Conflicting Staple fruits

Redfootguy123

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Browsing the forum I oftentimes see people say that fruits like papaya and mango are a good staple, then the next thread I read everyone is saying that they should only be an occasional treat because of the sugar but then no one gives alternatives to use as staples.

I want to settle it once and for all (or at least as much as we can with all of the conflicting redfoot info out there lol).

Do yall feed papaya & mango as staples? If not what do you use instead? Why do yall think some people say its a good staple fruit and some say it’s a good treat?
 

JesseS

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I think maybe the confusion arises from comparing a staple every day food vs a staple fruit fed on fruit days.
Fruit shouldn't be fed daily and should only make up about 15% of their total diet.
Greens and veggies being 75% and protein as 10%. (See attached photo for reference)

So no fruit should be a staple.
But mango and papaya are great options for fruits to feed.
Hope that helps,
Jesse
 

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Redfootguy123

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I think maybe the confusion arises from comparing a staple every day food vs a staple fruit fed on fruit days.
Fruit shouldn't be fed daily and should only make up about 15% of their total diet.
Greens and veggies being 75% and protein as 10%. (See attached photo for reference)

So no fruit should be a staple.
But mango and papaya are great options for fruits to feed.
Hope that helps,
Jesse
Oh yeah def mean fruit days when I say staple, like as in a staple for fruit days vs can only feed once a month or so.
 

mark1

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Food Habits and Notes on the Biology of Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix 1824) (Testudinidae, Chelonia) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

"Red-footed tortoises are mainly frugivorous but commonly feed on flowers, fungi, leaves, invertebrates and vertebrates usually as carrion, and dirt (Moskovits, 1985; Moskovits and Bjorndal, 1990). For both males and females, fruits represented the greatest portion of items consumed, indicating their importance in the diet, which could be due to the great content of highly energetic soluble carbohydrates in most fruits (Corlett, 1996) and overall fruit availability (Moskovits and Bjorndal)"
 

Redfootguy123

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Food Habits and Notes on the Biology of Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix 1824) (Testudinidae, Chelonia) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

"Red-footed tortoises are mainly frugivorous but commonly feed on flowers, fungi, leaves, invertebrates and vertebrates usually as carrion, and dirt (Moskovits, 1985; Moskovits and Bjorndal, 1990). For both males and females, fruits represented the greatest portion of items consumed, indicating their importance in the diet, which could be due to the great content of highly energetic soluble carbohydrates in most fruits (Corlett, 1996) and overall fruit availability (Moskovits and Bjorndal)"
This is actually a fairly recent study. I found another one saying the same thing that was published 2022. Why do you think it is people always say to make fruit only like 15-30% of their diet?
 

mark1

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because it's how they feed them and they appear to do well on it ....... i had redfoots for at least 10-15yrs , they ate a lot of fruit , some weeds and dog food , they were completely healthy when i got rid of them, i did use vionate on the fruit ....honestly they ate really similar to my eastern box turtles , minus the bananas , box turtles hardly ever get bananas , and i make sure they're still on the green side ...the redfoots spent the summer in my parents backyard ,and the winter in 6'x3' enclosures in a temperature humidity controlled room , without uvb or a basking lights ... they actually acted the same as the box turtles do when they were outside.......... if i had more time i'd have them again ....

you got to think they eat whatever is available ,from what i've read often that is only fruit , fruit that's on the ground is usually over ripe and has high sugar content ........... it appeared to me in that study they eat a good amount of flowering weeds
 

ZEROPILOT

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Food Habits and Notes on the Biology of Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix 1824) (Testudinidae, Chelonia) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

"Red-footed tortoises are mainly frugivorous but commonly feed on flowers, fungi, leaves, invertebrates and vertebrates usually as carrion, and dirt (Moskovits, 1985; Moskovits and Bjorndal, 1990). For both males and females, fruits represented the greatest portion of items consumed, indicating their importance in the diet, which could be due to the great content of highly energetic soluble carbohydrates in most fruits (Corlett, 1996) and overall fruit availability (Moskovits and Bjorndal)"
Yes. Thank you
 

cooky_luvs

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This is actually a fairly recent study. I found another one saying the same thing that was published 2022. Why do you think it is people always say to make fruit only like 15-30% of their diet?
Personally I always say 30% only because in captivity they don’t experience a wet season vs dry. It’s all wet season all the time, easy and abundant food. Plus the fruits in our grocery stores aren’t as nutritious as the various south American fruit varieties they love that don’t even make it to the typical North American shelves. Mango and Papaya though are of course native and are excellent choices. But yes they can definitely have much more than the often recommended 15% and more than 30%, especially when feeding native fruits. I feed even more fruit in the summer, treating it like the ‘wet season’. It’s hot and they’re busy breeding so i’m sure they appreciate it.

Back when I first got into redfoots I did so little fruit because of those recommendations, my poor redfoots, they’re much happier with more fruit.
 
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jsheffield

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I feed my forest torts:
a mix of greens everyday
fruit (primarily papaya and mango) 2-3 times a week
veggies (primarily butternut squash and pumpkin) 2-3 times a week
some kibble (either Mazuri or zoo-med or fluker) 1-2 times a week
mushrooms 1-2 times a week
animal protein 1-2 times a week.

Variety is important.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Personally I always say 30% only because in captivity they don’t experience a wet season vs dry. It’s all wet season all the time, easy and abundant food. Plus the fruits in our grocery stores aren’t as nutritious as the various south American fruit varieties they love that don’t even make it to the typical North American shelves. Mango and Papaya though are of course native and are excellent choices. But yes they can definitely have much more than the often recommended 15% and more than 30%, especially when feeding native fruits. I feed even more fruit in the summer, treating it like the ‘wet season’. It’s hot and they’re busy breeding so i’m sure they appreciate it.

Back when I first got into redfoots I did so little fruit because of those recommendations, my poor redfoots, they’re much happier with more fruit.
I often take for granted that the climate here and the fruit is almost the same as a RFs home range
 

ZEROPILOT

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I feed my forest torts:
a mix of greens everyday
fruit (primarily papaya and mango) 2-3 times a week
veggies (primarily butternut squash and pumpkin) 2-3 times a week
some kibble (either Mazuri or zoo-med or fluker) 1-2 times a week
mushrooms 1-2 times a week
animal protein 1-2 times a week.

Variety is important.
Yes.
About the only thing that my RF get EVERY day is hibiscus. Either leaves or flowers.
Even I don't know what else will be fed some days until I start gathering it all up.
And I scatter the food around my primary pen so that they can search and find it.
We're so fortunate because of the huge assortment of foods that a Redfoot can eat. No matter where you live, there must be dozens of suitable choices on a daily basis.
 

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