Diet!

[jpeterson]

Hello again everyone!

I have a few questions about my little ones diet! The previous owner was feeding just curly lettuce and cucumber!!!!!!!!! I am starting to introduce her/he to watercress, cale, grated carrot, min corn on the cobs, grapes, sugar snap peas and banana. At first he/she wouldn't eat it but now she/he seems to love it! Munches away every time you put some down!

Her/his poo is between soft but not runny and seem to have no problem doing it!

I bought some calcium powder and other vitamin power which i'm going to start and introduce tomorrow in her/his food. I have been advised a tea spoon of vitamin power and half a calcium powder sprinkled with a sieve in between each layer.

I have been bathing/soaking her once every other day because she has a bit dry skin. She/he now seems to have a much nicer softer skin and the dryness is clearing up.

How does that sound?

 

[Isa]

You should stop feeding the min corn, the sugar snap (they are too high in protein) stop feeding the bananas and the grapes, too much sugar, his little GI tracts will not digest it well and you do not want to hurt your little one's tummy.

Here is a good thread with a lot of choices.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ated-Greeks-Russians-Sullys-etc#axzz1Eph9B4LW

I feed my Hermann, Kale (once in a while) watercress (once in a while, high in oxalic acid) collard greens (once per week high in oxalic) spring mix, escarole, chicory, dandelions (once in a week high in oxalic acid), wheat grass, curly lettuce (it is good but only part of a varried diet), cucumber (once in a while, it contains a lot of water but is not very nutricious) carrot (treat) red pepper (treat), mazuri (every other day but only 2 pellets), radichio. Where I live, the winters are cold so I can not plant anything but during the summer, I plant some seeds of different things like plantain (the leaves) flowers like pansies, california poppy... turnip greens...

The key is to offer a varried diet .

I hope I could helped

---

Ops sorry I forgot to tell you that oxalic acid binds to calcium and can make problems to the tortoise like kidney stone. The reason you should not feed kale too often is that it can cause goiter. I also feed my Hermann butternut squash or pumpkin once per 2 or 3 weeks

There should be a water dish available at all times in the enclousre, I soak my tortoise everyday or every 2 days. If I do not put them in their water dish, they usually go by themselves. My baby is 7 months old so I sprinkle his food with calcium with vit 3 every 2 days. I sprinkle the food of my 4-5 years old tortoise 2 times a week. There is a cuttlebone in their enclosure. My vet told me to forget about the vitamins since they are herbivorous, they get their vitamins in their greens.

 

[Kristina]

Here is an article that will give you some suggestions and tell you how to provide a balanced diet.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ises-The-Balanced-Diet-Revealed#axzz1Epp6E1vK

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds like you're really trying to be a good tortoise keeper, and that's really great! Good job!! I wanted to say that I think a whole teaspoon of vitamins and a half teaspoon of calcium is an awful lot for a little tortoise. Mark posted some very good info in this thread:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-calcium-powder?pid=219027#pid219027

Scroll down to posts #6 and 10. Good stuff!

As to the vitamins, I would just take a pinch between your thumb and index finger and sprinkle that over the food three times or less a week.

Keep up the good work! Your tortoise will thank you for it by growing strong and healthy.

 

[jpeterson]

Great posts! But not my questions is. What exactly do i feed him/her? What veg? What fruit? (I like things put i'm "dummy" text so I know iim fully understanding )

 

[GBtortoises]

I feed my Hermann's a diet consisting of about 80% varied, good quality greens and 20% varied, good quality vegetables. Fruit should not be part of their regular diet and is not required at all. If you want to feed your tortoise fruit do so very infrequently and sparingly.
Greens can consist of (but not limited to): Clover, vetch grasses, dandelion, broad and narrow leaf plantain, wild chicory and other wild plants along with grocery store greens including: chicory, endive, escarole, romaine, dandelion, watercress, mustard, turnip, beet and carrot greens, green and red leaf lettuce and smaller quantities of kale & spinach occasionally. Timothy, Bermuda and other dry hays can be offered 24/7 for your tortoise to browse on if desired.
Vegetables can consist of (again not limited to): pumpkin, squashes, yams, carrot, bell pepper (all colors) and sparingly; legumes such as green and yellow beans, peas, corn and more.
There are also several flowers and tree leaves that are edible for tortoises.
I do not use any vitamin supplements whatsoever and instead choose to feed as varied a diet as possible for my tortoises to consume the nutrients they need. I do offer calcium carbonate seperately 24/7 so that they can consume it as needed and do not coat their food with it. Mine also have hay available at all times to browse on as desired, even though they rarely do.
A truly complete list of foods really isn't possible since people in different areas have different food items available to them. Along with different beliefs on what is good and what isn't.
Hermann's are evolved to consume a very high fiber, low protein, low nutrion diet in the wild. Typically in captivity they get fed a diet that is larger in quantity and far more nutritious than they would encounter in the wild. Along with that in captivity they also encounter far less survival hardships than they would in the wild.

