# Dehydrated/Frozen foods



## Jessadawn (Mar 23, 2011)

Does anyone know if dehydrated foods have the same or any nutritional value as fresh foods? We were wondering if we dehydrate fruits and or flower petals (sort of like a non-chemical potpourri mix) if they would still be any good for Kali to eat. What about frozen foods? Can fresh fruits and veggies be frozen and will they still have any nutritional value? Also, is it ok to use plant food (miracle grow, etc.) on the food that we grow for her? Thank you ahead of time for your responses!!


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## bikerchicspain (Mar 24, 2011)

No, When the leaves or flowers are cut they start to loose nutrients,
The same with frozen stuff, You can still add as part of the diet,
The miracle grow i am not sure about, and for me if i am not sure the safest thing to do is not to use it, 

If it has some sort of chemical in it don't use,

I would wait for a response from some one that is familiar with this miracle grow...


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## Terry Allan Hall (Mar 24, 2011)

Some of us freeze weeds/flowers, some orf us dry the weeds/flowers, to augment our tort's diets during winter...my torts prefer the thawed out weeds (resembles cooked spinach) more than the dried, although the dried stuff can be crumbled and mixed in w/ soaked Mazuri.

Possibly drying/freezing loses some of the nutrients, but no more so than it does for human food, I'd guess.

I only use naturally-occuring fertilizer (mulch and chicken/goat/mini-pig poop) for the plants grown for my tort's to eat...can't recommend commercial plant foods, although some organic plant food might be safe.


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## kimber_lee_314 (Mar 24, 2011)

I use frozen foods for my box turtles at times. I make up a "turtle buffet" for when I am short on on time. This way I always have something to feed them. I always try to use fresh food, but there are times when this really comes in handy.


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## Madkins007 (Mar 24, 2011)

Frozen foods often suffer nutrient loss, and cell damage during the freezing process- this is really obvious in cheap frozen strawberries, which get mushy, compared to those frozen with a more expensive process that protects the cell structure. The damaged cell walls tend to lead to mild diarrhea.

Freeze-DRIED products are better and more nutritious, but also more nutrient packed- a cup of freeze-dried has all the calories that the original volume had- often 2 cups or more. They also obviously lack moisture.

Home freezing fresh produce is OK- but the more you can flash freeze it with dry ice, the better (there are directions on-line). You can also dry a lot of stuff and get good results- petals and leaves tend to dry better than freeze.

I usually would not recommend buying frozen, dried, or freeze-dried tortoise food just because the fresh stuff is usually better and cheaper, but it is certainly a way to take advantage of a good sale or big harvest and use the stuff later.

You'll loose some nutrients in most of these processes, but usually not enough that it is a big deal. You can add a weekly dose of multivitamin to make up for most of it.

As for fertilizer- there is a lot of paranoia about this, but any fertilizer rated for plants people will eat should be perfectly OK. Fertilizers are not nearly as much of a chemical risk as systemic pesticides are.


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## Jessadawn (Mar 24, 2011)

Thank you everyone! You've been great help!!


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