Diet advice: Too much clover?

[sylvester]

Hello, i recently got my first baby tortoise, eastern hermanns, 6 months, this is their current set up. Got the temperature gradient, 4-5in of substrate to dig in, maintaining humidity, daily soaks, etc. i have experience with bioactive lizard enclosures and while this tub is just for her to start out in, I still wanted to plant it too and im gonna add a clean up crew, i want it to be as natural as possible. Only thing i plan on adding is a cuttlebone. im open to feedback on her little home, im new to tortoises and want to give her the best life possible.
My question: I seeded it with clover, (and some Dandelion but i do not see it growing yet) and I can already tell she loves it and is wandering around grazing on it throughout the day, which im really excited to see, and reflects natural behavior, but I also have mazuri and want to make sure she's getting a varied diet and getting all her nutrients, calcium, etc (I'll be providing other greens as well) should I be worried about her grazing too much on the clover, filling up on it, and not eating enough of other healthy foods I provide for "meals"? I hope this makes sense, I'm worried about her getting spoiled with all the free clover access and not getting enough other nutrients/food. I have no way of knowing how much of the clover shes munched on throughout the day. I can ses that she does nibble the mazuri/other foods but im worried if shes eating enough of it to keep a varied diet. Would it be better for her food to be more controlled so that I can monitor what and how much she's eating? Or is it alright to let her be and just keep monitoring her, measure her weight/growth, and base my approach off that.
My plan has always been to keep her in naturalistic enclosures with plants that she can forage at every size/age, and eventually an outdoor enclosure/garden. But since she's a baby and has a lot of growing to do im now wondering if it'd be better to monitor/control her food more.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I think with too much clover, your biggest worry is too much protein. Too much protein can in turn lead to gritty urates or even bladder stones. I would keep an eye on her urates to make sure they stay healthy.

 

[TammyJ]

I think I would remove some of the clover and give her some other recommended diet items.
If she was free in the wild, she would not be stuck in a tub of clover or any other single edible plant, so she would be getting the necessary variety...or sometimes not.

 

[sylvester]

I think with too much clover, your biggest worry is too much protein. Too much protein can in turn lead to gritty urates or even bladder stones. I would keep an eye on her urates to make sure they stay healthy.

Thank you for responding, I'll definitely keep a watch for that and make sure I'm not giving her other foods higher in protein ob top of that

 

[sylvester]

I think I would remove some of the clover and give her some other recommended diet items.
If she was free in the wild, she would not be stuck in a tub of clover or any other single edible plant, so she would be getting the necessary variety...or sometimes not.

Thank you! I think I'll follow that advice, take a bunch out and hopefully the Dandelion will start growing in too. I'll see what other weeds i can get growing in there as well. She did enthusiastically eat her other greens and mazuri today

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Agree with above

Congratulations on your gorgeous new baby! Herman’s are beautiful little tortoises! Feel free to give these threads a browse, hopefully some of it comes in useful on this wonderful new journey

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better, but I’ll include some more ideas below for closed chambers, vivs are considered the best choice, there’s also storage bin enclosures Which I believe you’re using? Great starter option!

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

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This covers a bunch of other closed chamber options, some do work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

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This one can be good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

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All the best with your new baby!

 

[Tom]

Thank you! I think I'll follow that advice, take a bunch out and hopefully the Dandelion will start growing in too. I'll see what other weeds i can get growing in there as well. She did enthusiastically eat her other greens and mazuri today

Here is my take:
-Dandelions are near impossible to grow when and where you want them, and near impossible to stop when and where you don't want them. I've tried to grow them using many methods over many years and it has seldom ever worked. So don't hold your breath waiting for those. I just scatter the seeds on my yard and in my tortoise pens and hope for them to grow. Sometimes they do, and usually they don't.
-All decorative plants, like the ones in your enclosure, are grown with toxic systemic pesticides at the nursery. It takes months for these toxic chemicals to dissipate after replanting in "clean" soil. Grow your own from seed or from cutting off of long established plants.
-Plants need soil to grow. Store bought soil shouldn't be used for tortoise substrate. There is no way to know what is in that bag and it could be toxic or dangerous. This makes it hard to do a bio-active type enclosure for an indoor tortoise. The solution to these last two problems that has worked for me and others is to use a safe substrate like coco coir, orchid bark, or cypress mulch, and put all the edible plants in pots so that the tortoise can't get in contact with the store bought soil. Put all that effort for making it all well planted and natural for the outdoor enclosure. Small indoor enclosure are really just for growing them up to be large enough to stay outside full time, with proper shelters and what not.
-A growing baby needs a lot of variety in the diet. Try to feed as many different things as you can. Establish good eating habits now, and you'll have a healthy tortoise and easy keeper for decades to come.

More on the food and substrate here, and questions are welcome:

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