Mazuri food?

[Yingg]

Hello everyone, i have some mazuri tortoise food. It is specifically Mazuri Tortoise LS diet. I want to give it to my russian but she is a picky eater. I want to give her diverse food, but she mostly likes lettuce, mustard greens, and hibiscus. I am trying to get her to try wheatgrass after seeing tortoisetable.

Is Mazuri a good supplement on top of her usual foods (so far it's succulents, wheatgrass, lettuce (not iceberg) mustard green, and the occasional bite of fruit/hibiscus if it's in season)? can i feed mazuri as the "staple" food like rice for a human? and how can i get her to eat it? thank you all.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
Russian tortoises aren't grass eaters, so no reason to push her to eat wheatgrass (occasional grazing and offering of fresh young clippings is enough). Hibiscus leaves is a good thing to feed.

Mazuri LS is fine to use as a supplement (additional nutrients and fiber) to grocery foods. Many tortoises aren't fond of it and as such you need to slowly introduce it into diet. Wet one pellet, mush it and mix with finely chopped favourite greens (should not be noticeable - just like you add a salt or pepper to your dishes) and do it daily slowly increasing amount.

Try to look for local wild growing leafy greens - e.g. mallow, dandelions, broadleaf plantain. Or grow your own from Testudo Seed Mixes.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

There have been several reports that Russian tortoises are one of the few species that eat the LS type without any fuss.
(Most other species heavily prefer the 5M21 type)
It's fine as a supplement

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone, i have some mazuri tortoise food. It is specifically Mazuri Tortoise LS diet. I want to give it to my russian but she is a picky eater. I want to give her diverse food, but she mostly likes lettuce, mustard greens, and hibiscus. I am trying to get her to try wheatgrass after seeing tortoisetable.

Is Mazuri a good supplement on top of her usual foods (so far it's succulents, wheatgrass, lettuce (not iceberg) mustard green, and the occasional bite of fruit/hibiscus if it's in season)? can i feed mazuri as the "staple" food like rice for a human? and how can i get her to eat it? thank you all.

Your tortoise should be eating primarily weeds, leaves and flowers of the right types. Grocery store foods are not great unless you just can't get better stuff. If you must use grocery store foods, you need to add amendments, and you should favor things like endive, escarole and arugula.

All of this is good info, but especially read #10, 26 and 30:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I don’t suppose you’d mind posting your set up? Always good to see how new members are keeping their tortoise🙂

 

[Yingg]

Your tortoise should be eating primarily weeds, leaves and flowers of the right types. Grocery store foods are not great unless you just can't get better stuff. If you must use grocery store foods, you need to add amendments, and you should favor things like endive, escarole and arugula.

All of this is good info, but especially read #10, 26 and 30:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

oh wow, thanks. i'll definitely refer to this. i'm working on the garden bit, i've got succulents mint basil etc etc, will have to add more. but there are lots of succulents. lots. haha

 

[Yingg]

I don’t suppose you’d mind posting your set up? Always good to see how new members are keeping their tortoise🙂

sure! yes i know she has edema, i'm working on that 😢 temp is maybe 70, 90-100 in sunny areas (?) or areas with rocks that generally get hot. she likes to dig holes in mulch piles haha.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

sure! yes i know she has edema, i'm working on that 😢 temp is maybe 70, 90-100 in sunny areas (?) or areas with rocks that generally get hot. she likes to dig holes in mulch piles haha. View attachment 372499

Aw bless her can see a bit, I’m not sure whether she’s possibly looking like she could do with a bit of a beak trim too? Hard to tell for sure in pics, she’s a cutie though💕feeding on slate can help the beak if you aren’t already🙂
Your outdoor temps sound good for her😊and looks like she’s got lots of room to roam which is always lovely to see🥰

 

[Anastasia 22]

Hello everyone, i have some mazuri tortoise food. It is specifically Mazuri Tortoise LS diet. I want to give it to my russian but she is a picky eater. I want to give her diverse food, but she mostly likes lettuce, mustard greens, and hibiscus. I am trying to get her to try wheatgrass after seeing tortoisetable.

Is Mazuri a good supplement on top of her usual foods (so far it's succulents, wheatgrass, lettuce (not iceberg) mustard green, and the occasional bite of fruit/hibiscus if it's in season)? can i feed mazuri as the "staple" food like rice for a human? and how can i get her to eat it? thank you all.

Hello!
If she's a picky eater then it would be hard to encourage her to eat Mazuri. My Russian boy didn't want to eat it in any ways. I guess he didn't like how it smells or something 😕

 

[Tom]

Hello!
If she's a picky eater then it would be hard to encourage her to eat Mazuri. My Russian boy didn't want to eat it in any ways. I guess he didn't like how it smells or something 😕

Few tortoises will just walk up and eat it the first time they see it. You have to use the lengthy introduction process that Alex described. Its a good supplemental food, so it is worth the time to do it in my opinion. I actually use original Mazuri to get them eating the LS. I just mix a little original in and this gets them eating the LS sooner.

 

[Anastasia 22]

Few tortoises will just walk up and eat it the first time they see it. You have to use the lengthy introduction process that Alex described. Its a good supplemental food, so it is worth the time to do it in my opinion. I actually use original Mazuri to get them eating the LS. I just mix a little original in and this gets them eating the LS sooner.

Well, there's another problem I am dealing with. I spoiled him. And he refuses to eat on his own. He takes food from my hands only. I will wrap Mazuri into greens then and offer him.

 

[Yingg]

Hello!
If she's a picky eater then it would be hard to encourage her to eat Mazuri. My Russian boy didn't want to eat it in any ways. I guess he didn't like how it smells or something 😕

honestly she's really picky but after a month or so i DID manage to get her to eat mustard. still working on the succulents though, she hates those for some reason. and any fruit that isn't apple, strangely. i wish she could like something that WASN'T a fruit, haha.

 

[Yingg]

Aw bless her can see a bit, I’m not sure whether she’s possibly looking like she could do with a bit of a beak trim too? Hard to tell for sure in pics, she’s a cutie though💕feeding on slate can help the beak if you aren’t already🙂
Your outdoor temps sound good for her😊and looks like she’s got lots of room to roam which is always lovely to see🥰

yes she loves to roam, quite the fast creature. beak trim is coming up! i bring her inside during the night since the sprinklers go off. she doesn't really move much at night anyway, she burrows into the dirt and stays still like a rock, haha! i've got to take her to a vet for these issues. i know edema could be because of liver failure, but in that case i want to give her the best life possible. (i'm going to upgrade her indoor enclosure, even though she spends the majority of her waking hours outside 😂)

 

[Rock-y]

Mine loves the Mazuri LS. Although he will not eat it if it is mush. Likes it dry. I hide it around the enclosure for him to find.

 

[SinLA]

There have been several reports that Russian tortoises are one of the few species that eat the LS type without any fuss.
(Most other species heavily prefer the 5M21 type)
It's fine as a supplement

NOT MINE. Won't touch it with a 10 foot pole

 

[Yingg]

Mine loves the Mazuri LS. Although he will not eat it if it is mush. Likes it dry. I hide it around the enclosure for him to find.

oh that's interesting. i'll try giving it to her dry as well

 

[Yingg]

NOT MINE. Won't touch it with a 10 foot pole

it stinks a bit 😷 ... i think i'll give it to her a little at a time and see how it goes