Good protein for Red Foots?

Beasty_Artemis

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So what foods are recommended for feeding red footed torts? Artemis is a big fan of shrimp and hard boiled eggs, but I dont give her any other kinds of meat. I kind of want to know if I could add some variety there .... ? Any experiences here on the forum?
 

ZEROPILOT

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So what foods are recommended for feeding red footed torts? Artemis is a big fan of shrimp and hard boiled eggs, but I dont give her any other kinds of meat. I kind of want to know if I could add some variety there .... ? Any experiences here on the forum?
Twice now, mine have eaten rats and half of the wooden rat traps that have fallen within reach of my group.
"What WON'T they eat?" Would be the better question.
Any non fat, lean meat.
Personally I use Mazuri and dog food. Primarily because I also have a dog. So it's convenient.
I also feed some bird eggs. My wife raises finches and canaries and I occasionally boil up some fresh, rejected eggs and toss them into my enclosure whole. They're tiny and get chomped up quickly.
I've also seen them eat insects and try to eat a slow moving lizard.
Protein is less than 10% of what I feed. Just a few times a month.
It can come down to whatever is easiest or the most handy for you to provide
They can and will eat such a huge assortment of things. Us Redfoot keepers are very lucky as far as foods go.
 
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Toddrickfl1

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I do Earthworms, tuna, boiled chicken, scrambled egg with the shell, nightcrawlers, and occasionally cat food.
 

crimson_lotus

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Just to add additional protein - my turtles love boiled chicken and canned sardines.
 

William Lee Kohler

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Now and then I use canned Cat food as it's easy and cheap. Years ago I used to use soaked(in H2O)Purina Monkey chow. but when they went to a vegetable formula my tortoise wouldn't touch it anymore. They like it smelly:confused:! Think I'm going to see if I can find some of it somewhere again.
 

ArmadilloPup

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My tort loves snails. I ordered a can of snails, and thankfully they aren’t slimy or tough at all. Just looks like chopped mushrooms :)
 

Madkins007

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A few things...

1. Most of the proteins redfoots eat in the wild are butterflies, other bugs, and carrion- and not very much of that. I see a lot of articles (including old ones I wrote) that say something like 10% proteins. This was just a rough average of fecal examinations of wild torts, and it evolved to become a standard that we may not need to pay so much attention to- which brings us to...

2. They may not need additional proteins. This takes a little explanation. In tropical areas, the soil is pretty thin, and most of the plants are fairly low in some nutrients. Thus, many species eat an 'opportunistic' diet, supplementing their usual foods with whatever they can find. On the other hand, many of the supermarket veggies we have access to are actually fairly high in protein. Many reptile diet experts suggest that supplemental proteins are just not needed.

3. If you DO go with added proteins (and I did, even if only for variety), there are a few guidelines.
- Oily fish (tuna, mackerel, sardines, etc.) are good for nutrients, but create stinky poop.
- Fatty meats (pinkies, red meats, canned cat or dog food) are going to cause problems for low metabolism animals, so keep it a VERY SMALL occasional portion.
- Most bugs and invertebrates are fine. Mealworms MIGHT create impaction issues, but probably not when used rarely.
- Wild meat (venison, bugs from outside, etc.) are probably better than farm-raised.
- About the only real 'no no' would be processed meats (bacon, sausage, etc.)
- By the way- 'furries' are less fatty and higher in calcium than younger 'pinkies'

4. Portion control is a key point. A chunk the size of a nickel is a LOT of meat for a medium redfoot. I would not worry about portions on things like most bugs, but I would definitely limit most other kinds of meats.

5. Cooked eggs are fine- the shells of commercially raised (even organic) chickens are not so great. The calcium is nice, but the metals and some of the other stuff, not so much. Other eggs should be much better.
 

William Lee Kohler

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Now and then I use canned Cat food as it's easy and cheap. Years ago I used to use soaked(in H2O)Purina Monkey chow. but when they went to a vegetable formula my tortoise wouldn't touch it anymore. They like it smelly:confused:! Think I'm going to see if I can find some of it somewhere again.

As mentioned in my own previous post the search for something lost. Doing some research I've found most all exotic "chows" belong to mazuri now. A couple of emails and still don't know if a comparable chow still exists as I do not know the original nutritional ingredient balance from the early 80s. I've made some comparisons of protein values in their Tortoise and Primate foods and still have questions for them. Several on here swear by Maziri tortoise food and it has a fair protein component if memory serves. Madkins007 you suggest only very little protein but these folks use it as THE or the major component of their diets so do you say this is a bad thing?
A big question I still have is how much Ash is bad for a tortoise? I see it is in Mazuri tortoise food so what's the answer? Does Mazuri know all and see all? I know my tortoises will have nothing to do with their LS formula wet or dry.
 
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