# what do i feed my tortoise



## fiona33 (Aug 26, 2007)

hi there ive recently got a tortoise ............. can you tell me there daily requirements ...food etc.. and how much?


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## Rees2 (Aug 26, 2007)

What kind of tortoise?


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## fiona33 (Aug 26, 2007)

im pretty sure its a herman


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## Josh (Aug 26, 2007)

fiona, welcome to the site.
if you can post a photo of your tort, we can try to ID it and help you find a decent caresheet


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## fiona33 (Aug 26, 2007)

thanks very much i will post a pic tomorrow ok thanks again 
fiona


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## Rees2 (Aug 26, 2007)

but if you think it's a hermans all give you this link CLICK HERE


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## Josh (Aug 26, 2007)

if you are sure you got a hermans tort, you might want to get in contact with Cpx, he's a user here that seems to know what he's doin


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## T-P (Aug 26, 2007)

fiona33, if it is a hermanns the link Rees typed up is a good example.
Or like Josh said, PM me and ill give you a huge list of whats best to feed and whats not good to feed.

To varify it is a hermanns (PLEASE) we'd need a photo.
The reason i say (PLEASE) is because if its not a hermanns, russian, or greek, ibera, or Marginated.
Then the diet is completely different to my lists.


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## fiona33 (Aug 27, 2007)

heres my pic of my tortoise


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## Bansh88 (Aug 27, 2007)

Looks big in that pic! About how many inches?


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## fiona33 (Aug 27, 2007)

dont know havent measured


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## Jentortmom (Aug 27, 2007)

Hello, Your tort is in need of Calcium, you can get powder called reptical and sprinkle on the greens. Or you can boil eggs shells and turn it into a powder, but either way it needs calcium. Your tort looks like a greek tortoise to me. You should try measuring it from the front of the shell to the rear of the shell. You should also put in a container with water for some soaks. How long have you had this guy? And what do you have for lighting? Good Luck with him/her.


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## Josh (Aug 27, 2007)

i'm gonna have to echo what jen said


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## Rees2 (Aug 27, 2007)

I think you can also rub two cuttle bones to make a powder that is a great sorce of calcium.


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## Jentortmom (Aug 27, 2007)

You can also put cuttlebone in the enclosure with your tort. They will munch away on it.


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## Rees2 (Aug 27, 2007)

And also keep their becks tremed.


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## T-P (Aug 28, 2007)

fiona33 said:


> heres my pic of my tortoise
> http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g54/rabbitsvalley/upload1583.jpg
> http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g54/rabbitsvalley/upload1580.jpg



Fiona, congrats! you have a hermanns tortoise THB subspecies.
However, theres some shell rot there on the front and back skirt areas, this will neverbe rid of and will always look odd, but you can prevent more shell rot by feeding the right food, giving supplements and so on.

His or her size is rather large by the looks, so this tortoise is well over the age of 10 years old.
Best you drop in a reptile specialist vet, and they can treat the shell rot and see if theres any internal rotting.

The beak is fine, doesnt look over grown at all, to keep their beaks trimmed you cna feed them on a slate peice and give them cuttlebone in their enclosure, and this helps keep their claws and beak trimmed.
AND if you put some rocks and slate bits around the enclosure the tortoise will often try and nibble them or climb them which also helps trimming.

Do not feed egg shells, they cause large impact on Hermanns tortoises.
Just buy nutrobal, or other supplements.
For calcium you can throw in a cuttlebone or you can finely grate cuttle bone and sprinkle the powder over their food.
Nutrobal is good, but all suppliments do not do the same thing.
So its best you get your nutrobal (cuz it contains vits and minerals and D3) and a cuttlebone which is pure calcium.
Whilst im at this supplement part, do not use your supplements DAILY. you can over-dose your tortoise on supplements, leave a large cuttlebone in the enclosure (a cuttle bone of 3 inches lasted me nearly 8 months!) and use your nutrobal (*or other supplement*) 3-4 times a week.

Now your enclosure indoors must be kitted out with UVB light of minimum 5.0 Reptiglo or Reptisun, and a basking light (spot lamp) or a desktop lamp and hangit in the enclosure.
The enclosure must not be a viv, glass tank or anything similar.
LARGE wooden tortoise table, rubbermaid storage tub will doo nicely.
Substrate bed-a-beast, playsand mixed 50/50 with organic chemical free topping soil, or aspen or hemcore is best.
Outdoors since hes large you can just let him have 2 or 3 hours outdoors in the summer and bring him in at a night time (supervised!).
Or build a permenant outdoor enclosure.

Diet:
Weeds such as:
Dandelions, bindweed, clover, plantain, chicory, and sowthistle.

flowers leaves and plants such as:
hibiscus, pansy, petunia, hosta, rose petal and fuschia.

