packaged "complete" foods

[j156ghs]

I have used Rep-Cal Tortoise Food and ZooMed box turtle pellets. ZooMed lists alfalfa and wheat first, then down a ways on the ingredient list are things like escalore, dandelion along with some fruit. Rep-Cal's first ingredient is ground corn which I've read is not the great for a tortoise (same with alfalfa), further down the list is papaya, mango strawberry, vegetable oil. Both products have a lot of vitamin and minerals. My Hermann's loves to eat the Rep-Cal in particular but I can't see him going without real greens. I then don't know how much to supplement the greens with vitamin powders or calcium (and with or without D3). I find most nutrition guidelines for feeding torts to be confusing anyway. Any thoughts?

 

[Redstrike]

There's a lot of conflicting testimonials and convictions on certain feeding guidelines. Ultimately, you have to decide what will work best for you and your tortoise.

Grains are generally viewed as a poor food choice for tortoises because they are not readily digestible. Many of these packaged "complete" foods use grains as fillers, dog and cat food are a good example too. Both dogs and cats are in the Carnivora and neither of these animals consume grains on a regular basis, yet we have grains in the commercial dry diets as fillers. Cats, being especially carnivorous, rarely consume any plant matter yet seem to do fine with a captive diet containing grain fillers. Although grains are not viewed as great for tortoises, it's likely these fillers simply pass through the digestive tract without any real issues. The vitamins and minerals added to these "all-in-one", pellet-form diets are undoubtedly beneficial if you use them occasionally, but you really can't beat the nutrition and fiber of wild or store-bought greens and fruits (maybe no fruits for your Hermann's).

Supplementation is another one of those heated debates. Most arguments are couched in what age we should begin and how much we should provide. All I can give you is my personal experience handed down from many on this forum that I trust. I supplement my two Cherryhead RF hatchlings with Calcium + D3 once per week (very light dusting). I use the D3 addition because I'm in upstate NY and getting them outside for UVB exposure, and subsequent D3 synthesis, is currently difficult. If you're in a climate with good sunlight and temperatures and outdoor sunlight/exposure is less of an issue, D3 may not be necessary. Lastly, liquid vitamin D3 may be more readily absorbed, so if you can afford it bag some of this. Mark has a good guide on his website for dosage information:
http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/nutguide.html

If you're really wary about any vitamin/mineral supplementation, some use natural food powders instead. TNT from Carolina Pet Supply and Repashy SuperVeggie are two that come to mind.

 

[Yvonne G]

I use Mazuri for my Aldabran tortoises once a week as a supplement, because they are calcium deficient and this is a way for me to supplement. During the week I offer them a bite of fruit with calcium pills hidden inside. The majority of their pen is clover, and I didn't realize they weren't getting enough calcium until the symptoms were obvious. They love the Mazuri.

 

[Madkins007]

There is an article about prepared diets vs. natural foods at the Library (http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/prepared.html ) and in the 'articles' section here in the Tortoise Forum (http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Prepared-Tortoise-Diets-yes-or-no#axzz1bRuMkhzV )

My personal opinions are:
- While natural grains are not an appropriate food choice for many animals- including, in general, humans- PROCESSED grains are a different story. The nutritional values are 'unlocked' and refined, the inherent toxins are removed, cellulose broken up, etc.
- A mix of about 50% processed and 50% natural would seem to be a good compromise- you get the hard-to-achieve mixes and balances of stuff in the processed foods, and the nutrients that do not survive processing or age in the fresh foods, as well as additional micro-nutrients and a possible 'something' benefit to fresher foods.