Feeding Sylvia

[Len B]

Sylvia is a sulcata that has a hard time reaching food items from the ground, I started feeding her cactus pads this way. It worked so well for her I now feed all the other tortoises their cactus in a similer manner.

 

[sibi]

Sylvia is a sulcata that has a hard time reaching food items from the ground, I started feeding her cactus pads this way.View attachment 92665 It worked so well for her I now feed all the other tortoises their cactus in a similer manner.

Thank you for that great idea. I have been feeding my Baby Runt by hand cause her backbone had been compromised due to metabolic bone disease (MBD). It seems your tort also may suffer from a similar deformity. Thanks for sharing

 

[Yvonne G]

Necessity is the mother of invention!

You don't post often, Len, but when you do it's always something of interest. Sylvia is a very pretty girl and a lucky tortoise.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Smart

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

She van get them now ! How do you remove the spines?

 

[Len B]

She van get them now ! How do you remove the spines?

The one in the pic doesn't get long spines, that is what it grows like naturally, it is one of my favorite types, It is cold and wet hardy and survives my cold wet winters and will grow large pads. I grow all my own cactus, some of what I grow does have long spines at a certain stages of growth and I just pull the long spines off with pliers when needed.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

The one in the pic doesn't get long spines, that is what it grows like naturally, it is one of my favorite types, It is cold and wet hardy and survives my cold wet winters and will grow large pads. I grow all my own cactus, some of what I grow does have long spines at a certain stages of growth and I just pull the long spines off with pliers when needed.

Nice, It's gets cold AND wet here, so I could probably succeed in growing it Do you know what it is? Like, species wise?

 

[Len B]

Nice, It's gets cold AND wet here, so I could probably succeed in growing it Do you know what it is? Like, species wise?

I don't know any more than it is an opuntia that is cold hardy, doesn't grow long spines and my tortoises eat it. I do know how you can get some though .

 

[Abdulla6169]

Nice, It's gets cold AND wet here, so I could probably succeed in growing it Do you know what it is? Like, species wise?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opuntia-ell...537?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4185cc9d21 You find them on the web very easily You can also find weed seeds on ebay!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opuntia-ell...537?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4185cc9d21 You find them on the web very easily You can also find weed seeds on ebay!

Thank you! My russain has almost eaten all of my last seed package and for some unidentifiable reason they don't grow back very fast, so I'll be getting another one!
I've been looking at this certain type of cacti Optunia Oricola, because it hardly has any spines! My torts will be really happy if I get one

 

[Abdulla6169]

Thank you! My russain has almost eaten all of my last seed package and for some unidentifiable reason they don't grow back very fast, so I'll be getting another one!
I've been looking at this certain type of cacti View attachment 92863 Optunia Oricola, because it hardly has any spines! My torts will be really happy if I get one

I think your tortoise ate the seed mix when it's too young I couldn't find opuntia oricola online, sorry

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I think your tortoise ate the seed mix when it's too young I couldn't find opuntia oricola online, sorry

That's okay, it's kind of an obscure plant... They have a small baby plant of it at Petitties Garden Center nearby. I would take a while to grow up, but I'd have to let it sit for a few months before feeding anyway! Thinking about buying some from Turtulas-Len,(I'm so impatient, it's be so nice to feed right away!) but can;t decided if I should wait for warmer weather again Haha, he likes the small shoots better than the full grown plants, I read that's because they get bitter... What does your tort like better, sprouts or big leafy green ones?

 

[Abdulla6169]

That's okay, it's kind of an obscure plant... They have a small baby plant of it at Petitties Garden Center nearby. I would take a while to grow up, but I'd have to let it sit for a few months before feeding anyway! Thinking about buying some from Turtulas-Len,(I'm so impatient, it's be so nice to feed right away!) but can;t decided if I should wait for warmer weather again Haha, he likes the small shoots better than the full grown plants, I read that's because they get bitter... What does your tort like better, sprouts or big leafy green ones?

I feed him big things because they cost less

 

[bouaboua]

Great idea. Great idea. This forum just getting better everyday.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I feed him big things because they cost less

Hehehehe, he probably doesn't mind However, I did spoil my russian a TINY ( ) bit when I first got him, so he got used to eating fresh, crisp, little sprout greens more than eating the big, full grown greens... I thought they had a better color
Oh well, I guess it doesn't hurt anything (except the plants)