How to Feed the Redfoot Tortoise

The redfoot tortoise has unfussy eating habits. It is an omnivore that will eat a wide range of plant and animal foods. In captivity, a redfoot tortoise needs various types of fresh fruits and vegetables, together with a small amount of meaty foods. Calcium supplements help to keep the animal healthy and its shell strong. As with most pets, you should take care not to overfeed your tortoise. Tortoises can suffer from obesity and the associated health problems when food is abundant and there is little need to exercise.

Things You'll Need

  • Fresh produce
  • Cuttlefish bone
  • Reptile calcium and vitamin supplement
  • Edible flowers
  • Dog food
  • Bugs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Give the tortoise as much green leafy vegetables as it wants. Good choices include dark-colored lettuce (not iceberg, which has little in the way of nutrients), kale, endive, mustard greens, dandelion leaves and turnip greens. Supplement with occasional vegetables such as squash and carrots for variety.

    • 2

      Place a cuttlefish bone in the tortoise's enclosure. This provides extra calcium that the tortoise can access as required. Additionally, dust the tortoise's food with a reptile vitamin and calcium supplement as per the instructions. The vitamin supplement should include vitamin D3 if you keep the tortoise outside.

    • 3

      Feed small amounts of fruit a couple of times a week. Fruit is high in calories so it should not form more than about 25 percent of the tortoise's diet, however much it may like it. Leave the peels on fruit to provide extra roughage. Suitable fruits include mangoes, apples, strawberries and tomatoes.

    • 4

      Collect edible flowers such as dandelion and hibiscus flowers and feed one or two handfuls about once or twice a week as a treat.

    • 5

      Provide a handful of meaty foods once every two or three weeks. Suitable meaty foods are a high quality dog food or slow moving invertebrates such as earthworms and slugs.