MAZURI ONLY?

[DeanS]

How many of you are experiencing a 'Mazuri only' attitude from your torts. Aladar turns down everything except Mazuri...he will occasionally take some grass...but no more cactus...barely touched the pumpkin this year...and I have to chop the hay before I mix it into the Mazuri...Two of my youngsters will nibble on cactus or pumpkin...but they really want nothing more than Mazuri...tell me your experiences...

 

[Torty Mom]

Mine only get it once a week, so if they stuff up their little noses at what ever is on the plate, a day or so later they chow up. Now, most of my torts are yearlings. Lou on the other hand is part piggasaurus he will eat anything I put in front of him. Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

This is a interesting thread, Dean. Spike has become very picky about his greens lately also. I wonder if he is having withdraws from the Mazuri that he use to be fed to as a part of his diet when the breeder had him. I wonder if Mazuri added something to that food to get them addicted like ciggs...lol

 

[Len B]

I feed mazuri more in the winter than the rest of the year, I started giving Walker mazuri a couple weeks ago when the leaves started falling and covering what little weeds and grass is left. Today I cut off what I thought was a perfect cactus pad for him, he showed no interest in it at all. He had eaten a bowl of mazuri earlier and grazed around the yard a couple hours before I offered it, I just thought he wasn't hungry.I will pay more attention now to his preference's as I change his seasonal diet. Never noticed anything different before and been doing it this way for years. Len

 

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

So do you think it is seasonal is why they start not wanting to eat much? Spike has refused his mixed greens more here lately and wants to sleep more. Now they say sulcatas dont hibernate but the way he has been acting here lately, it's alot like he is wanting to. Eating but nothing like he did aweek ago.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I only feed Bob Mazuri in the winter to supplement the greens he's not getting. Bob doesn't turn down anything he's a very good eater.
Dean, are you sure Aladar is warm enough? Bob spends a lot of his time under his basking light. He goes outside to graze and comes back in and immediately gets under his light where he will spend the rest of the day.


Generally speaking the only time a Sulcata turns down food is when he doesn't feel good. So maybe you need to pay attention to that? Check your husbandry making sure he's hot enough, is he set up correctly? Does he have any humidity? I run the vaporizer daily for Bob now that he has to be mostly inside. In the evening I bring Bob some softened squash for a 'bonding' moment. Maybe Aladar is depressed? Are you spending enough time with him? I'm just running some ideas past you...because a Sulcata Aladars age and size should have a great appetite...

FADE2BLACK...they use molasses to hold all the ingredients together and Sulcata, and I guess other species, get addicted to that. Or at least like it a lot. That's one reason you shouldn't feed Mazuri to hatchlings. They stop eating everything else...Kinda like Aladar...

 

[Kvoigt]

How many of you are experiencing a 'Mazuri only' attitude from your torts. Aladar turns down everything except Mazuri...he will occasionally take some grass...but no more cactus...barely touched the pumpkin this year...and I have to chop the hay before I mix it into the Mazuri...Two of my youngsters will nibble on cactus or pumpkin...but they really want nothing more than Mazuri...tell me your experiences...

My leo Sonne wont even touch it.. might take a tiny bite but will just leave it alone n goes for his greens wich i mix the Zoo med grassland food

 

[terribrown71]

How many of you are experiencing a 'Mazuri only' attitude from your torts. Aladar turns down everything except Mazuri...he will occasionally take some grass...but no more cactus...barely touched the pumpkin this year...and I have to chop the hay before I mix it into the Mazuri...Two of my youngsters will nibble on cactus or pumpkin...but they really want nothing more than Mazuri...tell me your experiences...

definitely the same with Arthur. He is starting to not like his greens so I had to back off giving it daily to everyother day. Its hard to do that when he's looking at me with that sweet face like I forgot something...then I think he pouts cause he then goes in his corner and just stares at the wall. Dont want nothing to do with me...lol

 

[N2TORTS]

Dean ... the herd of red's , the lep's and even the radi' ... all eat it but not " hooked" on it ... I try to give once every 7-10 days and when I do , I mix it with other stuff.....
JD~

 

[mattk]

My two little red foots only get it once or twice a week. they usualy get the zoomed stuff a few times a week. i have to feed abby softer foods( i soak the mazouri and the zoomed stuff) because she was born with a messed up mouth. they dont seem addicted to it.

 

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

I only feed Bob Mazuri in the winter to supplement the greens he's not getting. Bob doesn't turn down anything he's a very good eater.
Dean, are you sure Aladar is warm enough? Bob spends a lot of his time under his basking light. He goes outside to graze and comes back in and immediately gets under his light where he will spend the rest of the day.


