feeding grass to hatchlings

[terrypin]

hi i have to say my hatchlings dont take to grass indoors as readily as i would like ,but i find this is an important part of their diet so really think we should persevere .in some post's i have noticed people say they have difficulty getting enough weeds over winter so have to resort to a percentage of salad leaves and the like .this is not ideal as they can become addicted to these softer food items so really if you can get all your hatchlings to include grasses in their diet it will be beneficial to you and them particularly at this time of the year.every other day i give an extra meal of grasses to mine after their bath ,this seems to be when they are most likely to try anything .of all mine i actually found leopards the most difficult to persuade to eat grasses alone.i like to chop it up really small so it is in bite size pieces maybe this makes it eeasier to digest but once they get used to the idea they take to it fairly well.i have included a picture of one little guy who hatched in september this year and now at 3 month's old seems to actually enjoy his grass this is him in the video.
terry

 

[Kristina]

Chopping it fine definately does help. It can be very difficult to find fresh grasses and weeds in winter, and you are correct that it is not a good idea to resort to the easier salad mixes and leafy greens. The fiber content is too low, and the moisture, oxalic acid, protein, and phosphorus content of such foods is more often than not inappropriate.

Try planting a flat or two of seed mix. Grazing seed mixes can be purchased from www.turtlecafe.com and www.turtlestuff.com. Another good source of grazing mix that would be appropriate for your specific soil and climate would be to visit your local agricultural office or university extension. They often sell wild life grazing plot mixes that are great for grazing species.

Another great source of plants such as broadleaf plantain, rose buds, nasturtium and others is to purchase them dried from a local natural food store. My local store carries all these things and more, and the plaintain especially is a food source that is great for your grazers. I usually wet these items slighty, rather than fully soak them.

Another option is a good old Ronco Food Dehydrator Mine is an invaluable tool. I dry my own weeds and grasses that I gather myself, along with certain flowers, which I like to give as a treat rather than fruits. It is also a great way to store leafy greens that have a tendancy to come in amounts that a hatchling especially can never eat before they go bad. I dry the greens, crush them fine and then store them in a small container in the fridge. They keep for months this way. A grocery sack full of veggies can fit in a small gladware container. After chopping hay or grinding it in a coffee grinder, sprinkle the leafy green mixture or weeds on the hay and wet slightly to make it more palatable.

One thing to remember when using dried foods is that it is more important to supplement vitamin B and thiamine, which can be lost during the preservation process. The same goes for freezing. I prefer to use powdered Centrum multi-vitamins or Enfamil Poly-vi-sol infant vitamin drops for my tortoises. Supplementing other nutrients is just as important with torts as it is to supplement calcium. With Centrum and Poly-vi-sol, we know for sure what is in them, being regulated by the FDA. With reptile supplements, it can be anyone's guess

Kristina

 

[terrypin]

thanks for looking and the input.
terry