Proper Diet HELP!! PORTIONS

[arrow564]

i need to know what your ideas on proper diets are. I NEED TO KNOW THE PORTIONS I CANT FIND ENYTHING ON PORTIONS (FEEDING AMOUNTS)

[AW1971]

You will have to weigh your tort weekly, once you get the 2-4grams a week weight gain your portions are fine. Everyone`s tort will be different, you must adjust what you feed to the weight being gained so if you tort puts on 8grams per month half the food etc etc. Digital scales are a must. thats how we calculate if we are feeding too much or not enough. Some people feed an amount that covers the shell, others for 20 mins per day (Personally i think thats too much as mine could eat a horse in that time) and others feed every other day.
The feeding amounts will probably change all the time, sometimes mine like to graze through the day and are really active so i feed them what they want or the odd day they lay around so then they only get a couple of leaves as theyre not using up energy.
Play it by ear, measure your tort weekly and adjust his food accordingly.

[day_lily]

Mine eats less than a leaf a day, but he's not very active and we're fighting hibernation, I think.

[Joe H]

i need to know what your ideas on proper diets are. I NEED TO KNOW THE PORTIONS I CANT FIND ENYTHING ON PORTIONS (FEEDING AMOUNTS)

The actual amounts will vary. But a great starting point is see how much they will eat in 20 minutes.

My adults can eat about 2 cups in that time.

[joliekat]

My adults can eat about 2 cups in that time.

Wow!  That's one adult?  How big is he/she?  I have a male adult and he will eat about 1 cup a day, sometimes coming back in the late afternoon to ask for me if he's been outside running around a lot.  Do you think that seems normal?  He has figured out that if he goes to his bowl and looks up at me I'll get him more food.  Is that ok or is that spoiling?

[David and Borris]

My feeding habits are a bit wierd but In the morning before light s on I give Borris some cactus and a few leafs of different lettuce and a spinach leave.  Sometimes he eats it sometimes he doesn't Then at 4:00 when I get home, i break out the big stuff, usually 3 big leaves of red or green leafy lettuce some romaine, another peice of cactus and a little spring mix and put it in a clean dish.  I put it infront of Borris because Borris because Borris is spoiled.  He usually lets me hand feed him a small piece of lettuce.  Then I go do my chores, sit at the computer and then check on his progress in about an hour.  It normally is almost gone.  It is fun to sit and watch him attack the lettuce or listen to the crunch crunch of his lettuce.  I probably feed close to 2 cups of lettuce and cactus a day also.

David and Borris

[AW1971]

Hi,
yes Borris is spoiled but too much i think, hope you don`t mind me saying.
 I know youre new to tort keeping but you need to get rid of the daily doses`s of spinach, and cactus is a diaretic and if you give it daily he will get the runs. Spinach is an occassional  treat and cactus pads are a once a week max treat. I know the weather is bad where you are and youre forced to give lettuce right now but this must be supplemented as its got no goodness in it at all mainly water, even romaine is just water as i`m sure you know.
Hows his growth weight a week going as i think 2 cups a day is far too much and would only suit a fully grown tort, hope you don`t be mad with me for saying this but your tort will benefit from the correct diet in the long run   
Aim for very slow growth and 2-4 grams a week. max.   

[stevethecarr]

Hello I'm new to tortoises also and too was wondering about their food proportions. When you say they should gain about 2-4 grams a week of weight, how long in their lives will they be growing like this? In other words how long should I be looking to see if hes gaining weight?

[AW1971]

Excellent question, it all depends on your tort, aahheemmm     (Its 2-4grams a month not week i apologise for my mistake,  sorry )
Well let me try and explain if i can.
I`ve got a 26gram tort so if she puts on 2grams a month comparing that to her body weight thats alot so i`m very very happy.
I have a 41gram tort and if she put on 3grams a months i`d be made up.
i have a 2 year old that puts on easy 4grams a month and it is hard to stop that from getting more so if she only puts on that then i`m happy. if she puts on more then i cut down the food.
I know i`m rubbish at explaining things but i do hope i`ve kinda. The bigger they get the quicker it is and easier it is to put on weight. All my torts sometimes stay the same weight for a month but i am not worried because theyve all had an mot so i`m glad they are growing so slow.
in the wild torts would sleep 9 months and the eat for 3, in captivity they still have the urge to eat but are not neccessarilly hibernated. In the wild theyd take at least 10 years to grow to adult breeding weight or even longer, in captivity its reached in a few years, so if you want your tort healthy with a beautiful completely smooth shell grow it 2-4 grams a month max.

hope ive helped a bit. 

[stevethecarr]

Thanks. Your help is greatly appreciated!

[arrow564]

do i let them eat as much as they want or do i limit it, do they over eat???

[arrow564]

do i let them eat as much as they want or do i limit it, do they over eat???

[AW1971]

Some people say feed what theyll eat in 20 mins, thats no good for my torts as they would put on too much weight doing that but might be ok for yours if hes very active all day, i personally prefer to feed throughout the day small amounts. That way they stay active because theyre not bloated and in the wild they would eat bites here and there. If you watch your tort in the garden i bet he sniffs and bites little pieces here and there, or maybe not but mine do.
As i say there all different so feed according to your own preference but as long as they dont gain too much too quickly then youll be fine.
If you let them eat all they want everyday they will become obese and eat too much. If theyre kept outside you can leave them too it as theyre walking around and using energy to bite leaves etc. I`m going to put up some pics later today of mine eating yesterday, i fed them a whole vetch plant which has tiny tiny leaves on it, to get each tiny mouthful of leaf they have to climb around the plant. They burnt off lots of energy and had fun, i try not to just put there dinner down in front  of them if i can help it, i done that with my first tort and she did get fat.
  These are just my opinions 

[lepinsky]

When my tortoise is indoors I use the feeding guide of as many weeds/flowers it would take to make a little jacket to fit over the top of his shell (he's about 84mm long).  Of course the guide doesn't specify if the jacket should have four little arms and legs on it (and of course a turtleneck collar) <g>.  Sometimes he eats more than this and so I just have either one day a week when he doesn't get any food, or a couple of days with a lot less food.  I also have a ramp in his indoor enclosure leading up to a second floor and I put bits of his daily food allowance up there throughout the day so that I know he has to climb the ramp to get it and is therefore getting good exercise.

Nina

[AW1971]

Hi Nina,
I`ve seen your enclosure pics on other forums and its brill, you should put them up on here too.