Humidity aint as important as uvb and heat if you're keeping them inside also, in the wild they have 2 seasons dry and wet, overall feed them what they can eat, they'll live well, I have 5 currently and feed them various of foods and fruits , but fruits 1-2x a week only , veggies mix it up too anything but iceberg lettuce
This video was extremely helpful!! What are your thoughts on adding one tortoise pellet(Mazuri brand) to its diet? We are new Red Foot owners (not new to tortoises though) and so far have fed fruit and spring mix greens daily(will start a fast day soon) and one pellet a few times a week. The pellets claim to provide all necessary vitamins. Our Red Foot named Tater Tot LOVES them!
I don't offer pellets myself, but from what I understand Mazuri is better than most commercial pellets and would be fine to include a bit with the greens, veggies, etc. If you're adding it as a bit of a treat and it's not the only/main part of their diet, I think you'd be AOK. BTW, Tater Tot? Love that name!
Assuming this is a Red Foot, I would stop offering fruit entirely for a while and stick to just veggies. They can go quite a while without food so don't be concerned if she stubbornly refuses at first. Stay firm on the no fruit - A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise. She will come around! Their legs and head should be pretty dry. Just make sure that her ambient humidity is high enough (regular spraying/fogging of enclosure).
I laugh every time people suggest carrots because mine hates them. She actually gags whenever I offer them to her. I've only had her for a year, but she's already 5 years old. Her previous owner gave her to me because he was moving to an apartment and they didn't allow him to have her. She already has some pyramiding, so I'm trying to keep it from getting worse. You're correct in saying that the diet is complicated, so I'm just getting bits from here and there and just offering her food to see what she likes and what she doesn't like 🤷🏻♀️ You're absolutely right on the personalities, you can clearly tell when she's angry at you. She usually comes when you call her, but one time I took her back to her enclosure because it was getting dark (she was roaming the backyard to get some exercise and enrichment and didn't appreciate her adventuring to be interrupted), and so the next day when I called her, she gave me the cold shoulder. She popped her head out of the hide to look at me, but didn't walk over to me like she always does. She just stared at me, and I was like "Oh." 😅 I was also gone for two days and left her under my mother's care. When I came back and went to see her, she bit me 😆
Agatha used to dislike carrots initially, but she seemed to grow out of that. My male, Poe (he's still a baby) liked carrots right away. They certainly all have their own distinct personalities. And, just like yours mine have no problem expressing their displeasure when I do something they don't like! LOL
Personally, I don't feed pellets to mine. I think fresh veggies and fruits is best for red-foots. Many pellet brands have a lot of corn, oats, soy etc. which is not optimum. There are some folks out there that are pretty aggressively 'anti-pellet' and suggest that they are made to be intentionally addictive, but I think that's a little extreme. IMO at worst (depending on the brand), I think they'd be the equivalent of 'junk food' no harm to have here and there, but not as the bulk of the diet. Getting your tort to switch off a favourite food/stop being picky can take a bit of time as they can be stubborn and go a long time without eating, but if you stick to your guns they'll come around. "A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise"!
Tortoises love to eat, so refusing food could be a sign that something is wrong health-wise. I think your first step (assuming your heat/humidity are in line) should be to take them to a vet to see if there is something medical going on - beak isn't overgrown, no infection, blockage, etc. Is there anything they will eat? You could try getting them to eat the 'treat' they will like (strawberry, for example), then sneak in some greens/other food while they are eating the treat.
I use some mini digital temp/humidity gauges, they come in packs of 12 for about $40. I have a more expensive HDE TA318 that I use to calibrate the other gauges. So far, all the ones I've purchased as been within 2°F and 1% humidity of that the HDE reads.
@@AllCanadianReptileGirl Thankyou For Your Response 🙂 just one little last question (redfoots and earthworms) 🪱 is it safe for my redfoot to eat earthworms we find outside in the ground or do they have to be purchased from a pet store.?
@@elliseditz01 I'm sure there are folks who do wth no issues, but you run a greater risk of them picking up a parasite or ingesting pesticides/herbicides. IMO, is best to get store bought /farmed worms.
For the little bit of protein they require in their diet, sure. Mine usually ignored crickets when I offered them in the past, but she does enjoy the occasional worm.
Humidity aint as important as uvb and heat if you're keeping them inside also, in the wild they have 2 seasons dry and wet, overall feed them what they can eat, they'll live well, I have 5 currently and feed them various of foods and fruits , but fruits 1-2x a week only , veggies mix it up too anything but iceberg lettuce
I learned more in this video than I did throughout any of my science classes
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
This video was extremely helpful!! What are your thoughts on adding one tortoise pellet(Mazuri brand) to its diet? We are new Red Foot owners (not new to tortoises though) and so far have fed fruit and spring mix greens daily(will start a fast day soon) and one pellet a few times a week. The pellets claim to provide all necessary vitamins. Our Red Foot named Tater Tot LOVES them!