Generally speaking the only time a Sulcata turns down food is when he doesn't feel good. So maybe you need to pay attention to that? Check your husbandry making sure he's hot enough, is he set up correctly? Does he have any humidity? I run the vaporizer daily for Bob now that he has to be mostly inside. In the evening I bring Bob some softened squash for a 'bonding' moment. Maybe Aladar is depressed? Are you spending enough time with him? I'm just running some ideas past you...because a Sulcata Aladars age and size should have a great appetite...

FADE2BLACK...they use molasses to hold all the ingredients together and Sulcata, and I guess other species, get addicted to that. Or at least like it a lot. That's one reason you shouldn't feed Mazuri to hatchlings. They stop eating everything else...Kinda like Aladar...

Thanks Maggie for that molasses info Btw, Spike is 2 1/2 years old and at 10", so He is kinda of a big guy.

I also wonder if our winters could be giving them alittle bit of depression like it does to most of us. Also from having to bring them indoors from the cold outdoor weather. Just a thought.

 

[dmarcus]

All of mine get mazuri everyday, but its always mix with something else. I do see mine out grazing even after eating the mazuri, so it works for me.

 

[GBtortoises]

The below comparison list is from the Manufacturer's own websites, including Mazuri. Some important dietary elements are listed in the comparison below. What isn't listed are other very important vitamins and minerals that are necessary for good tortoise health. This is because the manufacturers don't list them either. That lack of important information can only lead one to assume that either these foods do not contain sufficient enough amounts or not at all. If they contained sufficient amounts it would be an additional selling point. Because of this lack of information I would not consider Mazuri or the other examples as good diet staples and certainly not as a sole diet. They are however a good addition to most tortoise species diet of good quality varied greens and occasionally some vegetables. All of my tortoises, regardless of age or species get Mazuri once a week mixed with good quality greens.

Protein Fat Fiber Calcium Phosphorus

Mazuri 15%+/- 3%+ 18%+ .95-1.45% .60%+

Marion Red Sticks 23%+/- 6.5%+ 10% ? ?

ZooMed Grassland 9%- 2%- 26%+ .9-1.3% .4%-

ZooMed Forest 13%- 2%- 23%+ 1.3%+ .4%-

 

[yagyujubei]

Mine get mazuri every day. Eventhough they love it, anything I feed them gets eaten. I feed mazuri in the AM, and vegetation later in the day, usually grass and whatever broadleaf greens I can find.

 

[Neal]

Some of mine will only eat mazuri. It usually takes a day of starvation before they'll accept anything else. I do notice they develop more aggressive eating habits after they get a taste of mazuri.

 

[Tom]

I have not noticed any of these problems in my adults or babies. Mine eat whatever I put in front of them. I usually feed Mazuri twice a week. I say usually because once in a while I skip it if I'm trying to use up some greens before they go bad. I don't know what I'm doing differently...

I definitely DO notice an overall decrease in appetite in all of my outdoor tortoises when the weather turns cold and the days get shorter (like right now). They do have their heated shelters, but when the days just don't warm up past 60 or so, they definitely eat less of any food offered. This "natural" cycle is kinda of good because with the cooler weather comes the rains, and with the rains come the weeds. Their lower appetites during the cold rainy weather gives the weeds a chance to sprout up and get some size and bulk. At the start of our rainy season I also try to feed them up on other stuff to give the weeds a chance to get going.

 

[Madkins007]

I agree with Tom big time. Comments about getting 'depressed' this time of year for tortoises forget that pretty much all tortoise species, even rain forest torts, experience seasons, and these seasons affect them in many ways- light duration and quality; temps; humidity; rain fall; food variety, abundance, and quality; and so forth.

More importantly, they are PROGRAMMED to deal with these fluctuations in different ways. Moving into brumation or other forms of dormancy, eating less or gorging more, hiding more and moving less, etc.

Because they are less active in a metabolic sense, I think this is a good time of year for lower calorie, less nutrition-dense food. I have little to back it up yet, but I don't offer a lot of Mazuri this time of year (very nutrient dense and lots of calories), instead offering mushrooms, flowers, leaves, vegetables, etc. for most meals. They really dig into the Mazuri when I offer it, but I rather suspect this is their 'gorge' reflex working, which may not be serving them well in the artificial conditions of captivity.

In fact, a couple of the top theories of pyramiding are related to this- too many nutrients and the resultant growth when the metabolism is slowed.

 

[DeanS]

Excellent points from everyone...and thanks for the input! One things for sure. This season, I take Tom up on his offer of grocery bags full of mallow

 

[Missy]

I only feed Mazuri once a week and that is for this very reason. I don't want them to only want Mazuri. I add their calcium powder to it. On Mazuri day I give them a pile of dry hay topped with Mazuri. The other reason is the expense, Mazuri every day would cost $$$$ especially for adult Sulcatas.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I've only been keeping one juvenile sulcata since April and he hates Mazuri anytime I've offered it.

The tiny redfoot I have seems to eat it, and I offer it once a week.