Confused red footed mama

[Numb]

I am looking for what people feed their red foots on the daily. I read one place that broccoli is bad for them along with bell peppers ect, yet read on a different page that they are all safe to feed and people feed them. So can someone please tell me what your red footed diet is? Mine doesn't like much but fruit so that's an issue as well. Her name is
Tort-Ellini

 

[SinLA]

This thread might help: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/red-footed.204562/#post-2052214

but there's other good posts out there if you search

 

[Ink]

@ZEROPILOT or @jsheffield should be able to give you a great variety list. Welcome to the forum. Do you know how old she is? Cute tortoise

 

[wellington]

Others can give you a list. The biggest thing is to feed as big a variety as possible. That should be easy for a RF. They can have such a big variety of foods.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Redfoot are specialty animals and they have special diets. They can eat many more items than any other species
Just about any fresh, unprocessed foods that you eat, they can eat.
Vegetable matter including green leafy vegetables and certain weeds like Dandelion. They eat some types of flowers, cactus, mushrooms, meat and meat protein including mashed whole boiled eggs, insects and fruit.
They are one of very few tortoises and turtles that can process fruit. And it can be over 60% of the diet. But a varied diet is needed.
There are hundreds and hundreds of items a Redfoot can eat. It should never be very difficult to have 3 or 4 items you can offer him. You probably have half a dozen good things in your house right now. And the rest can be growing in your yard or available at the market.
Redfoot keeping can be challenging. But feeding them is not.

 

[rhenry2424]

I have a new baby Red Foot. I have offered spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens., zucchini, mango, blueberries, and strawberries, and freeze dried meal works. ( have had for just over 1 week)
It loves the greens [spinach, collard, turnip, in that order), zucchini, blueberries and meal worms. Not a fan of mango or strawberries.
Love learning what he does and doesn’t like. I offer and watch what it eats and doesn’t eat.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I have a new baby Red Foot. I have offered spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens., zucchini, mango, blueberries, and strawberries, and freeze dried meal works. ( have had for just over 1 week)
It loves the greens [spinach, collard, turnip, in that order), zucchini, blueberries and meal worms. Not a fan of mango or strawberries.
Love learning what he does and doesn’t like. I offer and watch what it eats and doesn’t eat.

Not liking mango is unusual.
Right now, mine are feasting on mangos and loquats that are falling from my neighbors trees.
That and some Mazuri I scattered around and some cactus.
Today's feeding cost me probably two bucks.
They are literally the vacuum cleaners of the forest floor. They can and will eat just about anything edible

 

[TammyJ]

I have a new baby Red Foot. I have offered spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens., zucchini, mango, blueberries, and strawberries, and freeze dried meal works. ( have had for just over 1 week)
It loves the greens [spinach, collard, turnip, in that order), zucchini, blueberries and meal worms. Not a fan of mango or strawberries.
Love learning what he does and doesn’t like. I offer and watch what it eats and doesn’t eat.

Be alert that you don't "program" your tortoise to only eat certain things because you think he only likes them. Always offer a variety even though he may have rejected a particular food once or twice. He may ignore something one day or one week, then suddenly start eating it. If you constantly offer a variety, you will have a tortoise that eats a multitude of items, stays healthy and keeps you happy.

 

[jsheffield]

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,
and a small amount of animal protein 1-2 times a week.

You could certainly feed your Redfoot some bell pepper or broccoli as a part of their varied diet.

Variety is important.

Jamie

 

[Sonnenblume]

veggies (primarily butternut squash and pumpkin) 2-3 times a week,

Do you cook them or feed them raw?

 

[jsheffield]

Do you cook them or feed them raw?

I feed them raw

J

 

[Tom]

Do you cook them or feed them raw?

Be sure that any hard foods like pumpkin, squash, broccoli, etc... are grated into small pieces or blended up into small pieces in a blender or food processor, OR fed whole as large pieces that are much larger than the tortoises whole head, so that it can take its own bite sized pieces. Do NOT cut hard foods up into chunks for your tortoise as choking on them becomes possible.

So you can toss in a whole cucumber, or grate one up and mix the mush with other greens, but do not dice one up and offer the chunks.