Greens such as:
Cucumber, collard greens, spring greens, salad mixes, turnip greens, carrots, carrot tops, mustard greens.
Do not feed greens daily, only feed greens when weeds, plants and flowers are not available.
=]

Have fun with your tortoise


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## fiona33 (Aug 28, 2007)

thanks very much


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## T-P (Aug 28, 2007)

=] your welcome.


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## Jentortmom (Aug 28, 2007)

My apologies, I did mix up the two. You have a very old hermans.


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## Crazy1 (Aug 28, 2007)

Hello,
Please be careful with the cuttlebone. If you buy one for birds they do not take the hard backing of it and this can cause problems with the torts. The ones sold specifically for Tortoises already have this hard backing removed. 
And when soaking only place enough water for it to come to the chin of your tort as they do not swim and too much water can drown them.
Have fun and Good Luck


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## Jentortmom (Aug 28, 2007)

Where do they sell the ones for torts n turtles? I have only seen the one that I have to remove the hard backing.


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## Crazy1 (Aug 29, 2007)

They sell them at both Petco and Petsmart they are in the reptile area. It is called *Zoo Med Turtle Bone * 
You can also puchase them online thru Petco their Number is SKU:1000250 and they are $2.99 for two. Hope that helps.


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## atoccy (Sep 3, 2007)

if anyone is intersted I can do a list of weeds/plants that are suitable for torts!

Wendy


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## atoccy (Sep 3, 2007)

Sorry 
but ordinary cuttlebone is fine!

wendy


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## atoccy (Sep 3, 2007)

2 or 3 hours in the sunshine?

Mine are out 24/7

wendy


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## Bansh88 (Sep 3, 2007)

atoccy said:


> 2 or 3 hours in the sunshine?
> Mine are out 24/7
> wendy



hell yes!


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## Crazy1 (Sep 4, 2007)

Yes, Wendy I would love the list posted.


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## chris (Sep 4, 2007)

T-P said:


> The enclosure must not be a viv, glass tank or anything similar.
> LARGE wooden tortoise table, rubbermaid storage tub will doo nicely.



Man I just got a 55 gallon aquarium to set up for a baby red foot.
What is wrong with the glass tanks? Dang me..


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## T-P (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi Chris!
Glass tanks, wooden vivs are just bad.
The tortoises get stressed, lathargic.
I know some people say they have no problems.
but tortoises cannot show emotions or illness unlike humans.
So you cannot tell the stress it causes.
They cant understand why they cant walk through the class cuz its clear.
And they become rather timid and shy.


Also, i use a normal cuttlebone tha tis used for parrots, budgies and other birds.
There is a hard back on them, but the tortoises dont bite that, they scrape the soft bits when they bite.
Normally hatchlings and very small tortoises cant bite through the hard-back sections.


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## Josh (Sep 5, 2007)

i'd wager that the glass tanks are bad because they severely limit air flow and thus you get a stagnant pocket of air hovering over your tortoise which is not good for animals who are meant to roam


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## T-P (Sep 5, 2007)

Yea i forgot to add lack of air flow


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## dingogirl (Sep 6, 2007)

You can get organc seeds,cuttlebonee, and TNT powder that is really good for torts with probiotics added at www.carolinapetsupply.com They are very fast and inexpensive espesially if you need T-Rex lights.


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## T-P (Sep 6, 2007)

As long as your uvb light is a decent strength and you have a heat light and the uv light is REPTILE UV only..youll have no worries.
but you need to change a UV light once every 6-8 months.

As for powder supplements you can use Nutrobal, TNT, T-Rex i think T-Rex do a supplement powder.


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## Clover (Sep 13, 2007)

Is gound egg shells safe for a sulcata?


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## transtort (Sep 13, 2007)

T-P said:


> fiona33 said:
> 
> 
> > heres my pic of my tortoise
> ...



Why only leave the tort out for 2 or 3 hours! All mine are outside all day,with access to a bed area with heat lamp to keep warm.My 1 week old hatchlings have been outside all day today,and their new keepers will be advised to do the same.

I have re-homed a few torts with shell rot.I scrub the shell with diluted Betadine,leave it on for 15 minutes then rinse off.

Julie


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## Jacqui (Sep 13, 2007)

I may be mistaken, but I think he was saying more that a minimal amount of time of 2-3 hours a day is ideal. With more time outside being even better of course. Think I read in another thread, that TP does not trust leaving the torts outside at night.

If I am wrong on these guess, sorry.


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## T-P (Sep 15, 2007)

jacqui i was ment to say 2-3 hours minimum is ideal a day, i never explain my posts so yea.
But i never trust leaving my pair outdoors .never will really..


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