He Eats Bugs?

[klawran1]

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I do NOT offer bugs or any other animal protein to my Russian Tortoise. That noted, I have caught him a few times purposely chasing grasshoppers, crickets, large ants, anything he can see. On occasion, I've seen him catch them and start eating them. (I bred crickets and roaches for bearded dragons for a few years. They've found their way into other enclosures here and there).My question is, is this normal? Is he that territorial that he feels the need to murder any living creature in his territory and NOT just my toes and feet? It hasn't hurt him over the years on the rare occasion it's happened, just curious if anyone else has had theirs do this.

 

[Valerie0426]

My Russian caught & ate a fly! My chihuahua has done that to one annoying him. The fly was annoying my Russian but I couldn't catch it. Great question.

 

[wellington]

In the wild, while grazing, I'm sure they eat lots of bugs. Like you said, don't purposely feed them but I can't see how an occasional could hurt. They probably eat a lot more then we think.

 

[klawran1]

It was just odd to me to see him chasing a bug down purposely. Strange sight.

 

[MPRC]

My redfoots (who do have protein as part of their diet) will eat anything they can catch. Weeds, flowers, slugs, worms, a dead snake, cat poop, a foam ear plug...

 

[naturalman91]

My redfoots (who do have protein as part of their diet) will eat anything they can catch. Weeds, flowers, slugs, worms, a dead snake, cat poop, a foam ear plug...

don't mean to be off topic here but a dead snake really? i'd freak if i seen that lol

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I had a Gopherus agassizii who would catch blue belly lizards sunning on the wall. She'd stalk them like a cat, she'd catch them and eat them. And I have caught my Sulcata eating hornets and toad poop.
I believe wild tortoises are opportunistic eaters and when hungry will eat anything. And so will Sulcata...

 

[dmmj]

the odd bug here or there is not going to hurt him. As long as you don't offer it as part of his diet and he's getting them on his own no harm no foul. My sulcata loves to go eat the pill bugs that gather underneath his water dish whenever I go to clean it and he runs over there and try to get as many as he can catch. Sometimes he does sometimes he doesn't

 

[klawran1]

Glad it's not just me with a weird tortoise. I mean, it's strange when he bypasses biting me to go after a bug.... bypassing his food dish to bite me isn't unusual. Has anyone seen Happy Feet 2? I feel he is the little krill who 'wants to eat something with a face.'

 

[RosemaryDW]

My Russian eats snails and slugs now and again.

It was worrisome the first time but I got over it. I don't think the occasional bite of protein hurts. She's not prone to eating things she shouldn't so I give her some leeway.

 

[klawran1]

I figured after all these years of him doing it, it must not be too bad for him on occasion. Still off to see a herbivore purposely chase down a cricket.

 

[Oxalis]

My Russian eats snails and slugs now and again.

It was worrisome the first time but I got over it. I don't think the occasional bite of protein hurts. She's not prone to eating things she shouldn't so I give her some leeway.

I noticed my Russian sniffing out garden slugs once or twice. He seemed very interested in it but I watched him to make sure he didn't eat it. He has a good nose; the slug was under a rock!

 

[Kristoff]

There was a paper on Testudo Graeca Ibera detailing their diet in the wild. Surprisingly, a small portion of it includes even animal carrion. Not saying we should feed our testudo that, but an occasional slug or cricket sounds very natural.