# TORTOISE LASAGNE



## DeanS (Oct 24, 2010)

By popular demand (and ultimately, Josh's urging), I am revealing an age-old recipe...actually it only came to fruition when I acquired Aladar this past Spring. Obviously, you can change up ingredients, but I rarely vary anything...as the torts (both great and small) love this savory treat!

First cover the bottom of a tupperware with Mazuri...






Next...a layer of Timothy hay





Then...a layer of Zoo Med Grassland





Followed by a layer of finely chopped Timothy/Bermuda/Orchard Hay (or TNT form CarolinaPetSupply.com)





Then a layer of Organic Herbal Salad Mix (CarolinaPetSupply.com)





Add very warm water to top of ingredients...





and press down lightly with a spatula (don't worry that it seems like a lot of water...the Mazuri and Grassland absorb it all)





Let sit 15 minutes and the slam it down where you intend your tort to eat...





add a little Spring Mix (or Santa Barbara Mix, which I prefer [no lettuce])





and watch him (or her) do the rest.









***NOTE: There is no precise measurement for the ingredients...I base it according to how much my torts can eat in a single sitting...*THIS STUFF DOES NOT KEEP*!***


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## Torty Mom (Oct 24, 2010)

Looks like Thanksgiving dinner! Yummy! What an awesome idea!


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## Tom (Oct 24, 2010)

That's just cool. You have some lucky torts.


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## Isa (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks for sharing the recipe with us  It looks very yummi. I will do it for Hermy


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## Maggie Cummings (Oct 24, 2010)

Is this Santa Barbara mix new? I have never heard of it. Do you get it at Safeway? I think Bob would really enjoy this, you want to come up and fix it for him???


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## DeanS (Oct 24, 2010)

maggie3fan said:


> Is this Santa Barbara mix new? I have never heard of it. Do you get it at Safeway? I think Bob would really enjoy this, you want to come up and fix it for him???




Ready Mix makes it...all it contains is endive, escarole and radicchio...NO LETTUCES AT ALL! I shop at Stater Bros where they carry the 8 oz bag...but Smart and Final carries the 5 pound bag...YEAH!


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## Maggie Cummings (Oct 24, 2010)

DeanS said:


> maggie3fan said:
> 
> 
> > Is this Santa Barbara mix new? I have never heard of it. Do you get it at Safeway? I think Bob would really enjoy this, you want to come up and fix it for him???
> ...


We don't have either of those stores here. I'll have to shop around for it...I have a sick tort and I can get her to eat radicchio but nothing else and it's getting hard to find now that my favorite store has closed...


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## Tom (Oct 24, 2010)

5 pounds? Wow. What does that cost? I've been getting the big spring mix tubs from Costco for 3 something. Lasts about 3-4 days for all my hatchlings.


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## kelarned (Oct 24, 2010)

Great idea!! Thanks for the tip on Santa Barbara mix also. Do you mind me asking what species your tort is...thx


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## DeanS (Oct 24, 2010)

maggie3fan said:


> DeanS said:
> 
> 
> > maggie3fan said:
> ...



Any store that carries Ready Mix should be stocking Santa Barbara by now!




Tom said:


> 5 pounds? Wow. What does that cost? I've been getting the big spring mix tubs from Costco for 3 something. Lasts about 3-4 days for all my hatchlings.



It varies...just a couple days ago I spent $4.59 for it at S & F...I store it in a salad bag, so it keeps quite well for a couple weeks...not that it lasts that long. That bag is gonna be toast by the middle of the week I think! 



kelarned said:


> Great idea!! Thanks for the tip on Santa Barbara mix also. Do you mind me asking what species your tort is...thx



The young man in the thread is Aladar...an Ivory sulcata! I have four yearlings...Climber and Jimmy (normal phase) and Eggroll and Snowflake (Ivory phase).


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## Kristina (Oct 24, 2010)

Tom said:


> 5 pounds? Wow. What does that cost? I've been getting the big spring mix tubs from Costco for 3 something. Lasts about 3-4 days for all my hatchlings.



I gave up on buying spring mix. It is $5.99 a pound here, and I go through 2lbs a day, plus veggies and fruit and mushrooms. Now I just get bunches of the same greens (usually about $1.69 a lb) that are in the spring mix, tear it up and mix it all together, much cheaper and only takes an extra 5 minutes. 

Tortoise lasagna looks yummy  Of course this is coming from someone that gets cravings for Dumor horse cookies.... The oat and honey are my favorite, lol! 

I was half expecting it to actually contain tortoise.....


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## BethyB1022 (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I think I am going to try making a mini lasagna for Ichabod. Maybe this will help to tempt him into eating Mazuri.


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## terryo (Oct 24, 2010)

This is so great Dean. I wish there was something similar that I could make for Pio.