 

[tortoises101]

Hermann's torts should be fed lots of weeds and flowers, and also greens and the occasional pumpkin/squash.
Here's a list of good weeds to feed;
Dandelions (taraxacum officinale)
Broadleaf plantain (plantago major)
Ribwort plantain (plantago lanceolata)
Mallow (Malvaceae)
Hawk bit's (Leontodon)
Cat's ears (Hypochaeris radicata)
Hawk beards (Crepis)
Sowthistle (Sonchus)
Hawkweeds (Pictus)
Trefoil (Lotus-NOT the flower!)
Sedum (Sedum
Vetch (Vicina)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Note: Honeysuckle is a favourite of hermann's tortoises and should be included as a regular part of their diet.
Flowers can be hibiscus, nasturtium, or gazanias. Rose can be included from time to time.
Greens can consist of Mediterranean Salad and Spring Mix.
Try to provide as much foods as possible from this (long) list. I know it seems like a lot, but your little hermy will be all the more happier for it. Remember, variety is key.

 

[j156ghs]

I had read on a list that mustard greens are very good, but don't see it mentioned in some of the posts. I finally found some mustard greens, and my Hermann's eats them readily. Any comments? I've also noticed that spinach is mentioned less frequently on these lists. Do you recommend it and how often or have you had bad experience with it? Just curious, but is there any way to tell if a tortoise is developing kidney stones or gout? I know both can be exceptionally painful, at least in humans, and likely for torts as well.

I feed my Hermann's a diet consisting of about 80% varied, good quality greens and 20% varied, good quality vegetables. Fruit should not be part of their regular diet and is not required at all. If you want to feed your tortoise fruit do so very infrequently and sparingly.
(snipped)

 

[GBtortoises]

Mustard greens are high in calcium and have a very good Calcium to Phosphorous ratio. High in vitamin A and they're low in protein. A godd food for Hermann's and other tortoises. Spinach has become somewhat of a "taboo" food for tortoises that some people feel should be avoided altogether. I disagree with that. Spinach is loaded with calcium, very little phosphorous, high in potassium, vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals. Spinach is high in oxalic acid, as are several other green plants and almost all green, leafy plants contain some level of oxalic acid. Oxalic acid has been proven in studies to bind calcium not allowing it to be absorbed into the body in human research. That's not to say that it does or doesn't do the same in a tortoises digestive system. A tortoises digestive system is also very different than our own. As of yet, there is no conclusive bonafide research on how oxalic acid may or may not affect tortoises. It's good to play it safe and not feed large, constant quantities of spinach and other questionable foods to tortoises. But I believe it's worth feeding it to them occasionally because of all the other benefits that spinach and similar foods have. Mustard greens, along with many other greens also contain oxalic acid. The key is quality and variety for tortoise diets. There really should be no true "staple" or base food.

Kidney stones on tortoises can be a result of calcium binding and inadequate hydration. Rarely, if ever do well hydrated tortoises have problems with kidney stones.

 

[bumblebee51]

I have been wondering what to feed my hermann, at the moment I just give him watercress, broccoli, cucumber and carrot on a regular basis as I'm unsure of the nutritional values :/

 

[Isa]

If you read the current thread, you will find very good ideas of what to feed to your lovely Hermann .
Watercress should not be fed everyday because it is high in oxalic acid. Brocoli is a big NO because it contains too much protein. Cucumber does not have a lot of nutritional value but it is full of water so you can feed it once in while and the carrot should be fed a treat or not at all.

If you have more questions do not hesitate to ask

 

[GBtortoises]

Broccoli has around 1.86 grams of protein per 100. This is the same or less amount of protein found in pumpkin, sweet potato, most common squashes and many greens. Mazuri Tortoise Chow contains 15% protein by volume. Not sure how that compares to the above listed items.
Cucumbers, while very high in water content (as are most greens too), actually contain a respectable amount of several minor elements beneficial to tortoises.
Carrots are loaded with lots of beneficial nutrients for tortoises most notably vitamin A. By comparison to other vegetables carrots are considered high in oxalic acid content but have many beneficial nutrients and should not be overlooked as part of a regular, varied diet for tortoises.
Watercress does contain oxalic acid, about .31 grams per 100 gram. Oxalic acid is found if nearly every plant and many vegetables and fruits in varying degrees. Other "tortoise approved" foods that are being recommended often that also have a notable amount of oxalic acid are: Sweet potato (.24), chicory (.21), green lettuce (.33) and others.

The key to a tortoise receiving the nutrition that it needs is to feed a wide variety of good quality greens, along with some quality vegetables. It's true that some foods that contain outstanding nutrional value for tortoises (and people) also contain some elements that are considered "taboo". That is also a good reason to ensure that a tortoise's diet in captivity remains constantly varied and not to rely on just a few staple foods. To shy away from certain foods because of those taboo concerns in some cases also limits the exposure to extremely beneficial nutrients that those foods may hold.