Feeding Mazuri as Staple?

[TortiForte]

Have read lotsa conflicting advice lately on Mazuri. Some say it can be fed as a staple with green supplements while others say it should only be fed once or twice a weeks a supplement.

Also, some say protein is fine as long as its veggie based while others say protein is bad overall.

It's very confusing for a new tort owner. Hope some of you experts can help clear this up

I keep radiated tortoises, in case anyone's wondering

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We have many radiateds. Unsure how you keep them, however we keep ours outside with plenty of natural grass and weeds that they eat at will. We do feed Mazuri once or twice a week. They grow very steady and strong with this balance.

 

[dmarcus]

Its all a personal choice on how much to feed butI think that If you are a new keeper, I would not feed Mazuri as a staple and only feed it a few times a week. Those that do feed it as a staple have been keeping tortoises for a while and they have figured out the balance that is needed in husbandry to avoid any problems that could arise with only feeding Mazuri.

 

[TortiForte]

Hi AldabraMan, my torts are outside with access to nice grass and weeds but theyre not very keen on it it seems (theres very much of it still around!).

dmarcus, what do you mean by the balance needed in husbandry that would avoid problems that could arise with only feeding mazuri? What are the conditions i need to stick to when feeding Mazuri as the staple?

The reason i ask is that the torts seem to be VERY keen on the Mazuri but not nearly as excited over the veggie based diet

 

[JoesMum]

Welcome to the world of fussy eaters!

Tortoises behave like fussy children and will hold out for what they like rather than what's good for them.

You have to be the strict parent and consistently point out that there's no candy unless you eat your dinner nicely!

You need a very strong mind to hold out against millenia of evolution... healthy tortoises can go a few weeks without eating and it's not unusual for the battle of wills to last 2 or 3!

Don't give in to the easy, but more expensive solution. Withhold mazuri completely for the next month and when greens are being eaten nicely again... then they can have it.

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

I myself am a strong proponent of a natural diet for torts. I only use the Mazuri once a week at most. Some people use it as a staple food source and swear by it. I personally have a beef with it. At the end of the day its processed, manufactured food that needs to be artificially rehydrated. I prefer natural fresh greens. That's just my own opinion.
-Austin