Diet pros and cons

[kellogsmscott]

Ok ok i am dredging this up again however even i am thinking that perhaps t rex has been getting a bad rap.

The only reason for thinking is is i am not sure if with the weeds, flowers etc i am feeding pebbles in matching her for nutiritioonal value.

But, i am not thinking of doing without the weeds entirely, more of the pellets as a side dish lol.

So, i was wondering if someone can give me a balanced FAIR pro and con for using either solely and also jointly.

At the end of the day, pebs welfare is what si most important and i need to know she getting the correct vitamins and fibre to be healthy.

(Am now running to hide...)

Kel x

[redshazzy]

i use the trex pellets and weeds mine are very active and happy

[-EJ]

Formulated diet...
Pros
Nutritionally complete (as far as we know)
Convenient to feed
Cons
Can result in rapid growth.
Can kill your tortoise if it goes bad and the tortoise eats it.
If fed exclusively it does not wear down the beak... resulting in over grown beak.
Weeds...
Pros
It's natural (I don't see why that's important).
It wears down the beak.
Free
Cons
Nutritional content is mostly unknown.
Stones are easily formed if not carefully used.
A huge variety is required to be certain all the nutritional needs are met.
Unless you have a garden they can be hard to acquire.


These are the most obvious and important

[purplepixie]

Ed forgot to say, that tortoises have survived millions of years eating a natural diet, which cant be said for pellets.
I think pellets if they are used should be used by the more experienced keeper, who at least has some idea of a tortoises health, and how they should grow.
I have seen the results of what a pellet diet can do when in the hands of then inexperienced.

[-EJ]

I don't see how this fits into any one catagory.

It is soooooo much easier to screw up a tortoise using a green based diet.

Also... don't loose sight of the fact that a pelleted diet is all natural made from natural products.

Originally Posted by purplepixie

Ed forgot to say, that tortoises have survived millions of years eating a natural diet, which cant be said for pellets.
I think pellets if they are used should be used by the more experienced keeper, who at least has some idea of a tortoises health, and how they should grow.
I have seen the results of what a pellet diet can do when in the hands of then inexperienced.

[incrisis]

Originally Posted by purplepixie

Ed forgot to say, that tortoises have survived millions of years eating a natural diet, which cant be said for pellets.
I think pellets if they are used should be used by the more experienced keeper, who at least has some idea of a tortoises health, and how they should grow.
I have seen the results of what a pellet diet can do when in the hands of then inexperienced.

We are new keepers so therefore we could be classed as inexperienced but having read a lot of different views and reasons behind those views we have decided to supplement the weeds with pellets.
From what I have read an inexperienced keeper, as you call them, can make a lot of mistakes with all aspects of the husbandry IF they are not going to research first and keep observations one the animals well being.
For keepers who don't research etc then yes they may encounter problems.

Experienced keepers can make mistakes the same as inexperienced keepers in my opinion

It seems that even though the attitude towards feeding pellets, keeping torts in a viv has improved due to keepers proving that it can be done if monitored there are still a lot of keepers who's first response to new members is that you should only feed weeds becuase pellets are bad, you should keep your torts outside as much as possible etc.

It is all down to personal opinion and experiences, there is not a lot of fact to suggest either is better or worse than the other, and frankly the 'that is what they have been doing for years in the wild' is almost irrelevant as we are not keeping them in the wild, we have no way of providing the same environment as the wild so we do the very best we can we what we have got, and to great success if the piictures and advice posted on here is anything to go by.

This is my opinion and I would stress to any new keeper to read as many of the different views and ideas as possible, keep an open mind and let the animal tell you if it is doing well or not.

[-EJ]

Nice post.

Originally Posted by incrisis

We are new keepers so therefore we could be classed as inexperienced but having read a lot of different views and reasons behind those views we have decided to supplement the weeds with pellets.
From what I have read an inexperienced keeper, as you call them, can make a lot of mistakes with all aspects of the husbandry IF they are not going to research first and keep observations one the animals well being.
For keepers who don't research etc then yes they may encounter problems.

Experienced keepers can make mistakes the same as inexperienced keepers in my opinion

It seems that even though the attitude towards feeding pellets, keeping torts in a viv has improved due to keepers proving that it can be done if monitored there are still a lot of keepers who's first response to new members is that you should only feed weeds becuase pellets are bad, you should keep your torts outside as much as possible etc.

It is all down to personal opinion and experiences, there is not a lot of fact to suggest either is better or worse than the other, and frankly the 'that is what they have been doing for years in the wild' is almost irrelevant as we are not keeping them in the wild, we have no way of providing the same environment as the wild so we do the very best we can we what we have got, and to great success if the piictures and advice posted on here is anything to go by.

This is my opinion and I would stress to any new keeper to read as many of the different views and ideas as possible, keep an open mind and let the animal tell you if it is doing well or not.

[fantapants]

well i am seriously considering trying my adult leos on some dried food ( if i can get any) to see if they like it. i can get hold of nutrazu , has anybody tried it? Ed, help me out here, have you ever used it?

[-EJ]

NutraZu is the European equivalent of Mazuri... same formula.

Originally Posted by tinkerbruce

well i am seriously considering trying my adult leos on some dried food ( if i can get any) to see if they like it. i can get hold of nutrazu , has anybody tried it? Ed, help me out here, have you ever used it?

[fantapants]

found this on the rob harvey website, its 6.95 delivery. is this the stuff Ed? how long would a sack last me if i used it in a similar way as you do? total weight of the adult/sub adult leos is approx 18kg.



12.5kg £32.95
Description
Nutrazu® Tortoise Diet is a high fibre diet designed for dry land herbivorous tortoises such as gophers and sulcata tortoises.
Features and Benefits

• High fibre level.
• Contains natural vitamin E.
• Extruded pellet form - Minimizes wastage and creates a more natural feeding environment.
• Complete nutrition - No vitamin or mineral supplementation needed.
  
  
  Product Form
  Extruded Pellet: 1/2" x 1" length
  Guaranteed Analysis
  Crude protein not less than 15.0%
  Crude fat not less than 3.0%
  Crude fibre not more than 18.0%
  Calcium (Ca) not less than 0.95%
  Calcium (Ca) not more than 1.45%
  Phosphorus (P) not less than 0.60%
  Sodium (Na) not more than 0.60%
  Vitamin E not less than 150 IU/lb
  

Ingredients
Ground soybean hulls, ground corn, ground oats, dehulled soybean meal, wheat middlings, cane molasses, brewers dried yeast, soybean oil, wheat germ, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, DL-methionine, choline chloride, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of vitamin K), pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), biotin, calcium pantothenate, ethoxyquin (a preservative), vitamin A acetate, riboflavin, folic acid, nicotinic acid, thiamin mononitrate, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.


Feeding Directions
Nutrazu® Tortoise Diet has been designed for Galapagos tortoises, but may be useful for other species of dry land tortoises. Feed approximately 2-4% of body weight. It is not necessary to add water. Feed consumption will vary with temperature. Feed with good quality grass hay. Fresh fruits and vegetables (less than 20% by weight of total diet) may also be provided if desired.