easy sources of protein

[byviolet]

Hey, I've been feeding my 3-4 month old redfoot just greens for now (dandelion, romaine, arugula, mustard greens etc) but I don't think that is good enough in terms of protein... what are some easy protein sources I can feed my tortoise? Something like eggs perhaps? But he is still very little

 

[kathyth]

Hard boiled egg, boiled chicken, rehydrated Pro Plan weight management cat food ( low fat),.
I use this particular cat food because it it high protein, low fat and clean. I sprinkle it with calcium every 7-10 days.

 

[tortadise]

Yep, kathyh pretty much summed it up. You can also try mazuri croc chow if you want. Great feed for protein eaters. It's not nearly as cheap as mazuri tortoise chow thought it's around 60 bucks for a big bag of it.

 

[byviolet]

great! I'll get the pro plan thing since I saw it on turtletary too

 

[Madkins007]

Any good quality dog or cat food, kibble or 'wet' will work but the key is to keep the amount low. There is no evidence that captive torts need the nutrients in meats since they get a 'richer' diet in captivity than they do in the wild.

There is also nothing special about pet food. Other good sources would include egg, poultry, small live fish, oily fish (salmon, etc.), slugs, snails, worms (not all red-footeds like worms), pretty near any bugs or invertebrates (avoid too many mealworms- the shells are hard to digest), and baby or young mice, rats or chicks. (Most red-footeds LOVE 'pinkies' but they are a little fatty, a little low in calcium, and rather gruesome to watch.

There are several great diet plans on-line. There are some and links to others in the Tortoise Library, linked below.

 

[byviolet]

Any good quality dog or cat food, kibble or 'wet' will work but the key is to keep the amount low. There is no evidence that captive torts need the nutrients in meats since they get a 'richer' diet in captivity than they do in the wild.

There is also nothing special about pet food. Other good sources would include egg, poultry, small live fish, oily fish (salmon, etc.), slugs, snails, worms (not all red-footeds like worms), pretty near any bugs or invertebrates (avoid too many mealworms- the shells are hard to digest), and baby or young mice, rats or chicks. (Most red-footeds LOVE 'pinkies' but they are a little fatty, a little low in calcium, and rather gruesome to watch.

There are several great diet plans on-line. There are some and links to others in the Tortoise Library, linked below.

ok if i just buy stuff like chicken from the supermarket should I cook them beforehand?

 

[Turtlepete]

I assume you are inquiring about meat protein? You could feed anything from Mazuri aquatic to cooked ground turkey. I might inquire why you think it is necessary, though? In the wild, Redfoot's are documented eating meat protein, but like other forest/semi-forest tortoises, this is pretty much just to obtain whatever nutrients possible.

I have a female that I hatched that will be producing second generation hatchlings for me probably next year. Never been fed meat protein, and she's doing just fine . Not to say its anything they don't enjoy, but it's also not necessary.

 

[Telid]

I assume you are inquiring about meat protein? You could feed anything from Mazuri aquatic to cooked ground turkey. I might inquire why you think it is necessary, though? In the wild, Redfoot's are documented eating meat protein, but like other forest/semi-forest tortoises, this is pretty much just to obtain whatever nutrients possible.

I have a female that I hatched that will be producing second generation hatchlings for me probably next year. Never been fed meat protein, and she's doing just fine . Not to say its anything they don't enjoy, but it's also not necessary.

From what I have read, they are opportunistic feeders regarding animal protein. Their primary animal protein intake comes from insect and carrion. I don't see any harm in giving them some, but would definitely keep it limited in amount. Terry's site (turtletary) says he only recommends once a week at most.

 

[Maverick]

I assume you are inquiring about meat protein? You could feed anything from Mazuri aquatic to cooked ground turkey. I might inquire why you think it is necessary, though? In the wild, Redfoot's are documented eating meat protein, but like other forest/semi-forest tortoises, this is pretty much just to obtain whatever nutrients possible.

I have a female that I hatched that will be producing second generation hatchlings for me probably next year. Never been fed meat protein, and she's doing just fine . Not to say its anything they don't enjoy, but it's also not necessary.

I find this interesting, most of the care sheets and such have some sort of meat protein as requirement in some percentage. One I believe (I'll try to find a link later) actually said redfoots only absorb calcium from animal protein. So I have been feeding worms, shrimp, chicken and eggs every few weeks as I thought I was a requirement. Do you feed many high protein vegetables or just mainly greens? Thanks

 

[Turtlepete]

I find this interesting, most of the care sheets and such have some sort of meat protein as requirement in some percentage. One I believe (I'll try to find a link later) actually said redfoots only absorb calcium from animal protein. So I have been feeding worms, shrimp, chicken and eggs every few weeks as I thought I was a requirement. Do you feed many high protein vegetables or just mainly greens? Thanks

Absorbing calcium from animal protein is complete bogus. Unless Redfoot's go by different biology then every other tortoise, I wouldn't believe that. . I believe it typically goes more along the lines of "needed amino acids for muscle growth", or something along those lines. I forget.
Greens, squashes, fruits. High protien veggies would be something like beans, and I've never offered anything like that. I believe mushrooms may be high in protein, which are a good thing to offer, if you can afford to. In large groups, it gets very expensive.

All tortoises basically have the same dietary requirements. The only difference, is their ways of obtaining those requirements/nutrients. Redfoot's are designed in a way that allows them to eat large amounts of fruit, where-as a sulcata would suffer from this kind of diet, and is instead designed to live on a high-fiber, a.k.a, grass diet. This is pretty much why we can feed every tortoise Mazuri, and they will do just fine (there are some who actually feed it %100 to every species, from stars to spiders. Not saying I recommend this, just a thought).

Truthfully, I don't know the science of it. There may be some "nutrients and vitamins only acquired from meat". All I know is what my tort's tell me, and that is that I have adults raised from hatchlings that aren't suffering from "lack of muscle growth" or the like. In fact, they're producing healthy babies. If an animal goes through it's life, and goes on to reproduce, I call it healthy.

Animal protein is of course not harmful, as long as you don't overfeed it. They will roll over for a piece of cooked chicken. If you like, feel free to offer it. I just mean to say, don't stress yourselves over something that isn't necessary.

 

[Maverick]

Absorbing calcium from animal protein is complete bogus. Unless Redfoot's go by different biology then every other tortoise, I wouldn't believe that. . I believe it typically goes more along the lines of "needed amino acids for muscle growth", or something along those lines. I forget.
Greens, squashes, fruits. High protien veggies would be something like beans, and I've never offered anything like that. I believe mushrooms may be high in protein, which are a good thing to offer, if you can afford to. In large groups, it gets very expensive.

All tortoises basically have the same dietary requirements. The only difference, is their ways of obtaining those requirements/nutrients. Redfoot's are designed in a way that allows them to eat large amounts of fruit, where-as a sulcata would suffer from this kind of diet, and is instead designed to live on a high-fiber, a.k.a, grass diet. This is pretty much why we can feed every tortoise Mazuri, and they will do just fine (there are some who actually feed it %100 to every species, from stars to spiders. Not saying I recommend this, just a thought).

Truthfully, I don't know the science of it. There may be some "nutrients and vitamins only acquired from meat". All I know is what my tort's tell me, and that is that I have adults raised from hatchlings that aren't suffering from "lack of muscle growth" or the like. In fact, they're producing healthy babies. If an animal goes through it's life, and goes on to reproduce, I call it healthy.

Animal protein is of course not harmful, as long as you don't overfeed it. They will roll over for a piece of cooked chicken. If you like, feel free to offer it. I just mean to say, don't stress yourselves over something that isn't necessary.

Thanks for your insight.