I don't offer pellets myself, but from what I understand Mazuri is better than most commercial pellets and would be fine to include a bit with the greens, veggies, etc. If you're adding it as a bit of a treat and it's not the only/main part of their diet, I think you'd be AOK. BTW, Tater Tot? Love that name!
Excellent information. Thanks for sharing. Your tortoise appears to be following a very healthy diet.
Thank you! I think Agatha is doing well, she certainly loves her food!.
I feed my Redfoots about 50/50 fruits and greens and a little protein about once a week. The only calcium supplement mine get is egg shells.
Yeah. In my opinion you should probably do about 50% leafy greens, 20% fruit, 20% vegetables, 10% meat/protein
egg shells are a great way to supplement calcium. I use that a lot in my tegu's and my cats' food.
how is this redfoot doing?any updates?
She's doing great! Getting big and has lots of personality. She's done a great job showing her little tank-mate (Poe) the ropes.
How do I get my tortoise to eat more veggies she will refuse everything but fruit to eat also her head and arms look very dry is that normal
Assuming this is a Red Foot, I would stop offering fruit entirely for a while and stick to just veggies. They can go quite a while without food so don't be concerned if she stubbornly refuses at first. Stay firm on the no fruit - A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise. She will come around!
Their legs and head should be pretty dry. Just make sure that her ambient humidity is high enough (regular spraying/fogging of enclosure).
@@AllCanadianReptileGirl okay thank you so much really appreciate it
great video, thank you
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
I laugh every time people suggest carrots because mine hates them. She actually gags whenever I offer them to her. I've only had her for a year, but she's already 5 years old. Her previous owner gave her to me because he was moving to an apartment and they didn't allow him to have her. She already has some pyramiding, so I'm trying to keep it from getting worse.
You're correct in saying that the diet is complicated, so I'm just getting bits from here and there and just offering her food to see what she likes and what she doesn't like 🤷🏻♀️
You're absolutely right on the personalities, you can clearly tell when she's angry at you. She usually comes when you call her, but one time I took her back to her enclosure because it was getting dark (she was roaming the backyard to get some exercise and enrichment and didn't appreciate her adventuring to be interrupted), and so the next day when I called her, she gave me the cold shoulder. She popped her head out of the hide to look at me, but didn't walk over to me like she always does. She just stared at me, and I was like "Oh." 😅
I was also gone for two days and left her under my mother's care. When I came back and went to see her, she bit me 😆
Agatha used to dislike carrots initially, but she seemed to grow out of that. My male, Poe (he's still a baby) liked carrots right away. They certainly all have their own distinct personalities. And, just like yours mine have no problem expressing their displeasure when I do something they don't like! LOL
My redfoot has a white band all around the middle of the shell. I don't know if it's been there its whole life or not. Can you help me out ?
I have not come across that myself. I'd suggest maybe asking the folks on r/tortoises on reddit, or reaching out to a vet.
How often should I feed my tortoise pellets. I feed her flukers buffet blend she seems to love them and she might love them too much.
Personally, I don't feed pellets to mine. I think fresh veggies and fruits is best for red-foots. Many pellet brands have a lot of corn, oats, soy etc. which is not optimum. There are some folks out there that are pretty aggressively 'anti-pellet' and suggest that they are made to be intentionally addictive, but I think that's a little extreme. IMO at worst (depending on the brand), I think they'd be the equivalent of 'junk food' no harm to have here and there, but not as the bulk of the diet. Getting your tort to switch off a favourite food/stop being picky can take a bit of time as they can be stubborn and go a long time without eating, but if you stick to your guns they'll come around. "A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise"!
My reformed tortuse is not eating how can I fix that issue
Tortoises love to eat, so refusing food could be a sign that something is wrong health-wise. I think your first step (assuming your heat/humidity are in line) should be to take them to a vet to see if there is something medical going on - beak isn't overgrown, no infection, blockage, etc. Is there anything they will eat? You could try getting them to eat the 'treat' they will like (strawberry, for example), then sneak in some greens/other food while they are eating the treat.
Do you have any idea what the best, most accurate hydrometer is ? I have a bunch of digital ones but I’m worried there telling me the wrong humidity
I use some mini digital temp/humidity gauges, they come in packs of 12 for about $40.
I have a more expensive HDE TA318 that I use to calibrate the other gauges. So far, all the ones I've purchased as been within 2°F and 1% humidity of that the HDE reads.
@@AllCanadianReptileGirl Thankyou For Your Response 🙂 just one little last question (redfoots and earthworms) 🪱 is it safe for my redfoot to eat earthworms we find outside in the ground or do they have to be purchased from a pet store.?
@@elliseditz01 I'm sure there are folks who do wth no issues, but you run a greater risk of them picking up a parasite or ingesting pesticides/herbicides. IMO, is best to get store bought /farmed worms.
@@AllCanadianReptileGirl thankyou I will be only feeding him store bought then 🙂 thankyou for responding
Can I feed my red foot turtle worms and crickets
For the little bit of protein they require in their diet, sure. Mine usually ignored crickets when I offered them in the past, but she does enjoy the occasional worm.