Is it ok for a red foot tortoise and eastern box turtle to share a diet?

Question

If the food dishes in the tank provide for each of their individual dieting needs, would it hurt the other if they ate some of others food? are their diets that different?

Answer 1

Sounds like their diets are close enough that you will not have any problem. However I don't know if turtles are territorial about their bowls.

from the websites below.

DIET - Red-foots are omnivorous, consuming both animal and plant material in the wild.  In captivity this may be duplicated by feeding a minimal amount of low fat dog food or whole meat product once every couple weeks or so.  Meat should not be fed as a part of the daily diet.  Occasional earthworms may be fed as well.  We have found that red-foots thrive on a diet supplemented with Mazuri Tortoise Diet which was initially formulated for the closely related Galapagos Tortoises.



The diet offered should consist of:  

Leafy greens  (dandelions, clover, endive etc.)  

Fruits

OCCASIONAL meat based protein.

Diets rich in meats are invariably high in phosphates and low in calcium. This can cause serious problems for tortoises who need high levels of calcium for healthy bone and carapace development. Additional calcium supplementation is therefore absolutely essential. For proper growth as well as egg production, powdered calcium can be sprinkled on all foods once a week to help meet these requirements.  It is suggested that one use calcium supplemented with vitamin D3 if the animal is being maintained indoors and calcium without D3 if it is outdoors. Provision of a cuttlefish bone, which can be gnawed if required, is also recommended. The substrate of choice is cypress mulch or something possessing the same humidity holding properties in order to keep their shells/skin from drying out in captive conditions. In outdoor pens in areas of high sand content,  food  should not be placed directly on sandy soil. Sand can build up in the tortoises GI tract leading to possible impaction and even death.  A completely separate sand-free area in the habitat should be utilized to feed.



This species does not hibernate in nature.  Facilities must be provided for the continued health and well being of the tortoise indoors in cooler (non tropical) climates.  

Box turtles are omnivores in the broadest sense of the word. They will eat almost anything, animal or plant, that they can fit in their mouth. Intriguingly, it is thought that young box turtles are primarily carnivorous and that as they grow their diet shifts more and more towards plant material. Favorite foods include almost any insect (although they seem to particularly relish worms and slugs), virtually any fruit or berry, mushrooms, a variety of vegetable matter, and even carrion. Interestingly, box turtles are even able to eat many mushrooms that are toxic to humans.

Answer 2

I answered this here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Now- if you put the food in the habitat, both will eat from each other's dish- this not only can cause territorial behaviors and bullying (and the Red-foot will quickly get a LOT bigger than the tiny Box Turtle)

Most of the foods won't hurt the other, but if the Red-foot gets too much protein, or if the Box Turtle gets too much fruit, they can become ill or develop digestive or even long-term metabolic disorders.

This just is not a good idea. It is not a good idea in general to mix species- and these two are not great candidates for cage mates in most situations.

Answer 3

I would not put a box turtle and a red footed tortoise together as a box turtle likes to be in water and a red footed tortoise likes to be on land.As there is a risk of diseases being passed and fighting.

DO NOT put them together at all, Good luck, xx Abbiie xx =D

Answer 4

they eat roughly the same diet, but the problem you have is the husbandry of these two reptiles is different so they should not be housed together, you might also have a problem when they get bigger over territory, you really should think about getting separate housing for them as the temps you need to keep a red foot are not suitable for a box turtle, you should never mix the different species of turtle and tortoises sorry honey.