Food in the winter in England

[rob morgan]

I was wondering if anyone can help, i live in England and have two 6 month old Sulcata's and now the winter is close weeds are hard to find.

Can anyone help with lternative food?

Regards

Rob

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Food in the winter

Hi Rob:

Go to the grocery store and take a look at the packaged lettuces. Here in the States there's one called Spring Mix, but its probably not called that in England. You want one that has a nice variety of different kinds of lettuces and greens in it. We have several U.K. members here on the forum, so I'm hoping one of them will help you. Good luck feeding a huge sulcata during the winter months in Jolly old England!!

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hi Rob, I would buy Spring Mix and add other dark leafy stuff to it. Then I would lightly sprinkle hay over all the food. That is pretty much how I feed all my grazing tortoises from 70 pound Bob on down to any babies I happen to have at the time. HTH

 

[Karam319]

I would suggest mixing the hay into the greens. My sulcata pushes the hay aside and just eats the goodies if I don't mix it.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Lettuces (I agree the spring mix is your best bet as it is closest to weeds of the lettuces, and a lot of variety for the cost), dandelion/turnip/collard/mustard/radish/carrot/beet greens from the grocery store, anything you can grow yourself indoors in planters from seeds you buy online (you can even use grow lights), timothy or other low protein hay (not alfalfa), and maybe some of the better commercial tortoise foods like Mazuri Tortoise Diet or ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. The key is variety. If you can get your tortoises to eat hay, that's probably your best option to mimic what they get fed in the warmer months, but many times Sulcatas so young won't eat hay. If you can start to introduce it in small amounts mixed into their food, this could help feed them in colder months in the years to come.

By the way, what is your plan for housing them in the colder months when they get huge?

Best wishes.

 

[rob morgan]

RE: Food in the winter

Hi Rob:

Go to the grocery store and take a look at the packaged lettuces. Here in the States there's one called Spring Mix, but its probably not called that in England. You want one that has a nice variety of different kinds of lettuces and greens in it. We have several U.K. members here on the forum, so I'm hoping one of them will help you. Good luck feeding a huge sulcata during the winter months in Jolly old England!!

Yvonne

Hi Yvonne,

Thank you for the reply, you and Maggie have been a great help to me this year so thank you.

Regards

Rob

---

Hi Rob, I would buy Spring Mix and add other dark leafy stuff to it. Then I would lightly sprinkle hay over all the food. That is pretty much how I feed all my grazing tortoises from 70 pound Bob on down to any babies I happen to have at the time. HTH

Hi Maggie

Thank you for all your help!

Kind Regards

Rob

---

Lettuces (I agree the spring mix is your best bet as it is closest to weeds of the lettuces, and a lot of variety for the cost), dandelion/turnip/collard/mustard/radish/carrot/beet greens from the grocery store, anything you can grow yourself indoors in planters from seeds you buy online (you can even use grow lights), timothy or other low protein hay (not alfalfa), and maybe some of the better commercial tortoise foods like Mazuri Tortoise Diet or ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. The key is variety. If you can get your tortoises to eat hay, that's probably your best option to mimic what they get fed in the warmer months, but many times Sulcatas so young won't eat hay. If you can start to introduce it in small amounts mixed into their food, this could help feed them in colder months in the years to come.

By the way, what is your plan for housing them in the colder months when they get huge?

Best wishes.

Hi Kate

I have a garage that i dont use, so i plan to convert it as it's in my back garden.

Thank's for the advice by the way.

Regards

Rob

---

I would suggest mixing the hay into the greens. My sulcata pushes the hay aside and just eats the goodies if I don't mix it.

Thank you foryour advice.

Regards

Rob

 

[stells]

Florette Crispy salad is a good one... also romaine is available throughout the winter as is squash... you should also be able to find Plantains.... Dandelions.... chickweed.... dead nettle... to name a few throughout the winter...

 

[rob morgan]

Florette Crispy salad is a good one... also romaine is available throughout the winter as is squash... you should also be able to find Plantains.... Dandelions.... chickweed.... dead nettle... to name a few throughout the winter...

Hi Kelly

I have had a look at your website it's very helpfull.

Thank you