To chop or not to chop
- Thread starter Chasen
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Pealow127
New Member
Following... I have been asking the same question
Having beaks and no teeth, torts don't chew. They chop bites off and swallow what chunks they rip.
Personally, I don't chop anything other than cactus pads and my guys do well.
Every now and then I will use the Ninja to make a really fine mixed medley. They always love that.
Personally, I don't chop anything other than cactus pads and my guys do well.
Every now and then I will use the Ninja to make a really fine mixed medley. They always love that.
I don’t chop anything either.
Tearing at food helps wear the beak down thus keeping it in good shape. I never chop anything.
The only time you might do it is when re-educating a fussy eater to stop them picking out the bits they like best.
The only time you might do it is when re-educating a fussy eater to stop them picking out the bits they like best.
I like to chop up the food for babies. That way I can put out a lot more food for them. They still have to bite pieces as there's no way to be able to chop it up so tiny they don't have to bite. I've been chopping their food for many years and I haven't raised a baby with a long beak yet.
daniellenc
Well-Known Member
I chopped when Skurt was little and continue to chop new foods he may reject or that are super tough. I feed on a hard surface so I don't worry about his beak so much. I do notice he chooses the whole leaves he wants to eat so if your's is picky chopping is a good way to get him to eat other things but isn't necessary.
I don't chop up anything. They take their bites from whole leaves or cactus pads. This ensures they never try to eat a chopped piece that is too big. Every piece is bite size. Literally. I do it this way with all species from the day they hatch.
I lied. I do chop up tender young grass for babies. I don't like them to swallow piesces that are too long.
And on the rare occasion that I mix in some squash or yam, I use a cheese grater to make the pieces small enough so they won't choke on the chunks. I also grate pumpkin for babies, but let the adults eat it whole.
And on the rare occasion that I mix in some squash or yam, I use a cheese grater to make the pieces small enough so they won't choke on the chunks. I also grate pumpkin for babies, but let the adults eat it whole.
I get this and I agree, but what about variety in a meal? For instance, if mine see a hibiscus flower they head straight for it over everything else, and if there were more flowers, they would just eat them until they are full and then miss out on the variety of nutrients in any other stuff around them. Unless of course your offerings are really carefully measured to ensure they don't get too much of one thing....? And do you cook the pumpkin?
I don't cook the pumpkin. I just throw down all sorts of stuff and all of it gets eaten. I specifically raise my babies to eat anything and everything by introducing a tremendous variety to them as hatchlings.
I do both, and both seem to be good for different reasons. I think not chopping the food up helps them to develop stronger and better eating habits...maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems to me that it takes more effort to tear off bite-size pieces of food for them rather than simply eating already bite sized pieces.
I generally chop things up when I want to add more variety in their diets in a single feeding, or when I have some food that I want to get rid of.
I generally chop things up when I want to add more variety in their diets in a single feeding, or when I have some food that I want to get rid of.
You don’t need variety in every single meal. Variety over time is what’s needed.
I agree.
StephandTay
Member
I see you are in Jamaica so hibiscus is probably all around you. I actually, have two hibiscus plants at my home in Wisconsin that are alive all year (moved indoors in Winter) anyhow, so that is an okay flower to give my tort for an occasional treat then? I wonder if he would like the leaves to the plant too or just the flower!
Leaves and flowers of hibiscus make good tort food. Read this
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=237&c=4#.W2CPwePTWEc
StephandTay
Member
Perfect! I am excited to get home and give Tiny a treatLeaves and flowers of hibiscus make good tort food. Read this
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=237&c=4#.W2CPwePTWEc
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I feed more than they can eat at least 6 of 7 days a week. With abundance comes pickiness as best as I can tell, so I chop up the greens and add shredded other stuff, mix in dry leaves and grasses, and vitamin/mineral powders. If I didn't they would tend to focus on the radicchio, hibiscus blossoms and other reddish things. When I alternate one day this and one day that, I get many holdouts for the days of the stuff they are picky about getting.
I feed this mix out...
for me the volumes are large.
