Bee bread/pollen feeding help?

[jess12]

I have two horsefield tortoises and have bought some bee bread to treat them once a week , but as their really small pellet sort of things I find it difficult to feed them to my tortoises without getting my finger bitten off. Any ideas would be appreciated

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi jess12:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

I don't know anything about bee bread/pollen, but I would be hesitant to offer it to a tortoise that mainly eats vegetation. What benefit do you hope to gain from it?

What would you like us to call you?

..and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

 

[JoesMum]

Your Russian should be on a diet of leafy greens.

Fruit, including tomatoes and bell peppers, has a high sugar content and Greeks cannot process the sugars. This makes them ill... so feed any kind of fruit very occasionally, preferably never. Bee bread is quite likely to have a high sugar content too.

You should be aiming for weeds like Dandelion, plantain and sow thistle. Turnip and radish greens are good along with red lettuce, romaine lettuce, little/red gem, kale, rocket (Arugula), spring mix... buy something different every time you shop.

Look stuff up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database

Another good resource is this Plant Booklet that you can download to your smart phone or print off and take with you.

 

[jess12]

I'm subscribed to a channel on YouTube and it was in one of their videos , obviosuly you don't give them it every day , i'm giving it mine every week or so, about half a teaspoon.
And Jess is fine thanks , and i'm currently located in Scotland in the UK.

Both of my tortoises have a wide mix of leafy greens such as spinach, grated carrots,gem lettuces and they have a plentiful supply of dandelions in the garden, also some rose petals every now and again , I always buy different vegetables from the local dairy shop in town, not that my tortoises eat everything but the option is there if they decide to eat them. Also they have a 2-3 cactus pads once a week or some aloe vera or fruit.

 

[Tom]

Hello Jess. I don't think most of us here in the states know what "bee bread" is. Can you explain it to us.

Also your diet needs a lot of improvement and fast. Spinach is okay once in a while, but not regularly as it is very high in oxalates which interfere with calcium absorption. Carrots are really no good at all. Too high in sugar and it's a bit like feeding them candy. Gem lettuces are too high in moisture, low in nutrition, and low in fiber. Dandelions are great. Rose petals are fine once in a while, but the rose leaves would be better. Vegetables and fruits really have no part in a good diet, but the cactus is great for them. Broadleaf weeds should be making up the bulk of a horsefields diet. As it is spring time, I'm sure there are lots around and best of all they are free. Dark leafy greens from the store can make up some of the diet but clover, plantain, many of the thistles, dandelion, mallow, filaree, hawksbit, wild garlic, and many others should be the majority. You can even throw some grass in the mix for some fiber.

We are all just trying to help.

 

[Paradon]

i think they can handle sugar if it is from digested grass because it doesn't overwhelm the system, but too much sugar all at once like from eatin fruits and other sources can cause parasite bloom. I could be wrong with my limited experience.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Bee bread is pollen that bees have stuck together into granules. It's a healthy treat for humans and bears, but not a good choice for tortoises.

If you want to treat your Russian tortoises, then once a month you can offer them a little bit of fruit, like tomato, grape, raspberry, blackberry, mulberry, or strawberry. The rest of the time they should be feeding primarily on leafy greens like endive, escarole, chicory, dandelion, lettuce, collard greens, mustard greens, arugula, spring mix, etc. You can also give them flowers and commercial tortoise food, like Mazuri Tortoise Diet. Russians may also occasionally eat some grass.

Diet varies from one tortoise species to another, but when it comes to the Testudo species (including Russians), they really should be feeding primarily on leafy greens. If they get too much sugar in their diet, they can get diarrhea. Berries are okay on a monthly basis or less, because that's about how often they would encounter them naturally. Bee bread would not naturally be part of their diet, though.

 

[JoesMum]

OP is in Scotland so I'll translate (my bold)

If you want to treat your Russian tortoises, then once a month you can offer them a little bit of fruit, like tomato, grape, raspberry, blackberry, mulberry, or strawberry. The rest of the time they should be feeding primarily on leafy greens like endive, escarole, chicory, dandelion, lettuce, Kale(collard greens), mustard greens, Rocket(arugula), spring mix, etc. You can also give them flowers and commercial tortoise food, like Komodo or Pre-Alpin Testudo (Mazuri - not available in the UK) Tortoise Diet.