Commercial tortosie pellets are be a healthy additive to a varied diet. Not all commercial pellets are good for Russian tortoises, but there are plenty of healthy options to feed your tortoise.
What Should You Look For?
When shopping for healthy pellets for your tortoise, look at the ingredients. It’s important to choose pellets that have tortoise-approved ingredients.
Fruits and Vegetables – Avoid tortoise pellets that contain a lot, or any, fruits and vegetables. These pellets are better suited for omnivorous turtles and tortoises, like box turtles and Red Footed Tortoises.
Animal Proteins – Russian tortoise’s need a low protein diet. The proteins that they can consume come from dark leafy greens, like spinach and collard greens. Avoid commercial pellets that include animal proteins, like poultry or bugs, as these pellets are better suited for omnivorous turtles and tortoises.
Find commercial tortoise foods that are primarily grass, weeds and greens. Try to look for a natural pellet that does not have any added dyes or coloring from chemicals.
Mazuri
The more popular tortoise pellet is Mazuri Tortoise Diet. Mazuri has a high fiber content. It, also, contains valuable nutrients that help supplement a diet of fresh foods.
When shopping for Mazuri for tortoises, you’ll find two variations – original and LS.
Original Mazuri (5M21) is a larger pellet. Although it containers soybean hulls, ground corn and dehulled soybean meal, it is still a healthy pellet, as well as a good additive for a healthy diet.
LS Mazuri (5E5L) is a smaller pellet. It is a low-starch version of the original pellet. It contains less corn and soybean than the original Mazuri.
Zoo Med Grassland
Zoo Med Grassland Tortoise Food contains long-stem fibers from natural grasses like oat, timothy and alfalfa, as well as dandelion greens, yucca and other plants. The Zoo Med tortoise pellet is primarily grasses and other plants, making it a very healthy option for Russian tortoises.
Lugarti Premium Tortoise Pellets
Lugarti tortoise pellets are a newer commercial pellet. These pellets contain natural hay and grass, as well as vitamins, minerals, probiotics and prebiotics. The pellets do not include artificial colors, corn, bone meal, fructose, BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene) nor artificial flavors.
Feeding Russian Tortoise Pellets
When feeding a Russian tortoise commercial diets, offer pellets about 1-3 times a week. Ideally, commercial tortoise foods should not be the primary diet. However, commercial diets make a great addition to a varied diet of fresh foods.
If your tortoise won’t eat the pellets dry, moisten them in warm water. You can also try a rose hip or hibiscus-infused water using dried flowers for an easy flavor infusion.
