Want to make sure this is right...

Hey! Apologies for another post so soon. In my other post Tom said I needed much more variety in my Sulcatas diet.
We live about 80kms from the nearest decent sized town and 200kms to the nearest big city with a wide selection of different stores.

I picked up a couple of different items for my little one to hopefully add more GOOD variety till I can get to the big city and pick up more and better options.

In the picture is the items in the spring mix I picked up, I also picked up a small bundle of spinach, a small bundle of kale, a stalk of bok choy, and a spaghetti squash.

To add fiber I picked up some mixed (alfalfa, and orchard) hay cubes i can soak and sprinkle on top.

Sadly there is no where local to get any kind of tortoise pellet and our pet valu can not bring them in, but they do have a beardie pellet and aquatic turtle pellet.

I asked her breeder what pellet he uses...he uses the zoo med aquatic pellets 2-3 a day.

There is Oxbow Rabbit Pellets that from the ingredients may work?

I have found a place I can get some grass seeds from...wheat, barley, and oat. I will also be ordering the tortoise forage mix from the site Tom recommended, but it will take a little to get here as I am in Canada. They will so take time to grow in the tray to feed able or grazeable heights.

I also found red clover and sweet clover seeds, are both safe? I also found someone selling a fescue and alfalfa mix, but he doeant say the % of each.



The more I read the more there is so much mixed information out there, and the more paranoid I get about her diet and care. I got to see the 2 to 3 year old sulcatas of the breeder (same parents) and they are so pyramided already

Spring mix list

If you must use grocery store greens, try to favor endive and escarole as the main ones. Those other you bought are okay once in a while, but try not to use them often.

Soaking the hay cubes and mixing in some of that is a great way to go. Alfalfa is high in protein, so just be sure to soak daily. It won't be a problem if you do.

I would not use aquatic turtle food for a tortoise, but if the store can get one ZooMed product, they should be able to order others. I've always recommended the Grassland pellets to soak and mix in with the grocery store greens, but this weekend, I had an experienced keeper tell me that the Forest tortoise type actually works better when used in this way even for grass eating species. Will from Kapidolo Farms suggested soaking the pellets in hibiscus tea, so if you can find that up there, try the too.

Be aware that mixing in these soaked pellets of any kind will probably make your tortoise not want to eat it at first. Start with tiny tiny amounts of the new stuff and mix it in thoroughly with the greens. Over time, as the tortoise gets used to the taste, smell and texture, you can add more of the good stuff.

Also try to get opuntia pads up there. This is a great meal once or twice a week, and super easy to deal with.

I didn't see either of those at the RCWC, but I will double check tomorrow as well as check the WalMarts. I wasnt totally looking for those two so may just have missed them!

She is soaked every single day, minimum of once a day, but usually gets 2 soaks a day.

I asked if they could get it in, and she didn't think so but said she would check. More then likely they just dont want to I didn't think the aquatic turtle diet would be suitable for my sulcata at all.

I know I can get hibiscus tea here as I have a friend who drinks it!

Foe the pads, do any opuntia species/type work? These are some of the ones I have found, and they are able to ship to where I am!

Or these types...

Any "spineless" prickly pear (opuntia) variety should work. For a small tortoise ask for small tender pads. When the tortoise is bigger, it will eat any type of pad.