Baby Herman’s diet

[fergusaur]

My 2 month old Herman’s tortoise (Hulu) currently has a diet of collard greens and Romain lettece (his favorite food) which I feed him daily, and then I also rotate between adding carrot strips and parsley alongside the leafy greens. I know his diet needs more variety, so I was thinking of feeding him Timothy hay from my local pet store as well. I know flowers and grasses are a big part of his diet, so I was thinking of getting him some Zoo Med Tortoise & Box Turtle Flower Food Topper which I’ve seen really good reviews for, and people say there tortoises seem to love it. I chose the flower topper because it was really cheap to get, and it contains a lot of the flowers that tortoises like to eat, so I was thinking I could feed him this and the Timothy hay as a main staple alongside the greens I feed him daily. Do u guys think that it would be a good idea to do that?

(Link to flower topper)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DHMWC0/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[fergusaur]

Also I am planning on buying my tortoise mazuri tortoise diet, and mix that in with his food everyday. Would doing that everyday be too much alongside everything else I’m doing? I also give Hulu calcium powder mixed in with his food once a week. Should I be doing that more frequently, or is that enough as well?

 

[Tom]

My 2 month old Herman’s tortoise (Hulu) currently has a diet of collard greens and Romain lettece (his favorite food) which I feed him daily, and then I also rotate between adding carrot strips and parsley alongside the leafy greens. I know his diet needs more variety, so I was thinking of feeding him Timothy hay from my local pet store as well. I know flowers and grasses are a big part of his diet, so I was thinking of getting him some Zoo Med Tortoise & Box Turtle Flower Food Topper which I’ve seen really good reviews for, and people say there tortoises seem to love it. I chose the flower topper because it was really cheap to get, and it contains a lot of the flowers that tortoises like to eat, so I was thinking I could feed him this and the Timothy hay as a main staple alongside the greens I feed him daily. Do u guys think that it would be a good idea to do that?

(Link to flower topper)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DHMWC0/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

You've gotten the wrong ideas about tortoise diets somewhere along the way...

The primary diet should be broadleaf weeds. Things like dandelions, plantain, sow thistle, clover, mallow, and a whole lot of similar items. Leaves from mulberry trees, grape vines, hibiscus and other plants are great too. Flowers from about two dozen readily available plants can make up a portion.

Babies of any species don't eat hay. Not even grass eating species. Hermanni are not grass eaters at all, tough you can use grass in their diet as a means of adding fiber to grocery store greens. You can skip hay entirely for a hermanni.

Carrots are too high in sugar. Best to avoid, or feed very sparingly in small amounts infrequently.

Collards are not toxic and can be used occasionally for variety, but shouldn't be used as a staple. Romaine has little or no nutrition to it. Might as well feed them water. Best to avoid grocery store greens, especially in spring and summer when so any other better foods are readily available and free. If you must use grocery store greens, favor endive and escarole as staples. Use arugula, cilantro, carrot tops, kale, collards, mustard and turnip greens, etc... for occasional variety. Some Mexican or Asian grocery store sell different and novel greens too, like squash leaves. These are great if you can find or grow them. If you are using grocery store greens, they need to be amended with something for fiber, nutrition and variety. You can used soaked ZooMed grassland or forest tortoise pellets, soaked horse hay pellets, the flower topper you mentioned works great for this, and Will @Kapidolo Farms has all sorts of dried leaf options that have become a mainstay of my tortoise's daily diets. Get a variety from him, and check out all the other offerings he has available too. I use the dried marsh mallow, echinacea, nettle, moringa, sour sop, honey bush, and more. I sprinkle some of one or the other of these on top and mix it in daily. If you rely on grocery store greens for all or part of each year, Kapidolo Farms is a must! Tortoisesupply.com makes an "Herbal Hay" that is also great for this. I think ZooMed's new flower topper product is based on the excellent flower topper that @TylerStewart has been selling for years. I use this one as part of my rotation too and my tortoises love it. They seek out and eat every last crumb of the torotisesupply herbal hay.

Hope this all helps, and feel free to ask questions.

 

[TisMary]

Also I am planning on buying my tortoise mazuri tortoise diet, and mix that in with his food everyday. Would doing that everyday be too much alongside everything else I’m doing? I also give Hulu calcium powder mixed in with his food once a week. Should I be doing that more frequently, or is that enough as well?

Thanks for the pic of Hulu - cute little guy! You might try shaving off pieces of that cuttle bone - it's way too big for his little bitty face. ?

Here's another care sheet to look at as well: Hermann's Tortoise Care Guide. There's lot to learn but you will want to stick to the best resources when it comes to care. Those listed here (and TFO itself) are definitely on that list! Good luck with Hulu!

 

[fergusaur]

Thanks for the pic of Hulu - cute little guy! You might try shaving off pieces of that cuttle bone - it's way too big for his little bitty face. ?

Here's another care sheet to look at as well: Hermann's Tortoise Care Guide. There's lot to learn but you will want to stick to the best resources when it comes to care. Those listed here (and TFO itself) are definitely on that list! Good luck with Hulu!

Thanks so much! !!

 

[TaylorTortoise]

Where did you get your tort from?

 

[fergusaur]

Where did you get your tort from?

This reptile store in Pennsylvania called everything reptile. It’s a really good store and has excellent reviews. Just don’t listen to the employees when it comes to buying the supplies for the tortoise or else you’ll waste your money like I did ?

 

[Lyn W]

Your tort may ignore the cuttlefish bone for a good while, most do, but you could scrape a little on his food.
Not too much calcium a small pinch a couple of times a week is fine.
This is the most up to date caresheet you need - written by Tom who gave you the excellent advice above.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org