4 to 6 heads of romaine
4 to 6 heads of escarole
1 or 2 heads of radicchio
1.5 pounds of spring mix (I leave the spinach in)
1 pound of arugula
about a cup each of two kinds of shredded squash
1/2 cup to one cup of shredded sweet potato
Some times, about once a month, I don't use the arugula and spring mix, but chop in Kale (a few different kinds), dandelion greens, collards, or 'red' romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or something else that is weird relative to "American" palates but found in Asian grocery stores.
I will also get Okra when it is not crazy expensive, but that is rarely the case. I also use greens beans, a five pound bag of frozen organic will last several months, I just add a few dozen once in awhile finely chopped so they can't pick it out but get the taste.
I alternate and some times add both chopped/shredded re-hydrated hibiscus blossoms and or cactus - about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per item.
I will re-hydrate to about one cup volume of either/or both Alfalfa pellets and some kind of grass pellets.
One day a week I add no supplement
2-3 times a week I add about 1/4 cup Vionate (has D3)
2-3 times a week I add about 1/2 cup of moistened crumbles (has D3)
1 time a week I add plain calcium carbonate (no D3)
Once a month I will microwave cook two eggs out of the shell, and mince it fine a mix that in.
On no particular schedule I add fresh blossoms of many many kinds of flowers, rose, hibiscus, nasturtium, pansy, dandelions, or cape honeysuckle.
I keep a chart above where I do salad prep to keep me on track. It takes about two hours a day on average to make the salad, then another hour to feed it out and do spot water changes/cleaning/raining.
I set to the side in the enclosure whole small branches of hibiscus, or mulberry when the garden is producing enough, so some everyday, but which enclosure gets it alternates.
Sometimes in a pinch they all get fasted as I spent the day's hours doing a higher level spot cleaning and water change. Weekends usually have several hours of these kinds of activities.
I feed this mix out...
for me the volumes are large.
4 to 6 heads of romaine
4 to 6 heads of escarole
1 or 2 heads of radicchio
1.5 pounds of spring mix (I leave the spinach in)
1 pound of arugula
about a cup each of two kinds of shredded squash
1/2 cup to one cup of shredded sweet potato
Some times, about once a month, I don't use the arugula and spring mix, but chop in Kale (a few different kinds), dandelion greens, collards, or 'red' romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or something else that is weird relative to "American" palates but found in Asian grocery stores.
I will also get Okra when it is not crazy expensive, but that is rarely the case. I also use greens beans, a five pound bag of frozen organic will last several months, I just add a few dozen once in awhile finely chopped so they can't pick it out but get the taste.
I alternate and some times add both chopped/shredded re-hydrated hibiscus blossoms and or cactus - about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per item.
I will re-hydrate to about one cup volume of either/or both Alfalfa pellets and some kind of grass pellets.
One day a week I add no supplement
2-3 times a week I add about 1/4 cup Vionate (has D3)
2-3 times a week I add about 1/2 cup of moistened crumbles (has D3)
1 time a week I add plain calcium carbonate (no D3)
Once a month I will microwave cook two eggs out of the shell, and mince it fine a mix that in.
On no particular schedule I add fresh blossoms of many many kinds of flowers, rose, hibiscus, nasturtium, pansy, dandelions, or cape honeysuckle.
I keep a chart above where I do salad prep to keep me on track. It takes about two hours a day on average to make the salad, then another hour to feed it out and do spot water changes/cleaning/raining.
I set to the side in the enclosure whole small branches of hibiscus, or mulberry when the garden is producing enough, so some everyday, but which enclosure gets it alternates.
Sometimes in a pinch they all get fasted as I spent the day's hours doing a higher level spot cleaning and water change. Weekends usually have several hours of these kinds of activities.
StephandTay
Member
Holy canoli! that is awesome and very dedicated to spending that much time. How many torts do you have? I could see myself being this dedicated to torts after my kids grow up and I retire. I would love to have more and live some where I can have Sully's without having to have a winter home for them. Until then... me and my RT are happy and he gets a wide variety too. His once a month treat is watermelon and cucumbers or an apple slice once a week. On top of a ton of different greens we get him.
Make sure the plants were not sprayed!Perfect! I am excited to get home and give Tiny a treat
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