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This information is intended
only as a rough guide, for a true understanding of
the dietary requirements and effects we would need to follow several more
scientific paths, which is beyond the scope of this document, Here we will
only touch the surface in a more generalised approach. |
Importance of a correct
diet |
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As with all animals a
correct diet is essential to its health and well being, An incorrect diet
maybe an excess or lack of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, etc... maintained long term
this could lead to illness, disease, major organ failure, paralysis, and
eventually death. One
of the many reasons why an incorrect diet is discussed so often in
conjunction with tortoises is the fact that we are still hearing cases of family
pets being feed a diet of tinned cat food,
banana, chocolate, bread, and so on, with the vast amounts of published
research that now exists there is no excuse, we can only presume it
to be a lack of research
by the owner. |
Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio |
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One of the most, if not the
most popular subject covered is the "Ca:P" (Calcium to
Phosphorus ratio).
In all food items a Ca:P
ratio can be calculated, and the suggested balance for tortoises is around
2:1 possibly as high as 4:1 in their native foods.
In order for our tortoise to continue to grow its shell and bones properly
we need to maintain a positive Ca:P ratio, not everybody has a laboratory
at their
disposal to check the ratio on all the food items they offer so we have to
rely upon research by others for tested food items this will give us a general
idea to select the positive ratio items and additionally add Calcium.
The most popular method of adding additional calcium to food items is in
the form of cuttlefish bone, many pet shops stock this for cage birds,
some keepers prefer to soak this cuttlefish in water and dry it before
hand to reduce the odour.
Prior to feeding the tortoise food can be dusted with cuttlefish bone
scraping the back of a spoon across it, this is a good way of supplying
additional calcium and one that can be used every feed, additionally you can
offer chunks of the cuttlefish to allow the tortoise to
consume extra at will (we have had tortoises that like it so much they
have eventually ware their beaks down).

" Cuttlefish
bone used for additional calcium "
Although
having high calcium balanced food items alone is not the complete answer
we also need an adequate supply of vitamin D3, without this our tortoise will be unable to utilise the
Calcium intake, there are two
recognised ways to provide this and a combination of both is generally
practiced, Firstly via UVB rays either from unfiltered sunlight (not likely
here in the UK!) or specially designed lights which omit the UVB rays, the
other method is via oral supplementation (see Supplements) |
Supplements |
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Thankfully to all the hard work
and research which has gone into the "dietary requirements of
reptiles" we are now able to purchase specifically formulated
supplements for our tortoises requirement, one of these is a product called "Nutrabol"
from Vetark this is a relatively safe and balanced formula for daily use
(always read the packaging carefully before using, always keep sealed and
store appropriately)
" Multivitamin used as a
supplement "
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Dried Foods |
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In recent years there has been an array of 'formulated tortoise food', Again these can have their own benifits especially when wild foods are unavailiable or out of season, these are readily availiable and purchased off the shelf all year round.
Many of these products contain a nutritial information section on the pacakaging which can be very useful in determining the correct supplementry diet combination and as always make sure you read the packaging carefully before using, its also advisable to always have plenty of fresh drinking water which can help rehydrate the food if it starts to dry.
" Dry Foods "
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Recommended - Wild
Plants as Food
Items |
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Only
pick items that you know are safe and are able to identify 100%,
if you're not sure then leave well alone.
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Do not
pick items that are protected, or ones you don't have permission
for, its no good saying "pet tortoise told me too!"
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Propagate
your own supply and leave enough behind, this way you will not devastate
the wild populations.
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Select
only plants free of chemicals such as Vehicle fume, Pesticides
etc...
When
recommended food items can not be sourced a variety of supermarket greens
can be used,
although this should not be relied upon as the sole diet.
Listed
below is a small selection of occurring wild food items ... |
Dandelion

Taraxacum
officianale |
Clover

Triifolium repens |
Plantain

Plantago spp. |
Dead
Nettle

Lamilium pupureum |
Hawksbeard

Crepis
capillaris |
Mallow

Mauve sylvestre |
Bindweed's

Convolvulaceae |
Honeysuckle

Lonicera periclymenum |
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Conclusion |
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The best diet is a well rounded
/ balanced one, preferably wild foods, high calcium, low protein, dusted
with additional calcium, and correct use of a good quality multivitamin.
Remember: An adult tortoise
can survive many years on an incorrect diet, but a younger tortoise will be
affected far more rapidly without the
correct balance of the required elements.

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