I feed my baby torts sometimes 2-3 times a day, is it ok or am I over feeding? Also i wake them up to feed them at night and they eat a little than walk back into their hut, is this ok? Am I the only one waking them up to feed them?
Over feeding?
- Thread starter samstar
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Most kinds of tortoises are NOT nocturnal. You more than likely never see a baby Star tortoise out grazing at night. I think you ought to stop this practice. Feeding a couple times during the day is fine for babies.
Yvonne
Yvonne
Agreed. Most owners only feed once or twice a day for hatchlings. I have never heard of someone waking up a tortoise in the middle of the night. That is not a good idea. You are interrupting their sleep, and they can become scared of you. How would you like for someone to pull you out of your bed and place you at your dining room table? Do you turn the light on for them to eat then too? They should have about 12 hours a day of light, and 12 hours of dark, or something close to that.
I would put food out once a day for them to choose when they want to eat. If you feel inclined to offer fresh food twice a day, that would be the most you need to do. Most hatchlings aren't even awake long enough to eat several meals, although many will eat a little, bask or nap, eat again, and repeat. You can easily overfeed a captive tortoise, even while they are still growing. If they don't get enough exercise, they can easily get chubby. In the wild, they are programmed to eat as much as they can as food is scarce. Thus, they tend to overeat in captivity. As they get older, you will likely want to limit what you feed them to a set amount, and only once a day.
I would put food out once a day for them to choose when they want to eat. If you feel inclined to offer fresh food twice a day, that would be the most you need to do. Most hatchlings aren't even awake long enough to eat several meals, although many will eat a little, bask or nap, eat again, and repeat. You can easily overfeed a captive tortoise, even while they are still growing. If they don't get enough exercise, they can easily get chubby. In the wild, they are programmed to eat as much as they can as food is scarce. Thus, they tend to overeat in captivity. As they get older, you will likely want to limit what you feed them to a set amount, and only once a day.
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In captivity tortoises of any age should only be fed once daily at the most. I actually only feed mine every other day, regardless of age (waiting for the gasps to stop) when they're indoors in the fall. This is in part because they are far less active than when they're outdoors during the spring and summer. I have timothy hay available for them to graze on (along with calcium carbonate) 24/7 which they do often. It definitely is not a good idea to wake them up at night to feed them. Tortoises are very much creatures of habit and routine. They forage and bask in the daylight and sleep at night. They are never out in the nighttime eating.
samstar said:
I don't think that young tortoises should be fed every other day. After three days without eating, their little systems start to shut down. I think getting out of practice of a routine in which your tortoise eats every day is a bad idea. Babies are very fragile. I think they should have something in their systems every day at least once a day.
Today I tried feeding them some food and they ate so much less and only because of this silly midnight snack I fed them last night. Now they are full and asleep. Perhaps in the evening I'll walk them in my garden to get some exercise done and tomorrow they will get back to their normal routine.
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