philipgreece
Active Member
Since I found this forum and there are some experts here I would like to ask if there is a safe fruit to feed sparingly my russian tortoises! I hear all the time that it's bad for them! Thank you!
Fruits
- Thread starter philipgreece
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I don't know from experience, but only from what I've heard : being fed fruit causes a parasite bloom in tortoises that don't have access to fruit in nature. An occasional piece as a treat is ok. It's the sugar not the type of fruit.
Giving treats is more about people feeling good about doing it, than the animals getting it. My Russian LOVES Kale - its not great for him, but its not diametrically opposed to his digestive system, so I give him Kale as a "treat". He loves it, and it brings me the same pleasure as when I give my dogs a treat.
BTW I could do the same thing with radicchio (even though that is very good for him and its a mainstay of his diet). He LOVES radicchio. Makes a bee-line for it every meal. I could withhold that and give that as a "treat" and I'd feel just as warm and fuzzy, but honestly it makes me feel warm and fuzzy when he eats it as a main meal item anyway.
So you can give treats that make you feel good doing so, and doesn't need to be something bad for them.
BTW I could do the same thing with radicchio (even though that is very good for him and its a mainstay of his diet). He LOVES radicchio. Makes a bee-line for it every meal. I could withhold that and give that as a "treat" and I'd feel just as warm and fuzzy, but honestly it makes me feel warm and fuzzy when he eats it as a main meal item anyway.
So you can give treats that make you feel good doing so, and doesn't need to be something bad for them.
Squash are technically fruit and can be a good part of a varied diet in small amounts, but you'll want to stray away from anything very sweet
Happy birthday!
Thank you!
What you hear all the time is right. NO FRUIT! Now you need to except the answer!
Define "safe". It is not likely to kill him like poison, so I wouldn't call fruit "unsafe".
I think the question you want to ask is: Should I feed fruit to my Russian. Or maybe: Is fruit good for my Russian tortoise?
I would say no to both.
philipgreece
Active Member
Ok thank you so much!
Fruit is basically a Snickers bar to a tortoise. Can you feed it? Yes. Is it a good idea? Not really. Russians live in a place that is very dry, with extreme temperatures. They aren't going to run into much fruit in their native habitat and aren't built to handle it.
Your tortoise would love a single mushroom; a green bean or snap pea, a bit of summer or winter squash; the very top of a carrot; a couple of okra; a bit of yam or sweet potato. These are all things you can rotate in and feel good about. I offer my Russian one or two of these most weeks. Just as an add in! The vast majority of what she eats is leaves.
Your tortoise would love a single mushroom; a green bean or snap pea, a bit of summer or winter squash; the very top of a carrot; a couple of okra; a bit of yam or sweet potato. These are all things you can rotate in and feel good about. I offer my Russian one or two of these most weeks. Just as an add in! The vast majority of what she eats is leaves.
philipgreece
Active Member
T
Thank you! I feed them once per 3 months sweet potato! I hope is not so harmful for them!
It's not! But if you use some of the other foods I mentioned and not always sweet potato that would be even better. With the exception of okra--which I don't care for--my tortoise is basically getting a few odds and ends from what the humans are eating. I have lots of choices where I live, though; that may not be the case in Greece!
