Parrot food for torts?

[fgately]

TFO Peeps,

I know I am being a posting geek lately, but that's what we're all here for right? Anyway, I was just wondering something after sending a private message to another TFO friend.

Would parrot pellets be a good supplemental food for torts? Back in the old days of reptile keeping, it was very common to use bird vitamins for reptiles, because they are so closely related. They really do require similar vitamins and minerals at least. I wonder if the protein levels in parrot pellets are low enough, or way too high, for torts. I even remember when I was just a kid, some keepers even added moistened monkey chow to whatever they were feeding. I can see that the monkey chow is not great because it is formulated to feed a primate. Birds and reptiles have very similar requirements, so why not parrot pellets?

I'm not going to go out and start feeding my Russians parrot pellets, but I was just wondering. I have had parrots for a very long time, and always have pellets around.

As I write this I am pretty sure what the answer is here.

What the heck, put your two cents in!

Thoughts out there?

Frank

 

[SILVERSTAR]

Well wuts the main ingredients in the parrot pellets?

 

[Fernando]

I'm not exactly sure if Parrot pellets are different from other bird seeds, but I planted 'wild bird fee seeds' that I purchased from the local feed store. That stuff grew within a week and the Russians I have love it. In fact, it's all gone now!

 

[Madkins007]

A healthy parrot diet is heavy in seeds, which tortoises cannot manage properly without processing. I do not know that I would try this.

 

[Fernando]

I just re-read the title...

...pellets Fernando, pellets.....

 

[dmmj]

I guess it would be what the ingredients are in them.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

What is wrong with using a little tort food from time to time? Are you looking at parrot food because that is the only option?

 

[fgately]

This was just more of a curiosity question due to the fact that reptiles and birds often have similar nutritional needs. I was just wondering as I typed I guess.

I will be building an outdoor pen soon, so my torts won't be able to wander and forage like they are currently doing. We are getting a couple of dogs soon, and I would be pretty upset if one of my torts turned into a chew toy. I'm kinda sad about that because it is pretty cool to see them wander around, munching here and there, and acting like they would in the wild. I will feed mainly fresh foods but will also supplement with mazuri.

It is probably just fine to sprinkle a few parrot pellets on some moist chopped up veggies occasionally. They have a good vitamin and mineral balance that is appropriate for birds and reptiles. The other ingredients are formulated for parrots, and not a good staple for tortoises. Most parrots eat mainly fruits, vegetables, ripe and unripe seeds, nuts, and an occasional insect.

 

[Nay]

I am not sure about my torts, but my little house rabbit Albert, just loves when I clean the parrot cage and some pellets fall. In fact it's the best treat for me teaching him anything,actually the dogs love them too!! I often wondered when I saw those colored pellets in the pet store tort's cage, if they were similar?
they look it, but..
Nay

 

[GBtortoises]

Just a thought: If tortoises ate enough parrot food could they be taught to talk and do tricks?

 

[Tom]

OOH! Something Mark doesn't know that much about! Hey this doesn't happen very often Madkins. That's why its so noteworthy! The general rule of thumb now is that seeds should make up no more than 10-20% of the diet for most parrots. But I do remember, back in the old days, when we just fed them seed and nut mixes... Is this what they call a "back-handed compliment"?

Parrot pellets are nutritionally balanced to meet all the needs of Psittacines, not chelonians. However, I don't think it would do them any harm at all to eat some parrot pellets once in a while. I don't know that I'd feed an entire meal of them to a hatchling, but if one of my adult sulcatas were to eat a handful, I think it would be no problem.

 

[GBtortoises]

But will it make them be able to do tricks?

 

[Madkins007]

OOH! Something Mark doesn't know that much about! Hey this doesn't happen very often Madkins. That's why its so noteworthy! The general rule of thumb now is that seeds should make up no more than 10-20% of the diet for most parrots. But I do remember, back in the old days, when we just fed them seed and nut mixes... Is this what they call a "back-handed compliment"?

Parrot pellets are nutritionally balanced to meet all the needs of Psittacines, not chelonians. However, I don't think it would do them any harm at all to eat some parrot pellets once in a while. I don't know that I'd feed an entire meal of them to a hatchling, but if one of my adult sulcatas were to eat a handful, I think it would be no problem.

I freely admit that I just glanced at a couple sites about what was in the pellets. It looked like a much higher percentage than 10-20%, but I did not analyse it.

But... even 10-20%? That is about the ratio we recommend for the meats. That still seems to be a high amount of a food element that SHOULD pass undigested.



There are a lot of foods we can use to supplement a tortoise diet-monkey chow was popular a couple decades ago, but has since been challenged and phased out for the most part.

Prepared diets get their name because they are specifically designed for the species. Vitamin balance, trace elements, calorie load and distribution...

I am reminded of the rodents. If you fed the diet for rats to guinea pigs and vice versa, neither will do well. Guinea pigs are grass eaters that need additional vitamin C, while rats cannot metabolize vitamin D3 and need D2, etc. On the surface, they seem similar, but it probably will not work well.

 

[dmmj]

LOL monkey chow

 

[Tom]

But will it make them be able to do tricks?

Maybe that's why yours didn't come when you called them during the hearing experiments. You were using the wrong food.