I don't want to get into an argument. I stated my opinion that I would give more variety. You choose what you feel is best. Sorry to detract from the original poster.
Chewbecca said:He doesn't JUST get hibiscus.
He gets other greens too.
Hibiscus is his staple, though.
It has a ton of calcium, and it also has plant protein which he needs.
What is wrong with letting him eat mainly hibiscus for his greens?
He eats the leaves AND petals.
York1 said:I have 2 young redfoots.(2.5") They ate fine the first couple days then have refused to eat the last couple days. They look fine and are drinking ok. I have them in a 4'x2' cage. Good humidity plenty of hiding spots. Its about 83 on the warm side 78 on the cool side. I have been feeding dandelion, escarole,collard greens and have tried strawberry/plumb.
How long can they go without eating? Any tips on getting them to eat?
Madkins007 said:Chewbecca said:He doesn't JUST get hibiscus.
He gets other greens too.
Hibiscus is his staple, though.
It has a ton of calcium, and it also has plant protein which he needs.
What is wrong with letting him eat mainly hibiscus for his greens?
He eats the leaves AND petals.
While different varieties of hibiscus have different values, what I could find was...
Hibiscus leaves, per 100 grams of food- 0 calories, 18g calcium, 4g phosphorus (4.5:1 Ca: P ratio)
Hibiscus flowers, per 100g of food- 0 calories, 4mg calcium, 27mg phosphorous (0.15:1 Ca: P)
The Roselle Hibiscus calyxes, similar to a rose hip, are much better nutritionally, but account for little of the plant's mass. A lot of the nutritional info on hibiscus comes from this, since it is used to make herbal teas.
Many species of Hibiscus leaves have a VERY small amount of calcium per 100 grams of food- it is the second lowest dose of all the plants on my list of greens- tied with Iceberg lettuce. It would be theoretically possible for a tortoise to starve eating too much hibiscus.
Hibiscus makes a nice, low-nutrient/low-calorie filler in a varied diet, but unless you know that the values for your species of feeder Hibiscus is better, I would not use it as a main food stuff.
York1 said:I have 2 young redfoots.(2.5") They ate fine the first couple days then have refused to eat the last couple days. They look fine and are drinking ok. I have them in a 4'x2' cage. Good humidity plenty of hiding spots. Its about 83 on the warm side 78 on the cool side. I have been feeding dandelion, escarole,collard greens and have tried strawberry/plumb.
How long can they go without eating? Any tips on getting them to eat?
They are often reported going a week without food, and if they recently lost their yolk sac scar, they can actually go a bit longer. The yolk sac provides a lot of nourishment.
My questions and thoughts are:
1. Do they have cage mates? A 4x2' cage is a lot of space for little scardy-cats by itself, but if they have cage-mates, the others may be causing them stress.
2. I ditto the 'too cool' votes. I'd boost the warm end to closer to 88-90, and the cool end to about 80-83.
3. Ditto on some warm soaks, sunshine, and simulated rain/heavy misting. Tis often gets them going. Also, if it is raining for real, the barometic pressure might trigger feeding.
4. Time for the Big Gun- take some banana and dye or stain it red. Bananas are not a great regular food, but they do often stimulate appetite. I would also LIGHTLY dust it with a crushed up human multi-vitamin and a tiny dash of calcium. Watermelon is another option that often helps.
5. I might build a 'private area' in the habitat- visual barriers, etc. to make a 'feeding alcove' where they can eat and not feel exposed, close to the hiding place.
Ahhh... 'plenty of hiding spots' in a big habitat with lots of variety? Which hiding place do they choose? If a warm one, that would be a sign the habitat is a bit cool. Is it a drier or wetter one, etc. Hiding places can often tell us what they are looking for.
Well the antibitocs and baytril topicalMadkins007 said:Dang. Poorly started animals are a real problem, as are animals that are shipped or transported improperly.
If you get the chance, can you post what the doc and you are doing for it and how it is working?