Red-foot meat alternative?
- Thread starter Atlas325
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Turtle mazuri is an awesome source of protein. Ours love it.
Before I answer this, understand a couple things...
In the wild, red-footed tortoises and many other 'forest' animals have trouble finding enough nutrients for their diets. Although there is usually a lot of green, food-looking stuff, there is surprisingly little nutrition in the plants. The soil is thin and nutrients get washed out by all the rain. What nutrients plants CAN find they tend to protect and use to make seeds, fruits, etc.
So... many forest animals are forced to basically be omnivores and opportunistic scavengers- eating pretty much anything they can find. Animals from grasslands have a lot easier job- their plants may be tougher but they have more nutrients in them.
One great example of this is protein. You can find protein in a lot of plants- even grasses. But many of the plants in the forest are low in protein so these animals often eat whatever meats they can find to get it. Red-footeds are well-known for eating carrion, termites, worms, and even butterflies in the wild.
Now- protein is not a major part of the diet. It is important- you cannot build good muscles and nerves without out- but they don't generally need a lot of it. In the wild, it generally is only 5-15% or so of the total diet.
In captivity we often feed foods that are pretty rich in nutrients (including proteins), one reason our torts usually grow faster than wild animals (and probably one contributer to pyramiding), so there is probably not much need for much additional protein.
HOWEVER- red-footed tortoises and other forest tortoises enjoy their meat, and have no problems digesting it, so we offer it for variety, nutrients, enrichment, etc.
We can offer a wide variety of 'meats'. My own preference goes this way...
- Live foods- bugs, worms, soft-bodied larvae, snails, slugs, etc. Mealworms count, but their tough shells can clog the tortoise up so don't offer too many at a time or too often. Baby rats, mice, or even chicks work as well, but lots of people are squeamish about this, so...
- Frozen, thawed foods, like baby or young mice, rats, or chicks or things like shrimp and several kinds of fish work here. If you use fish, use 'oily fish' (mackerel, catfish, salmon, tuna, etc.) for the omega 3 oils and understand that it makes for smelly poop. Canned foods work just fine, too, if packed in water.
- Meats like chicken, organ meats, lean red meat, etc. Even eggs. They can be lightly cooked but should not be fried or overcooked, or filled with preservatives, flavorings, chemicals, etc.
- You can sometimes get canned meats at the pet store sold for ferrets, etc.
- Cat or dog food- kibble or canned. Aim for low-fat, low-ash products often sold for dieting animals or older animals. Avoid cheaper brands that use a lot of non-nutritive fillers. (Note- some people swear by cat food, some swear AT it! The main benefits of this food are that they are fairly cheap and easy to store and serve. There is no evidence that it is better than 'real meat', or that there is any real risk to using it in small amounts once in a while.
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In the wild, red-footed tortoises and many other 'forest' animals have trouble finding enough nutrients for their diets. Although there is usually a lot of green, food-looking stuff, there is surprisingly little nutrition in the plants. The soil is thin and nutrients get washed out by all the rain. What nutrients plants CAN find they tend to protect and use to make seeds, fruits, etc.
So... many forest animals are forced to basically be omnivores and opportunistic scavengers- eating pretty much anything they can find. Animals from grasslands have a lot easier job- their plants may be tougher but they have more nutrients in them.
One great example of this is protein. You can find protein in a lot of plants- even grasses. But many of the plants in the forest are low in protein so these animals often eat whatever meats they can find to get it. Red-footeds are well-known for eating carrion, termites, worms, and even butterflies in the wild.
Now- protein is not a major part of the diet. It is important- you cannot build good muscles and nerves without out- but they don't generally need a lot of it. In the wild, it generally is only 5-15% or so of the total diet.
In captivity we often feed foods that are pretty rich in nutrients (including proteins), one reason our torts usually grow faster than wild animals (and probably one contributer to pyramiding), so there is probably not much need for much additional protein.
HOWEVER- red-footed tortoises and other forest tortoises enjoy their meat, and have no problems digesting it, so we offer it for variety, nutrients, enrichment, etc.
We can offer a wide variety of 'meats'. My own preference goes this way...
- Live foods- bugs, worms, soft-bodied larvae, snails, slugs, etc. Mealworms count, but their tough shells can clog the tortoise up so don't offer too many at a time or too often. Baby rats, mice, or even chicks work as well, but lots of people are squeamish about this, so...
- Frozen, thawed foods, like baby or young mice, rats, or chicks or things like shrimp and several kinds of fish work here. If you use fish, use 'oily fish' (mackerel, catfish, salmon, tuna, etc.) for the omega 3 oils and understand that it makes for smelly poop. Canned foods work just fine, too, if packed in water.
- Meats like chicken, organ meats, lean red meat, etc. Even eggs. They can be lightly cooked but should not be fried or overcooked, or filled with preservatives, flavorings, chemicals, etc.
- You can sometimes get canned meats at the pet store sold for ferrets, etc.
- Cat or dog food- kibble or canned. Aim for low-fat, low-ash products often sold for dieting animals or older animals. Avoid cheaper brands that use a lot of non-nutritive fillers. (Note- some people swear by cat food, some swear AT it! The main benefits of this food are that they are fairly cheap and easy to store and serve. There is no evidence that it is better than 'real meat', or that there is any real risk to using it in small amounts once in a while.
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