I just got a new Redfoot Tortoise on Christmas Eve from PetCo. Not really knowing much beyond the readily available care info on them, I bought everything the associate suggested I needed to care for him, including some T-Rex dry tortoise food.
After reading LOTS more info about Redfoots and tortise care in general, I found that the one thing everyone seemed to agree on is that these commercial diets are BAD for tortoises--too high in grain, protein, and fat, and that they should not be used AT ALL in favor of an all fresh food diet. I really liked what one site said, "If it's not something a tortoise would be able to find and eat in the wild, it's not appropriate food."
I told the manager what I found through my research when I went to return the food and she was shocked and kinda angry! I told her every tortoise forum and article I read agrees that this stuff is crap. She said well "It's meant to be part of a balanced diet, you have to feed greens too. I said, "He's only going to get fresh 'real' food from now on."
I truly believe this kind of care is why he has some pyramiding. I am not sure if this is a topic for debate or not, or if everyone here agrees, but I'd like to know if anyone does feed the commercial processed food, and if so, why?
After reading LOTS more info about Redfoots and tortise care in general, I found that the one thing everyone seemed to agree on is that these commercial diets are BAD for tortoises--too high in grain, protein, and fat, and that they should not be used AT ALL in favor of an all fresh food diet. I really liked what one site said, "If it's not something a tortoise would be able to find and eat in the wild, it's not appropriate food."
I told the manager what I found through my research when I went to return the food and she was shocked and kinda angry! I told her every tortoise forum and article I read agrees that this stuff is crap. She said well "It's meant to be part of a balanced diet, you have to feed greens too. I said, "He's only going to get fresh 'real' food from now on."
I truly believe this kind of care is why he has some pyramiding. I am not sure if this is a topic for debate or not, or if everyone here agrees, but I'd like to know if anyone does feed the commercial processed food, and if so, why?