How to Feed a Pet Tortoise

The tortoises are popular pets due to their quiet and dear manners. Even though, tortoises are easy to maintain, extra care should be taken in providing balanced diet and adequate habitat for a healthy living. Most of the tortoise diseases can be traced to the improper habitat or unbalanced diet which results in lack of energy, loss of appetite, or deformation. Because of the close resemblance of the turtle and tortoises, there is confusion about what to feed to the tortoise and how to feed it.

Even though, just like human beings your tortoise may also have a personal preference for the food, you should feed the tortoise its specie specified food. Whether you are order Instant Meal Tortoise Bulk California online or feed the fresh vegetables and fruits, the nutritional value must always be kept in mind.

 

Tortoises are Herbivorous

Tortoises are exclusively herbivorous while turtles are omnivorous. So, if you want your pet to be healthy and active, you should not feed them anything other than plant origin food. Even if your tortoise seems to enjoy meat or junk food, you should know that it is not good for its health.

Find Out the Specie of Your Tortoise

The dietary requirements for the tortoise vary from specie to specie. So, it is better to find out the specie of your tortoise to know what balanced diet would be for your tortoise. If you own a desert tortoise, a balanced diet would include grass, weeds, cactus flowers, and some vegetables. You can also feed it fruits in small quantities.

If you own a tropical tortoise or grassland grazers, a balanced diet would include vegetables, fruits, and grass. Apart from it, you should not feed your tortoise the plants that are high in protein level or low in calcium.

Fruits and Vegetables

A mix of salads and green leafy plants along with the fruits like apples, grapes, watermelons, strawberries, and mulberries make up a healthy combination. The common plants include Dandelions, Honeysuckle, Red Leaf Lettice, Rocket, Aloe, Parsley, and Clover. However, you should not feed them the food for another pet. For example, if you have Healthy Bird Fruit Mania California, it is not appropriate for your tortoise.

Overfeeding

Overfeeding is one of the most common problem leading to complications in pet tortoises. The tortoises are grazers and may eat only when the food is required. Sometimes, the owners forcefully feed the tortoise three times or more a day. It is not even necessary for the tortoise to eat every day. So, just relax when your tortoise is not eating and just make sure that fresh food is available for him whenever he feels hungry.

Minerals and Vitamins:

The tortoise food should be high in calcium and low in phosphorus (therefore feeding a banana to your tortoise is not a good idea). You can dust the food with calcium occasionally. If you are feeding Instant Meal Tortoise Bulk California, make sure it has balanced amount of necessary vitamins and calcium.

Feeding by Hand:

Out of your affection for your pet tortoise, you may want to feed him by your hand. Feeding the tortoise by hand is not dangerous if he is not manhandled. You can keep the food in your fingers near tortoise and he would graze it. But, do not thrust the food in forcefully.

On a separate note, here are a few tips to Keep Your Bearded Dragon Healthy. Have a look at it.

 

3 Common Reasons for Appetite Changes in Herptiles

A colleague of mine came to me for seeking advice on one of the most worrisome issues of a pet owners’ life ‘changed eating behavior.’ The pets are adorable, they are always there for you, to cheer you up when you are down, to keep you busy when you do not feel like getting up, and to entertain you in the oddest way. But, when it comes to their health, it can be difficult to identify and interpret the signs. I believe the cats and dogs are more extrovert in telling about their bad health or other issues with the environment. But as a keeper of little ‘Missy,’ a female Cape dwarf chameleon, it can be challenging to know why the drooling Natural Frozen Reptile Diets have become completely tasteless.

The herptiles are little sensitive creatures who are intuitively introvert when it comes to showing up the signs of weakness and illness. In their natural habitat, the signs of illness make them an easy prey, and this is why they show courage and strength until the disease has prolonged. So, I am sharing these common reasons for loss of appetite of your bestie.

• Environmental Changes:

Under their tough skin, herptiles are cold blooded animals, and you must never forget this difference. They are sensitive to environmental changes, and an apparently small change can have bigger consequences than you thought. If you have recently changed the surroundings or a bought a new enclosure, they may just be taking the time to acclimatize. Or of you have added some logs or rocks, they may be scared of the new additions to their enclosure. They may be too worried about their hiding place that eating the food would mean losing the guard.

If everything is right in the surroundings, then you must look at the temperature of the room and make sure it is in herp’s comfort zone. The temperature can be one of the strongest appetizer spoilers in the environment. You should also check for the lighting in and around the enclosure.

My Missy hates blue light.

• Changed Feeding Practices:

The sensitivity of Herps is not just limited to environment, but they are equally sensitive to their eating and feeding practices. When I asked my mother to babysit Missy for two days while I was away for work, she only ate one time in all two days. I found her pretty hungry. So to begin with, you should always try to feed the Healthy Herp Instant Meals California to make sure that they are on a balanced diet. Furthermore, if you feed your pet regularly, then delegating the task to someone else may make food unappealing to your herp. Also, the changes in time and quantity of the food can also be the reason behind the loss of appetite. I always tell herp owners that feed your herp on time or don’t feed at all. If your herp likes certain kind of like Natural Frozen Reptile Diets, he/she may be aversive to other types, leading to loss of appetite.

• Health Signs:

So, finally the loss of appetite can be the strongest indicator of bad health or illness. Look for apparent signs of illness by checking the skin color, movement, limbs, and eye color of the herp. You should also check for defecation or any other signs of stress and consult a vet immediately.