Inappropriate diets are the number one primary cause of disease in tortoises. Inadequate nutrition can result in irreversible damage to a tortoise’s health. While the best thing is to avoid these problems with proper nutrition.
A redfoot diet should consist of 60% greens, 30% fruits, 10% vegetables with the numbers varying slightly depending on who you speak to. Protein should be given no more than once a week. When feeding our red foots, we usually use a bed of chopped greens topped with cut up fruits and a sliced vegetable sprinkled with calcium. For those housing single red foot, we recommend picking one green, a fruit with a vegetable and switching it up once a week.
A redfoot diet should consist of 60% greens, 30% fruits, 10% vegetables with the numbers varying slightly depending on who you speak to. Protein should be given no more than once a week. When feeding our red foots, we usually use a bed of chopped greens topped with cut up fruits and a sliced vegetable sprinkled with calcium. For those housing single red foot, we recommend picking one green, a fruit with a vegetable and switching it up once a week.
VEGETABLES
Turnip
Collard Greens
Dandelion
Leafy or Curly Lettuce
Endive
Kale
Cabbage
Edible Tree or Plant Leaves - Mulberry, Hibiscus
Parsley
Grape Leaves
Carrot
Mushrooms (Portobello - limited amount - once monthly)
Okra
FRUITS
Cactus Pads and Fruit
Papaya
Figs
Mango
Pumpkin
Squash
Melon
Pineapple
Beans
Apple
Pear
Plums
Turnip
Collard Greens
Dandelion
Leafy or Curly Lettuce
Endive
Kale
Cabbage
Edible Tree or Plant Leaves - Mulberry, Hibiscus
Parsley
Grape Leaves
Carrot
Mushrooms (Portobello - limited amount - once monthly)
Okra
FRUITS
Cactus Pads and Fruit
Papaya
Figs
Mango
Pumpkin
Squash
Melon
Pineapple
Beans
Apple
Pear
Plums
ANIMAL BASED PROTEIN
Studies show that a pure vegetarian red foot tortoise diet often leads to neurological problems such as hind-leg paralysis. It can also cause low fertility rates and failure to thrive. Red foots need small amounts of animal-based protein. Most people recommend once a week.
Here is the best option:
Cat food
Hard Boiled Eggs
Slugs
Snails
Worms
Beetles
Steamed or boiled chicken or shrimp
In the wild, the Redfoot tortoise gets its calcium by consuming carrion, insects, and mammal feces. All three of those items have both calcium and vitamin D3. D3 is the mechanism that allows calcium to be processed by the body. They don’t process via sunshine on the skin, which is the mechanism used by arid tortoise species – and humans.
Studies show that a pure vegetarian red foot tortoise diet often leads to neurological problems such as hind-leg paralysis. It can also cause low fertility rates and failure to thrive. Red foots need small amounts of animal-based protein. Most people recommend once a week.
Here is the best option:
Cat food
Hard Boiled Eggs
Slugs
Snails
Worms
Beetles
Steamed or boiled chicken or shrimp
In the wild, the Redfoot tortoise gets its calcium by consuming carrion, insects, and mammal feces. All three of those items have both calcium and vitamin D3. D3 is the mechanism that allows calcium to be processed by the body. They don’t process via sunshine on the skin, which is the mechanism used by arid tortoise species – and humans.
FOODS TO AVOID
Several foods have little nutritional value, can interfere with nutrient absorption (Oxalac acid) or otherwise have negative health effects.
Among them are:
Iceberg lettuce
Celery
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Spinach
Mustard greens
All grains, including wheat, soy, bread and pasta
Bok choy
Rhubarb
Beet greens
Citrus fruits
Several foods have little nutritional value, can interfere with nutrient absorption (Oxalac acid) or otherwise have negative health effects.
Among them are:
Iceberg lettuce
Celery
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Spinach
Mustard greens
All grains, including wheat, soy, bread and pasta
Bok choy
Rhubarb
Beet greens
Citrus fruits
PELLET DIET CONTROVERSY
The right diet for your Redfoot tortoise is actually easy to duplicate at home.
Most canned or pelleted foods created for tortoises are grain based and were developed for shelf life with no understanding of tortoise anatomy.There has been quite a bit of research lately on grain based diets in tortoises and that research shows a diet high in grains causes serious health issues, especially surrounding pyramiding. Grain based diets are typically high in omega 6 fatty acids which have shown to have a negative effect on their health, just as they do in humans.Grains, and how the tortoise digestive system processes them, can also cause leaching of calcium from their bones.
Grains are also high in phytate, which among other things, binds with iron, zinc, manganese and calcium, and slows their absorption. Phytates aren’t issues when consumed in small quantities, but if you’re feeding your Redfoot a significant portion of grain based food items what starts as a small issue becomes a big one because like humans, tortoises lack the enzyme phytase needed to break them down. In higher quantities Vitamin D absorption can become blocked and because forest tortoises don’t typically process Vitamin D via sunshine as do arid species like Greek’s and Russian’s, so this can have greater implications for Redfoot’s. This interference with Vitamin D processing of calcium is one of the reasons for pyramiding in tortoises. There are other factors such as like lack of exercise, too cold or too dry of an enclosure, but never ignore diet as a critical piece of this problem.
When you stick with natural items like papayas, mangoes, figs, plums, raspberries, melons, mushrooms, turnip greens, dandelions, endive, escarole, collard greens, and other items with a positive calcium to phosphorus ratio you KNOW your Redfoot is getting a diet as close as possible to what consume in the wild.
The right diet for your Redfoot tortoise is actually easy to duplicate at home.
