my diet plan

[reptastic]

im thinking of getting a russian as my first tort and was wondering if this diet plan is ok, i planned to feed grass/hay 4x a week, zoo med tort. diet twice a week and once a week some greens and veggies! how doest this sound!

 

[Meg90]

Not a good idea. Skip your veggies, a Russian will not eat hay or grass and the zoo med diet is kinda crappy.

Pick up some Mazuri (a couple members here sell it) and I would feed that 1-3 times a week.

For a staple diet you want: Spring mix (this is the basis of my diets), romaine, collard, mustard and beet greens. Curly endive, radicchio, other types of lettuce, dandelion greens and flowers and several other types of pesticide and fertilizer free, APPROVED weeds.

Vegetables are mainly sugar and water. They do not eat them in the wild, and should be only occasionally given as treats. Not part of the actual diet.

Btw, this is the same Meg90 from Pangea and Tegutalk. Nice to see you doing your research Chris!

 

[reptastic]

Not a good idea. Skip your veggies, a Russian will not eat hay or grass and the zoo med diet is kinda crappy.

Pick up some Mazuri (a couple members here sell it) and I would feed that 1-3 times a week.

For a staple diet you want: Spring mix (this is the basis of my diets), romaine, collard, mustard and beet greens. Curly endive, radicchio, other types of lettuce, dandelion greens and flowers and several other types of pesticide and fertilizer free, APPROVED weeds.

Vegetables are mainly sugar and water. They do not eat them in the wild, and should be only occasionally given as treats. Not part of the actual diet.

Btw, this is the same Meg90 from Pangea and Tegutalk. Nice to see you doing your research Chris!

---

Not a good idea. Skip your veggies, a Russian will not eat hay or grass and the zoo med diet is kinda crappy.

Pick up some Mazuri (a couple members here sell it) and I would feed that 1-3 times a week.

For a staple diet you want: Spring mix (this is the basis of my diets), romaine, collard, mustard and beet greens. Curly endive, radicchio, other types of lettuce, dandelion greens and flowers and several other types of pesticide and fertilizer free, APPROVED weeds.

Vegetables are mainly sugar and water. They do not eat them in the wild, and should be only occasionally given as treats. Not part of the actual diet.

Btw, this is the same Meg90 from Pangea and Tegutalk. Nice to see you doing your research Chris!

thanks im still in the research phase of my adoption, and the diet is going to be the first thing i get right! and hey meg how are yah! seems like we have the same interest in a few reptiles lol! and yes i know research is the only way to keep a happy heathy reptile thank god for the internet and all the forums!

 

[stells]

There are loads of edible weeds/plants and flowers out there waiting to be picked... washed and fed... research those... they make a great staple diet which can be mostly free too...

IMO shop bought food should not be a staple and is the easy way out.... and should only be used to bulk out other foodstuffs... i feed 30 tortoises this way... and manage to do so for the majority of the year... just bulking out the food for the non hibernators in the winter... it keeps costs down... and also gives a more natural diet... variety being the key...

Some spring mixes also contain spinach (i know your's doesn't Meg)(but you didn't specify which one you use)... this should also not be part of a staple diet...

Also be careful with the amount of formulated food you feed to a Russian... they are pigs... and have a tendancy to grow off on a formulated diet... i would say once per week maximum... JMHO

 

[chadk]

Not a good idea. Skip your veggies, a Russian will not eat hay or grass and the zoo med diet is kinda crappy.

Pick up some Mazuri (a couple members here sell it) and I would feed that 1-3 times a week.

For a staple diet you want: Spring mix (this is the basis of my diets), romaine, collard, mustard and beet greens. Curly endive, radicchio, other types of lettuce, dandelion greens and flowers and several other types of pesticide and fertilizer free, APPROVED weeds.

Vegetables are mainly sugar and water. They do not eat them in the wild, and should be only occasionally given as treats. Not part of the actual diet.

Btw, this is the same Meg90 from Pangea and Tegutalk. Nice to see you doing your research Chris!

Actually Russians WILL eat hay and grass. Most folks just don't know how or where to get quality hay. The stuff in most pet stores is garbage....

In this pic, Joe has them eating Orchard Grass (a common type of hay)

The a great source of info on Russians and diet can be found here:
http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

Many keepers provide fresh hay at all times. Then chop it up in small bits and mix it with the fresh leafy greens.

The ideal diet and setup for a russian is an outdoor pen with plenty of weeds and grasses to choose from and graze at will. This gives them exercise, sunshine, and a natural healthy diet. But if they must be kept indoors, a large indoor pen or tort table is is reasonable approach, and if you don't have access to safe grass and weeds and quality hay, grocery store greens will do. See the site I listed for specifics. Print out the list and take it to the store