Categorizing diets

[jcase]

I need some help coming up with categories to encompass the diet needs of turtles and tortoises, for the the TurtlePantry project

I'm trying to not just include a database of food items, but at the suggestion of those much more knowledgeable than I, include diet plans/categories.

I need to come up with a set of Names, basic descriptions for categories (and suggestions as to which what species should be in what categories).

For example
Grassland Diet for Tortoises with Sulcata like diets
Forest Diet for Hingedbacks
Omnivorous
Carnivorous
ETC

Any category suggestions, or any help on this side at all would be appreciated

@Tom @Kapidolo Farms @Markw84 @Yvonne G
If any of you wouldnt mind throwing suggestions on this front down for me, I'd really exceptionally appreciate it

 

[Tom]

I need some help coming up with categories to encompass the diet needs of turtles and tortoises, for the the TurtlePantry project

I'm trying to not just include a database of food items, but at the suggestion of those much more knowledgeable than I, include diet plans/categories.

I need to come up with a set of Names, basic descriptions for categories (and suggestions as to which what species should be in what categories).

For example
Grassland Diet for Tortoises with Sulcata like diets
Forest Diet for Hingedbacks
Omnivorous
Carnivorous
ETC

Any category suggestions, or any help on this side at all would be appreciated

@Tom @Kapidolo Farms @Markw84 @Yvonne G
If any of you wouldnt mind throwing suggestions on this front down for me, I'd really exceptionally appreciate it

I envision a title page with three vertical columns: Forest Tortoise Species, Grassland Species, and Broadleaf Weed Eaters. Below these three main headings would be listed the species we are referring to. For example, under forest species we would list RFs, YFs, Indotestudo, Manouria... Broadleaf weed eaters would include all the Testudo, leopards, Chersina, Chacos, pancakes... Grassland would be sulcatas, SA leopards, Galapagos, aldabras...

Seems like it would be simpler to have three separate lists of plants instead of a separate list for every species?

 

[jcase]

I envision a title page with three vertical columns: Forest Tortoise Species, Grassland Species, and Broadleaf Weed Eaters. Below these three main headings would be listed the species we are referring to. For example, under forest species we would list RFs, YFs, Indotestudo, Manouria... Broadleaf weed eaters would include all the Testudo, leopards, Chersina, Chacos, pancakes... Grassland would be sulcatas, SA leopards, Galapagos, aldabras...

Seems like it would be simpler to have three separate lists of plants instead of a separate list for every species?

I'm not trying to do per species, im trying to do per category, then group species into categories. Per species would be insane.

What I'm struiggling with is names and description of all needed categories. Forest, Glassland and Broadleaf are a good start. I'm just not sure what others are needed (there are obvious others needed for non tortoise turtles, but im lacking the experience to know if others are needed for other tortoises)

 

[Ink]

Box turtles?

 

[jcase]

Box turtles?

Box turtles are an interesting one, we really arnt going to be able to do per species nor full grouping it appears

Box turtles will differ on what kind of box turtle majorly. They can eat some surprisingly toxic stuff (and enjoy it)

 

[Maro2Bear]

Maybe the way Mazuri categorizes diet types will help.

Mazuri tortoise food is available in three formulas to meet the needs of different species and ages of tortoises.

➡️ Mazuri® Tortoise LS Diet is formulated for arid-zone and grass-eating herbivorous tortoises, like desert, sulcata and leopard, that need a low-starch, high-fiber diet. It comes in two convenient sizes, 12-ounce and 25-pound bags.

➡️ Mazuri® Tortoise Diet is formulated for forest, tropical and omnivorous tortoises, like the Burmese and Indian-star, elongated and red-footed tortoises that need a high-fiber diet with more protein. It now comes in 1.25-pound and 25-pound bags.

➡️ Mazuri® Small Tortoise Diet LS is a low-starch diet designed with higher protein for growing tortoises less than 1 year old.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think box turtles would fall into the RF, YF, etc. Category. I feed my Manouria, box turtles and YF tortoises basically the same way.

 

[Ink]

Box turtles are an interesting one, we really arnt going to be able to do per species nor full grouping it appears

Box turtles will differ on what kind of box turtle majorly. They can eat some surprisingly toxic stuff (and enjoy it)

Maybe plants safe for enclosures that are not toxic. (Desert box turtle)

 

[Tom]

Maybe the way Mazuri categorizes diet types will help.

Mazuri tortoise food is available in three formulas to meet the needs of different species and ages of tortoises.

➡️ Mazuri® Tortoise LS Diet is formulated for arid-zone and grass-eating herbivorous tortoises, like desert, sulcata and leopard, that need a low-starch, high-fiber diet. It comes in two convenient sizes, 12-ounce and 25-pound bags.

➡️ Mazuri® Tortoise Diet is formulated for forest, tropical and omnivorous tortoises, like the Burmese and Indian-star, elongated and red-footed tortoises that need a high-fiber diet with more protein. It now comes in 1.25-pound and 25-pound bags.

➡️ Mazuri® Small Tortoise Diet LS is a low-starch diet designed with higher protein for growing tortoises less than 1 year old.

I've never seen this info for Mazuri.

Leopards are not grass eaters, except the South African leopards.

Stars are not forest tortoises and not to be fed like a forest tortoise. This is bad info, but the 5M21 is good for stars. Other than Mazuri, a star of either species should not be eating the same diet as a RF or Indotestudo.

Feeding the suggested Mazuri products to the suggested tortoise species is all fine, but the rest of the diets for these species will be wrong if this info is followed.

 

[Tom]

I'm not trying to do per species, im trying to do per category, then group species into categories. Per species would be insane.

What I'm struiggling with is names and description of all needed categories. Forest, Glassland and Broadleaf are a good start. I'm just not sure what others are needed (there are obvious others needed for non tortoise turtles, but im lacking the experience to know if others are needed for other tortoises)

My suggestion was for three general categories:
Grass eaters, Forest torts, and broadleaf weed eaters. I think these three cover all available tort species. Box turtle could be a fourth category, as they are generally fed more meat than forest tortoise species, but it appears that is debatable?

I thought I was offering what you were asking for, but it seems I am not understanding what you are asking for...

 

[TammyJ]

I don't understand either or I might try to help.

 

[TammyJ]

I don't understand either or I might try to help.

Forget it, Tammy. This is way beyond you.

 

[jcase]

My suggestion was for three general categories:
Grass eaters, Forest torts, and broadleaf weed eaters. I think these three cover all available tort species. Box turtle could be a fourth category, as they are generally fed more meat than forest tortoise species, but it appears that is debatable?

I thought I was offering what you were asking for, but it seems I am not understanding what you are asking for...

You were very helpful.

Got it worked out now I think

 

[jcase]

My suggestion was for three general categories:
Grass eaters, Forest torts, and broadleaf weed eaters. I think these three cover all available tort species. Box turtle could be a fourth category, as they are generally fed more meat than forest tortoise species, but it appears that is debatable?

I thought I was offering what you were asking for, but it seems I am not understanding what you are asking for...

Tom,

Sorry my half asleep wording isnt always the best, you were extremely helpful.

I think we narrowed how to do this down, I'm working the implementations after work this week.

Box turtles vary a bit, I have a dozen species of them. I was using them as one of those tricky situations.

What we worked out was splitting each food item into a sub category (grasses, fruit, flowers, berries, etc etc etc), as fine grain as needed. Then assign those to individual species.

For the end user using the site, or the person editing things it wont make any difference, it will be more work for me, but the end result will just be better suited data.

It leaves us where you select the species, and you get a diet plan.