Most canned or pelleted foods created for tortoises are grain based and were developed for shelf life with no understanding of tortoise anatomy.There has been quite a bit of research lately on grain based diets in tortoises and that research shows a diet high in grains causes serious health issues, especially surrounding pyramiding. Grain based diets are typically high in omega 6 fatty acids which have shown to have a negative effect on their health, just as they do in humans.Grains, and how the tortoise digestive system processes them, can also cause leaching of calcium from their bones.
Grains are also high in phytate, which among other things, binds with iron, zinc, manganese and calcium, and slows their absorption. Phytates aren’t issues when consumed in small quantities, but if you’re feeding your Redfoot a significant portion of grain based food items what starts as a small issue becomes a big one because like humans, tortoises lack the enzyme phytase needed to break them down. In higher quantities Vitamin D absorption can become blocked and because forest tortoises don’t typically process Vitamin D via sunshine as do arid species like Greek’s and Russian’s, so this can have greater implications for Redfoot’s. This interference with Vitamin D processing of calcium is one of the reasons for pyramiding in tortoises. There are other factors such as like lack of exercise, too cold or too dry of an enclosure, but never ignore diet as a critical piece of this problem.
When you stick with natural items like papayas, mangoes, figs, plums, raspberries, melons, mushrooms, turnip greens, dandelions, endive, escarole, collard greens, and other items with a positive calcium to phosphorus ratio you KNOW your Redfoot is getting a diet as close as possible to what consume in the wild.
SUPPLEMENTS
Redfoots need calcium, so sprinkle your tortoise’s food with a small amount of phosphorous-free calcium/Vitamin D3 supplement ever other feeding.
Too much calcium can also cause problems, so be stingy. You can also keep a cuttle bone in the enclosure.
We also use the Repashy Super Veggie Vegetable Supplement for our Red Foots.
Redfoots need calcium, so sprinkle your tortoise’s food with a small amount of phosphorous-free calcium/Vitamin D3 supplement ever other feeding.
Too much calcium can also cause problems, so be stingy. You can also keep a cuttle bone in the enclosure.
We also use the Repashy Super Veggie Vegetable Supplement for our Red Foots.
EDIBLE PLANTS
COMMON NAME EDIBLE PARTS
Flowering Maple All
Yarrow All
Bishop's goutweed/Ground elder All
Agave Leaves
Hollychock All
Lady's Mantle All
Aloe Vera All
Horseraddish Leaves
Cow parsley All
Celeriac All
Tall oat grass All
English Daisy All
Butterfly Bush
Pot Marigold All
Shepard's purse All
Bell Peppers Fruits
Chicory All
Canadian Thistle;Californian Thistle; Creeping Thistle - All
Comfrey All
Rough hawksbeard All
Artichoke All
Bermuda Grass All
Crested dogtail All
Orchard grass All
Dahlia All
Wild carrot All
Echinacea/purple cone flower All
Wild rosemary All
Reed fescue All
Meadow fescue All
Chewings fescue All
European wood strawberry All
Yellow bedstraw All
Day lillies All
Hibiscus All
Velvet grass All
Sweet Potato Leaves
White Deadnettle All
Purple Deadnettle All
Rough hawkbit All
Italian ryegrass All
Perennial ryegrass All
Birdsfoot trefoil All
Purple Loosestrife All
Hollyhock or mallow All
Black medick All
Mullberry Leaves
Watercress All
Prickly Pear All
Oregano All
California Poppy All
Petunia All
Timothy All
English plantain All
Common plantain All
Hoary plantain All
Kentucky bluegrass All
Purslane Leaves and stems
Radish Leaves
Black Currant Leaves
Wild Rose All
Domestic Rosepetals
Blackberry Leaves & flowers
Raspberry Leaves & flowers
Garden sage All
Meadow sage All
Xmas Cactus All
Chickweed All
Dandelion All
Goat's beard All
Alsike clover All
Crimson clover All
White clover All
Nasturtium All
Nettle All
Field pansy All
Johnny jump-up All
Grapesleaves
Mullien All
Flowering Maple All
Yarrow All
Bishop's goutweed/Ground elder All
Agave Leaves
Hollychock All
Lady's Mantle All
Aloe Vera All
Horseraddish Leaves
Cow parsley All
Celeriac All
Tall oat grass All
English Daisy All
Butterfly Bush
Pot Marigold All
Shepard's purse All
Bell Peppers Fruits
Chicory All
Canadian Thistle;Californian Thistle; Creeping Thistle - All
Comfrey All
Rough hawksbeard All
Artichoke All
Bermuda Grass All
Crested dogtail All
Orchard grass All
Dahlia All
Wild carrot All
Echinacea/purple cone flower All
Wild rosemary All
Reed fescue All
Meadow fescue All
Chewings fescue All
European wood strawberry All
Yellow bedstraw All
Day lillies All
Hibiscus All
Velvet grass All
Sweet Potato Leaves
White Deadnettle All
Purple Deadnettle All
Rough hawkbit All
Italian ryegrass All
Perennial ryegrass All
Birdsfoot trefoil All
Purple Loosestrife All
Hollyhock or mallow All
Black medick All
Mullberry Leaves
Watercress All
Prickly Pear All
Oregano All
California Poppy All
Petunia All
Timothy All
English plantain All
Common plantain All
Hoary plantain All
Kentucky bluegrass All
Purslane Leaves and stems
Radish Leaves
Black Currant Leaves
Wild Rose All
Domestic Rosepetals
Blackberry Leaves & flowers
Raspberry Leaves & flowers
Garden sage All
Meadow sage All
Xmas Cactus All
Chickweed All
Dandelion All
Goat's beard All
Alsike clover All
Crimson clover All
White clover All
Nasturtium All
Nettle All
Field pansy All
Johnny jump-up All
Grapesleaves
Mullien All