hello my name is tim.Today i took my tortoise to the vet and he recomended that i feed my tortoise a worm once in awhile.Clark is a african spur thigh or sulcata pick a name .I have read and researched many subjects and in my findings i have never heard such a thing spur thigh's are vegaterians correct?I mean come on being a vet u should know these things right well, anways he also recomended that i feed my tortoise romaine,carrots,cabbage,ur overall basic grocery store items.I give my tortoise kale once in awhile,hibiscuis leafs,i rarely ever feed him mazu tortoise chow but on a occasion i do being that i have a 1 pound bag going to waste in my pantry.I am concerned about pyramiding and the overall health of my tortoise.my question is( how often should i feed him kale, and hibiscuis leafs) and how much is to much ya know. I purchased 200 dollars in seeds a month ago from(turtlestuff.com) my list of seeds included dandly lion's,white clover,bermuda grass,a pasture mix, and opta something cactus.HOW many times should i feed him these things?I know that 80% of clarks diet should be grasses, but how much cactus,dandy lions,white clover should in his diet?If i feed clark dandy lions one day aweek for diner and cactus another day a week and clover another day would that be a complete balanced diet?Is once a week good enough?Aslo should i give him a worm once in a while?And is kale,romaine,carrots,spring mix's,okay to give to clark?

This post was last modified: 11-13-2007 03:44 PM by clark.

i would feed clark primarily the plants that you said you planted. clover, bermuda, dandelion, etc are all great food. opuntia cactus is good too but probably a little less often. im not sure about hibiscus leaves but i'd stay away from kale, cabbage, and tortoise chow. romaine is okay sparingly...my guys love romaine so o sprinkle their calcium on it to make sure they get plenty of Ca.

i would think in the wild they would ingest a bug now and again. but i thought part of pyramiding was caused by too much protein aka worms and unbalanced prepared cereal foods etc.
i am sure you have found out that you probably know as much or more than your vet and it will need to be an open communication arrangement to get anything out of it.
I would ask if they suggest ivermectin to treat worms...you'll find out really fast how far off base he is by his reponse.

good luck...

also, should i move this thread to the sulcata forum? looks like it was placed erroneously here in DT-land

I would not give a worm. I would simply feed him the plants you listed, staying away from too much Kale. My three Sulcatas have been fine eating Hibiscus almost everyday in thier roaming, but they prefer the St. Augustine grass.

David
Los Angeles Area