meat for torts

[gerrod]

ok, i can finally get ralph to eat pretty much any fruit or veggie but no proteins. Ive tried worms, mealworms, sardines, and the latest was salmon but he wants no part of it. He gets plenty of greens, mushrooms and fruit so i know hes not starving but ive had him for a couple months and the fact hes not getting protein worries me. Is this ok? What do i do if not?

 

[Jacqui]

It's okay for him NOT to eat the protein. He is an adult and should know what he wants/needs. You have him eating his greens and fruits, so just make sure those are of a good quality and make a healthy balanced diet. He is getting some protein, because even those mushrooms he is eating do have some.

Are you giving him any extra calcium? If so, is it the plain or added one? Do you have a cuttlebone around for him if he desires it? Does he get any outdoor time?

You are getting yourself worried and upset about nothing major. I think we tend to worry too much at times about the details, when we should be looking at the overall picture. The big picture I am seeing with Ralph is a healthy, active, well eating tortoise. True today he may not desire any protein, no biggie. Next week or next month (or longer) he may suddenly decide that very best thing to eat in this world are worms (or some other protein source).

Relax, sit back, get comfy, and just enjoy him!

 

[gerrod]

no added calcium. just greens (green leaf lettuce, kale n what not) bananas, mushrooms and carrots. he really seems to like carrots so i hope those are good for him. Do i need extra calcium?

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And i let him run around outside a few times a week.

 

[Madkins007]

no added calcium. just greens (green leaf lettuce, kale n what not) bananas, mushrooms and carrots. he really seems to like carrots so i hope those are good for him. Do i need extra calcium?

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And i let him run around outside a few times a week.

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- Kale is OK in calcium, the rest not so hot. You should consider at last an occasional supplementation.
- Carrots- not great, yellow squash would be better/more natural.
- Mushrooms- a natural, and full of vitamin D2.
- Bananas- a great treat, a bit sugary for a regular meal item.

Oddly enough, I just posted an article on diet- http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-15229-page-3.html

I'm pretty happy with it, and think you'll enjoy it.

 

[Jacqui]

Another major issue is that bananas, more so then any other fruit, seems to be addictive to them. They then tend to want only bananas, which of course is not a good thing.

Carrots tend to be a treat item, like perhaps no more then once or twice a month. Are you feeding raw or cooked?

I have to admit, most of us hingeback owners seem to use a higher percentage of food considered to be poor dietary value then most tortoise keepers. A lot of it is simply the need to, I guess for a lack of any better terms, baby, spoil, and even pamper our animals since they tend to be poor eaters. However once you get one eating well (as you seem to be blessed with), it's really important to try to work them toward the better more correct type diets.

Jacqui