Feeding Question

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chester tortoiseson

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I feed my Russian tortoise once a day (I do all he can eat in 20 minutes), and I was wondering if I put live, safe plants in and he eats them, will I be overfeeding him?
 

Tom

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No. That will be fine. Unless he is old and fat, I would not restrict his diet. I like to let my tortoises graze all day.
 

Merlin M

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I think it would be a good idea... put them in different places so he has too hunt a bit... can be fun for them!
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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chester tortoiseson said:
I am thinking of putting Petco's pet grass for starters, is that a good start?

I tried that. My female liked it pretty well, my male didn't (big surprise ... he's the picky one). But I wouldn't worry about it. Russian tortoises, like other Testudos, feed primarily on forbs, or leafy greens. Unlike other Mediterranean tortoises, they do include a little grass in their diet, but it's a small amount. Grass is harder to digest, and it takes a larger animal - like a sulcata tortoise, kangaroo, or sheep - to provide a longer retention time so the grass can be broken down more fully.
 

JoesMum

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It's very unusual to get an obese tort. Russians can eat a lot, but in the wild they spend their days browsing and eating stuff they find and fancy. Sometimes it will be loads and they'll pig out, sometimes there won't be as much.

Please do give your tort stuff to browse; he'll love it.

Better still, if you can, put him in an outdoor enclosure and let him browse stuff outdoors :)
 
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