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## DeanS (Oct 24, 2010)

BethyB1022 said:


> Thanks for sharing this recipe. I think I am going to try making a mini lasagna for Ichabod. Maybe this will help to tempt him into eating Mazuri.



If he doesn't care for the Mazuri, try mashing it up with his greens...ot the grassland diet...that's what got my yearlings to eat it.



kyryah said:


> Tortoise lasagna looks yummy  Of course this is coming from someone that gets cravings for Dumor horse cookies.... The oat and honey are my favorite, lol!
> 
> I was half expecting it to actually contain tortoise.....



I was wondering who would be the first to mention that it might contain an actual tortoise...only recipe I remember that contains a tortoise is Tom's Tortoise Soup

I don't know about cravings for horse cookies...but I do not mind Trader Joe's Molasses Cookies for dogs...thing is...I think they stopped making them...I din't see them the last time I was there!





terryo said:


> This is so great Dean. I wish there was something similar that I could make for Pio.



I *KNOW* you'll come up with something...and when you do, please share it with us!


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## Az tortoise compound (Oct 24, 2010)

Nice idea Dean. Thanks for sharing.


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## Candy (Oct 24, 2010)

Can Desert Tortoises eat this? I wanted to mention that the spring mix Tom was referring to at Costco is also organic and it's hard to beat that price.


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## jagsrule100 (Oct 24, 2010)

Thats really cool, thanks for sharing it. I will have to give it a shot but i'll have to make it a lot smaller lol.


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## DeanS (Oct 24, 2010)

Candy said:


> Can Desert Tortoises eat this? I wanted to mention that the spring mix Tom was referring to at Costco is also organic and it's hard to beat that price.



This would be EXCELLENT for DTs...I prefer the Santa Barbara Mix...it contains NO lettuce...only endive,escarole and radicchio. Spring Mix is more than 65% lettuces...not that that's a bad thing necessarily...it's just that the other greens are so much more beneficial...you could also go with arugula and watercress.






jagsrule100 said:


> Thats really cool, thanks for sharing it. I will have to give it a shot but i'll have to make it a lot smaller lol.



In your case, I'd just chop up all the ingredients together and make a little meatball


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## welly (Oct 24, 2010)

wow! this is the best tortoise food i've ever seen..
thanks for sharing, great ideas!


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## South FL Katie (Nov 12, 2010)

I had to do a search and check up on my boy. Glad he's still being his spoiled handsome self! He always makes me smile.


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## DeanS (Nov 12, 2010)

South FL Katie said:


> I had to do a search and check up on my boy. Glad he's still being his spoiled handsome self! He always makes me smile.



Yeah! He's grown some...about an inch since I got him from Fife...plus he's almost ten pounds heavier! And does he show some personality and confidence...he is SO gentle with the yearlings!


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## RV's mom (Nov 12, 2010)

I was going to ask the recipe, since RV was pictured with it... I'll try it next week, as I'm going into my work week. 

teri


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## Yvonne G (Nov 12, 2010)

Smart and Final. Who'da thought? I have a S and F very close by but I never shop there. I buy three "clam shells" (I think they're 3lbs ) of Spring Mix about every 5th day and it costs 4.89 at my store. If I can get 5lbs at S and F I may come out a bit ahead of the game. Thanks for that.

(First time you posted this recipe I went to carolinapetsupply.com and ordered a batch of the organic herbal salad mix.)


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## ALDABRAMAN (Nov 12, 2010)

Thanksgiving at your house, LOL. That looks great.


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## Torty Mom (Nov 12, 2010)

Love the meatball idea. I will try that out, I need to make super mini meatballs!


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## myrtle651 (Nov 12, 2010)

I read a lot about how it looks, and what it cost, but not about who likes it??


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## DeanS (Nov 13, 2010)

It's pretty universal...I make it for sulcatas...and they love it! I imagine you wouldn't have to change anything for the other savannah ranging torts...it's the more tropical species (redfoots, etc) you might need to change up some ingredients!


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## Jacob (Apr 23, 2011)

Great Ideas, Your Sulcata Love It!


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## l0velesly (Apr 23, 2011)

AWW what a treat. I bet it enjoyed it! Your tort has a nice shell!


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## dmarcus (Apr 23, 2011)

I think I will try the lasagne and see how it goes.


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## Ashliewood (Aug 31, 2011)

this must be a fantastic idea! everyone talks about it...i will definately try it! so forgive me but i didnt have time to sit down and read the entire thread but is this a meal everyday?


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## Cloud 9 (Sep 2, 2011)

cool, did your tort appear to enjoy the meal? :].


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## Ashliewood (Sep 10, 2011)

I'm
About to try the lasagna with my Russian  wish us luck that he loves it!


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