Do tortoises get full?

[Madkins007]

Well Mark, I hate to inject more logic here but what about the fact that much of the tortoises food supply is actually stored and processed within the small and large intestines? The stomach is only the starting point of food storage and digestion in tortoises. It begins the breakdown of what will actually pass into the intestines.

If you believe what you posted take some of your hatchling Redfoots, feed them once daily only the amount of food the size of their head for the rest of their lives. Making sure of course that within that amount all of the nutrition, vitamins, minerals, calcium, fiber and protein that they require for healthy survival under normal temperatures and humidity are included.

Let me know how that works for you in a few years. If any survive.

About a strawberry worth?

You'll notice, I'm sure, that the strawberry worth was for a 2 oz tortoise. For a 1kg/2lb tort it would be 32 calories, for a 2kg/4lb it is 54 calories BMR (more for active animals). As the animal is larger, the caloric needs increase.

I did notice to my chagrin that a sentence was lost in my editing- there is an important difference between high-caloric grocery store foods and pellets (which should be limited) and low-nutrient wild graze (which does not generally need to be).

The volume of the digestive tract is an issue, certainly, but the slow processing speeds should be considered as well- it takes them up to 4 times longer for a tortoise to process a given food than it does a similar mammal- up to 8 days for dry forbs in Leopard Tortoises as an example.

I also did not claim that it is the method I use. Mine is to vary light, heavy, and fasting days indoors and allow free foraging with some supplementing outdoors.

 

[Tom]

I once tried the "lets just see how much they can eat thing" once. When Scooter and Bert, my sulcatas were each about a foot long I put out three full big heads of romaine. It was gone in minutes and they turned and went right back to grazing. In the spring, when the rains come and the weeds really take off, I let them run loose on the 5 acre ranch. The only time they are not eating is when they finish a weed patch and are walking to the next one.

 

[saurabh1985]

If you believe what you posted take some of your hatchling Redfoots, feed them once daily only the amount of food the size of their head for the rest of their lives. Making sure of course that within that amount all of the nutrition, vitamins, minerals, calcium, fiber and protein that they require for healthy survival under normal temperatures and humidity are included.

---

Thank's a lot