Although called forest tortoise food, this all-natural, pelleted food is also good for box turtles. The food has lots of fiber and plant materials, enjoyed by all kinds of tortoises and turtles. But it’s not a complete food for box turtles. They need more protein than this food provides. Even so, this food can be a nutritious part of your box turtle’s varied diet (you are feeding her a varied diet, right?).
Keep reading for more about Zoo Med’s Natural Forest Tortoise Food:
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. Sizes Ingredients & Analysis How to Use
. Do Boxies Like It? Pros & Cons Check Prices
Sizes of Zoo Med’s Natural Forest Tortoise Food
You can choose from five different sizes of this food, depending on how many turtles and how much storage space you have. Available sizes are:
- 8.5 ounces
- 15 ounces
- 35 ounces
- 60 ounces
- 50 pounds
This food is made in the USA.
Ingredients and Analysis
These pellets are all natural, without any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. They contain a variety of plant material, including:
- Oat and Timothy hays (both suncured)
- Soybean hulls
- Alfalfa Meal (suncured) – alfalfa is an excellent source of fiber. It also provides calcium and protein.
- Dried papaya and mango
- Escarole
- Endive
- Dandelion greens
- Yucca
It also contains added vitamins and minerals (or ingredients that supply them), including:
- Vitamin C for a healthy immune system
- Vitamin D3 to help your pet absorb calcium
- Vitamin A too keep mucous membranes (like those around the eyes) healthy
- Vitamin K to prevent liver problems and bleeding
- Calcium carbonate as a calcium source
This food contains at least 13% protein, which is good, but not enough for your box turtle. You’ll want to supplement with meat or insects (live, canned or frozen will all work). It’s high in fiber at 23%, which is good.
It also contains at least 0.9% calcium and at least 0.4% phosphorus. This is a good ratio of calcium to phosphorus, as long as your turtle is not getting too much phosphorus from other sources (and does not already have a calcium deficiency).
Please note we have not reproduced the whole list of ingredients and the complete analysis here. If you need this information, it’s listed on Zoo Med’s Forest Tortoise Food page.
How to Use Natural Forest Turtle Food
The pellets need just a little preparation before feeding: Add a little water and let the pellets absorb it for a minute or two. They should break down into a mush. That’s it!
Feed it alone or mix it with some other greens or fruit (not too much fruit!)
It doesn’t get much easier than that. This food is simple to feed and to store. You will want to make sure you store it someplace dry, though. If it gets wet or damp, it’s likely to mold (but then, that’s true of most any food, including yours!).
How do Box Turtles Like This Food?
Most of the reviews for this food came from owners of various tortoises, rather than box turtles (no big surprise there!). But for the most part, turtles and tortoises like it very much. Of course it does depend on how picky your pet is. Some animals take a few days or weeks to really get used to it. Other love it right off the bat. And a few simply refused to ever touch it.
It’s not possible to know ahead of time which category your pet will fall into. So, as with anything new you try, it’s a good idea to start with a small container in case your boxie won’t eat it no matter what you try. But if you like this food, don’t give up too quickly either. Keep offering it at every feeding. He may eventually decide to eat it.
Just a note: If you’re mixing it with other foods (rather than serving it on the side) and he’s refusing to eat it, you’ll still need to make sure he eats something. So you may have to give him something else instead. But still leave this in his dish for however long you normally wait to clean up the food. Do this until he eats it or you give up. Whichever comes first 🙂
Pros and Cons Summary
Pros:
- A nearly complete food (you’ll need to supplement protein)
- Very simple to use
- Easy to store
- Doesn’t spoil quickly as long as you keep it dry
- Made in the USA
Cons:
- Not quite a complete food
- Not all box turtles will eat it; you may have to experiment with the best way to convince him to eat it
Check Prices and Availability
Ready to try some forest tortoise food for your box turtle? Here are some options for checking out prices and availability:
- As of this writing, PetSmart sells only the 15-oz. jars of Zoo Med Forest Tortoise Food. But it was on sale. See if it still is.
- Several suppliers at Amazon sell different sizes. of the Natural Tortoise Food.
- Buy.com (Rakuten shopping) sells four sizes: 8.5 oz, 15 oz, 35 oz and 60 oz. We’ve linked you to the search page for tortoise food, so you can easily find the size you prefer.
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