New Redfoot - diet question

[Alistair&Robyn]

I picked up a gorgeous male red foot the other day, and he appears to be in perfect condition. He has such a smooth shell, very good skin and is extremely strong!

He has been fed pellets, and apparently loves banana and iceberg. I dont understand how he is so perfect with this diet, whereas my other Reds who have what would be generally considered a much better diet, are a little lumpy.

I know humidity is a factor, and he was kept in a vivarium, but from what I could tell the vivarium wasn't any more humid than how/where my reds are kept.

I'm unsure whether to keep his diet the same as it was, or change to how I keep my reds (mainly weeds, some fruit, no banana, occasional pellets in winter, etc).

What should I do?!

[nikki81]

if your reds are doing fine id change the diet to what your using at the moment from what you have said your diet is a lot better then iceberg and banana

[Alistair&Robyn]

Originally Posted by nikki81

if your reds are doing fine id change the diet to what your using at the moment from what you have said your diet is a lot better then iceberg and banana

That's not all his diet consisted of, but he was fed it, and it is something I would never feed mine. I definitely will not be feeding banana, however.

[herpderp]

Mango is a very good addition to any diet, easy to eat like banana but very high in calcium to phosphorous ratio (I think (9:1).
I think Humidity and stress has a lot to do with pyramiding, more than people give it credit for anyway...

[Candy]

I've always thought that this was a good site to use in feeding my Cherry's.

http://redfoottortoise.com/redfoot_tortoise_diet.htm

[Box girl]

Occasional ban a Ok. Say once a month.Think about upping the pellets to give more protein.

[EJ]

Such websites should be used with extreme caution... look at the poster tortoise and you tell me if this keeper has proper husbandry going on.

To the OP... why change a thing if the tortoise is in good form. The pellets are providing the nutrients the tortoises needs.

I rarely say never... but I don't think it is a good idea to feed any tinned food intended for mammals.

While redfoots do occasionally take in animal protein in the wild these observations are taken from very limited litterature resources and keep getting repeated. Redfoots diet is mainly broad leaf weeds.

This is 2 very good resources on the real keeping of RFs in captivity and natural history. The natural history is written by an author that lives in their natural range.

The books listed on this website are going to be your best references.
http://startortoises.net/redfoot-tortoise.html
They are mostly unbiased and factual.

Originally Posted by Candy

I've always thought that this was a good site to use in feeding my Cherry's.

http://redfoottortoise.com/redfoot_tortoise_diet.htm

[Alistair&Robyn]

Originally Posted by EJ

To the OP... why change a thing if the tortoise is in good form. The pellets are providing the nutrients the tortoises needs.

That's what I was thinking.... but because I **think** I know better, I just ant to make sure he is healthy, and doesnt just look healthy.

[EJ]

Give that a little thought. You could be brought up on charges for plagerism...

Common sense... if you look healthy... you are healthy barring any obsecure disease that has nothing to do with diet or exercise. Genetics you cannot control... yet.

My mantra is let the tortoise tell me what is best for them.

Originally Posted by Alistair&Robyn

That's what I was thinking.... but because I **think** I know better, I just ant to make sure he is healthy, and doesnt just look healthy.

[Alistair&Robyn]

Originally Posted by EJ

Give that a little thought. You could be brought up on charges for plagerism...

Common sense... if you look healthy... you are healthy barring any obsecure disease that has nothing to do with diet or exercise. Genetics you cannot control... yet.

My mantra is let the tortoise tell me what is best for them.

Haha, what have I plagiarised?

All I meant about looking vs being healthy is with regards to reptiles in particular seeming okay and going downhill quickly if there are any problems.