A Tortoise is a terrestrial reptile of the order Testudines.
Tortoises are found worldwide including the most well-known tortoise of all, the Giant Tortoise Lonesome George, who lives on the Galapagos Islands near Ecuador. Tortoises are like their aquatic siblings- the Turtles who have a hard shell protecting their bodies.
The top shell is called the carapace (a dorsal section of an exoskeleton), and the bottom is called the plastron (the nearly flat part of the shell structure). The carapace and the plastron are joined by what is called the bridge. The shell had protected with scutes which are scales made of keratin (the same protein of what our fingernails are made of). The carapace can help predict the age of tortoise by the number of concentric rings, broadly like the cross-section of a tree.
DO TORTOISES MAKE GOOD PETS?
Tortoises make great pets as they are quiet, attractive, hearty, and easy-to-care-for reptiles. Similarly, they are relatively small and shed no hair. Moreover, due to their long lifespan, they are ideal lifetime pets. Russian tortoise, Greek tortoise, Egyptian tortoise, Indian star tortoise, Hermann's tortoise, and pancake tortoise are small-sized pets so that these low-maintenance animals are easy to make space for, and they are harmless. But as wonderful as they are, not all species of tortoises make great pets.
Every tortoise is unique, but there is absolutely one that suits your lifestyle.
WHAT DO TORTOISES EAT?
Tortoises gently prefer vegetation and vegetables. As such, most of these are herbivores. In detention, the tortoises consume a variety of dark leafy vegetables, grass, and weed. Sometimes, you can also feed them fruits.
Very few tortoises prefer to eat insect-based foods such as insects, worms, and mollusks. However, it is essential to know exactly which species your pet eats.
MEALWORMS
Mealworm is the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio Molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolous insects, they go through four life phases: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae generally count about 2.5 cm or more, and adults are between 1.25 and 1.8 cm in length.
Mealworms use as pet food for detained reptiles, fish, and birds. They are also used to feed wild birds in bird feeders, especially during the nesting season. Mealworms are valuable for their high protein content.
Mealworms are generally available in bulk and are commonly available in containers with bran or oatmeal for food. Saleable growers include a youngster hormone into the feeding process to keep the mealworm in the larval phase and achieve an abnormal length of 2 cm or greater.
These mealworms are available in two forms for consumption of pets-
1) Live Mealworms:
Live mealworms are the ideal worms as a part diet of your pets as they have moisture, are appealing, easy to feed, among other benefits.
Feeding live mealworms to your pet furnishes excitement and interest at mealtime, creating every bite a fun treat.
Live mealworms should be kept in a tub with good ventilation and a comparative surface area. If you see condensation below the top of the container, ventilation must be grown.
Before feeding the live mealworms to your pets, gut-load them a few days before and when offering them to your pet, dust mealworms with calcium, vitamin D3, and other multivitamins.
Live Mealworm Nutritional Values*
Protein: 20%
Fat: 13%
Fiber: 2%
Moisture: 62%
*Approximate values.
2) Dried Mealworms:
Dried mealworms are nourishing bombs for your pet birds, reptiles, hedgehogs, turtles, fishes, and many more. They are protein-rich as well as rich in amino acids with more benefits. Thinking of counting them towards your pet diet by combining them with their everyday food will eventually pay off in the long run.
Dried Mealworm Nutritional Values*
Protein: 53%
Fat: 28%
Fiber: 6%
Moisture: 5%
*Approximate values.
Are Mealworms Good For Tortoise?
If your tortoise is omnivorous, like a red-footed and yellow-footed tortoise, it can eat insect protein. A lack of protein (amino acids) can cause shell disorders, so mealworms are a safe, natural, important part of their diet.
Exclusive herbivores, like Sulcatas and leopards, can not digest mealworms, so they can refuse them or show no interest. If it were to eat a worm, it would attain no nutrients or experience digestive problems.
How much and how often you can feed mealworms to your tortoise is depends on their species and size. However, insect protein should make up no more than 20% of a tortoise diet.
Mealworms are cheap, easy to source, contain minerals, and are a rich source of protein. Fed in moderation, mealworms can be a healthy diet choice. If your tortoise is an omnivorous species, it can eat mealworms, superworms, wax worms, nightcrawlers, and red wigglers.
To learn more about mealworms, how to feed them to your pets, or where to purchase mealworms, get in touch with Pro-meal. We are the supplier of mealworms, both live and dried, available for purchase. Also, we can answer all your questions about storage, feeding, and nutrition.
Why Purchase From Pro-meal?
Fresh and Healthy Worms- Our mealworms both live and dried are packaged fresh and at the peak of their nutrition cycle. 100% grown and processed in India.
Organically Grown- We feed our worms strictly Organic Feeds including fruits and vegetables. This ensures that you will get all-natural chemical-free worms for your pets.
Reliable Supply- Imagine you feed your pets mealworms for a week and next week there's no supply! URGH! Our production ensures regular reliable supply.
Pathogen Free- We regularly test all our batches of worms for pathogens like salmonella, Ecolli, and bacteria. This Live Delivery ensures 100% safe feeding for your pets!
Note- If you order live, you should get the worms live. We guarantee Live delivery of worms. If you receive otherwise, you are entitled to a replacement/ refund.