food so there's something there fore them to come back to eat all day long. My leopards don't get any fruit, but my little Manouria gets a bit of fruit and a bit of animal protein two or three times a week.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Purposely denying food to a growing animal isn’t normal. It’s not normal in the wild, so why attempt in captivity. Yes, in nature there are periods of abundance & periods of drought and limited resources. But in captivity we as keepers have the luxury to provide the required amounts daily food & water. My vote - feed daily.