Food for a hatchling

[Raymo2477]

I recently got a red foot hatchling. It is young (still had a bit of the egg sac) and I was wondering about food. I had it on moist paper towels and this morning the last little piece had come off. Now its belly looks like its closing up nicely.

The first 24 it ate nothing...but I expected that. The next day it ate a small piece of dandelion. The next it ate a little more and I offered it zucchini and banana. It didn't go for it...at first but the it ate all three. Now I'm just offering the zucchini and dandelion and the little one seems to be developing an appetite.

Any advice on food? And what about protein? I've read conflicting info on it.

Any help appreciated!

 

[jacob22699]

For protein you can give IT mealworms superworms boiled chicken boiled egg and that's about it

 

[Yvonne G]

I wouldn't say that's about it...you can also feed Snails, ants, termites, bees, beetles, butterflies, rehydrated dry cat food, pinkies...the list goes on and on.

 

[Raymo2477]

Is that true for hatchlings??

I'm sure that would be fine for adults but I'm just concerned for the young. Some places said protein wasn't good for babies.

 

[mightymizz]

I and others that I've read from, don't usually give a protein during the first 6 months from hatch. But, you will find lots of opinions on this. If you do give protein, I would much rather give a smaller amount than a larger amount.

 

[Redstrike]

I and others that I've read from, don't usually give a protein during the first 6 months from hatch. But, you will find lots of opinions on this. If you do give protein, I would much rather give a smaller amount than a larger amount.

Like you said, this is subject to personal opinion. My approach is to offer insect larvae (phoenix/repti-/superworms, butterworms, etc.) once every couple of weeks with a portion size no larger than their head, even before 6 months. I might wait until they're a month or two old, but I don't see any issues with a little animal proteins at that point.

A key thing to keep in mind is to keep fat content down as excess fats can tax their liver. Attached is a breakdown of many feeder invertebrates.

I find it difficult to believe that wild hatchlings do not consume insects while they maintain a cryptic and semi-fossorial existence. A nearby insect is packed with many critical components for growth and development - it's a super-packet of nourishment providing ample building blocks (primarily amino acids) that many plants may lack. I would think this would make them quite palatable/irresistible to a young tortoise This is all educated guessing, of course.

 

[redfoot7]

I bought my hatchling pretty small a few months ago and I was wondering the same thing you posted. I have been giving it a little piece of cooked chicken every other Sunday, then the other Sundays a couple pieces of Zoomed forest tortoise food, which says it contains some protein. The rest of its diet has been mostly greens from my yard, hibiscus flowers, and some fruits/veggies dusted with Rep-Cal. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just what I've been doing and it's been working great. It's growing like a weed, smooth hard shell, and very active and hungry.

 

[Madkins007]

The thing is... none of the places that say no protein for the first six months will tell me why they say that- I have no idea what the rationale for this is. Personally- I don't think it is a problem as long as it is mostly some form of soft-bodied invertebrates (in other words- no mealworms).

In general, wild baby tortoises have the same food choices as adults do, although there are probably a few differences. (The following are thoughts and theories since wild baby tortoises are really hard to study!)
- they probably eat more bugs in the nesting area, as a percentage of their weight, than adults do.
- they probably go after softer, riper, and more manageable foods than the big guys do.
- it is likely they make use of fungi and mushrooms more than adults- it would provide vitamin D as they hid, and is easily to eat and widely available in hiding places.
- they probably do not compete with big torts for food. You often read about group feeding in the wild, but no account I have yet read has mentioned very young torts at the site.

 

[RedfootsRule]

Protein for hatchling is definitely personal opinion. If you do, stick to foods like worms and grubs that hatchlings would more likely encounter in the wild. Heres what I feed mine:
GREENS:
Collard greens, hibiscus leaves and flowers, endive
FRUIT:
Canteloupe, strawberry and mango
Other:
Squash (small amounts, butternut, acorn, yellow, zucchinni)
Mushrooms (yes, mushrooms. What else do you think they're eating in the undergrowth ?)