Recent content by uscpsycho

Just to update my original post, the recommendation (by AI) against feeding applied to the root and the leaves. Although the leaves are safer than the root, both were deemed not recommended.

I planted Tortoise Supply's Broadleaf Testudo Mix and got a bunch of this. I'm assuming it is a radish? I asked two different AI if it is safe to feed radish to my star tortoise and it said best not to, or at best in moderation, due to high levels of oxalates, goitrogens and goitrogens...

Comet is 27 months old. Is this conclusive?

I know the best advice is to grow my own weeds & grasses to feed stars (mine is allegedly Sri Lankan). I tried growing the Testudio Seed Mix from Tortoise Supply and failed miserably. I just don't have a green thumb. So I rely heavily on Santa Barbara mix pre-packaged salad which is a blend of...

I'm mixing the pellets into the food so my tort is forced to eat it rather than using it as a topper. So it will eat it mixed in, but ignores the pellets. But I'm using dry pellets, maybe my tort will be more enticed by the pellets if I soak them first. I'll give that at try.

When I have put the full pellets in there, I put them in dry and they get sprayed with a water bottle. Should I soak them first?

I know the mantra of very slowly introducing new foods to a tortoise. But mine won't touch any formed pellets. Doesn't really object to me crumbling them up and mixing it into his/her food though. But even after a year of mixing this into the food, my tort still won't touch fully formed pellets...

My star tortoise enclosure has a ton of springtails, no idea how they get in there, but they are there. Is there any benefit to adding isopods? Or any harm to having isopods with stars? Specifically, I'm thinking powder blue isopods which seem like they are ideal for high humidity and aren't...

Thanks for clarifying that fir bark is the same as orchid bark. Definitely good to know. But the one I ended up getting (but haven't used yet) says it could have Cedar Bark, Cedar Wood Chips, Redwood Bark, Redwood Wood Chips and Forest Products in it. Wondering if it is OK to use, do you know if...

*The dust warnings aren't on the bag, the warnings are on the SDS which I think sometimes make a big deal about trivial things. But I want to be safe.

This is a very timely thread for me as I was about to change out my orchid bark. I have never spot cleaned because I have never seen droppings in the cage. My tort gets a bath every day and it poops in there. If it poops at other times of the day, I have never seen identifiable poop. But I...

I know @Tom recommends orchid bark for star tortoises, which is what I have been using. But when I went to the nursery today the "fine grade" they have, which Tom recommends, was like shredded bark with small pieces of saw dust in it. This didn't look right to me, but the only other size of...

Yes, I know they need more than just grass 🙄 I'm familiar with Tortoise Table and have the app on my phone. I wish they had a weeds category to help me figure out which of the weeds I have are edible. But that would also require me to know what the weeds are. I've tried Google image search but...

I know there are a number of people here who are in So Cal with tons of experience. I am wondering if there are any grasses that grow natively that would be unsafe to feed a star? Or does anything go? I am going to be embarking on a major landscaping project so I have not paid any attention to...

Seems like all of the info I can find here is with respect to humidity for baby stars. But what about juveniles or adults? Does nobody say anything about that because it doesn't change as they get older? Or can/should you reduce humidity for older stars? If so, when would you start?