Hermann diet help... ?

[riley_the_human]

Hello! In two weeks I will be making a very big commitment, by bringing home a Hermann hatchling, and I have done months worth of research, but I am still a little foggy on one area, and that is diet. It seems what one person says is acceptable, another says it's unacceptable. What I understand, mustard and collard greens are good, as well as dandelions, kale, endives and escarole. See I live in ohio, so during the winter months, I won't be able to just let him graze. I apologize that I won't be able to give him his exact diet, but u will try to get as close as I can. Does anyone have any other corrections/ suggestions, and where I can find these things? Thanks so much!

 

[Andrea M]

Shelled warriors sell bags of mixed weed seed on their website and eBay shop, I grow them in plastic tubs on the windowsill for Hokie, I have tried all sorts of seed mixes but this is by far his favourite. I just transfer them into his table when they're big enough and he grazes on them whenever he fancied, happy tort = happy me!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

All Testudo species of tortoise need essentially the same kind of diet, and that is one dominated by forbs (leafy greens and broad-leaved weeds). This includes wild forbs such as dandelion, prickly lettuce, chicory, and plantain (Plantago species, not bananas). It also includes cultivated plants like Romaine lettuce, endive, escarole, arugula, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens. The commercial foods I'd recommend are Mazuri Tortoise Diet and ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. Once a month as a treat, you can offer fruits like cucumber, tomato, grape, strawberry, and raspberry. As you can see, it's important to make the diet varied, both to keep the tortoise interested, and to make sure it gets all the nutrients it needs.

For vitamins and minerals, it's important to leave a calcium block or cuttlefish bone in the pen so the tortoise can gnaw on it whenever it likes. This not only provides calcium, but it also helps trim the beak. It's also a good idea to sprinkle some calcium powder onto the food a couple times per week. If your tortoise lives indoors, it's a good idea to use a calcium + vitamin D3 powder, because without vitamin D3, animals (and people) cannot use the calcium they ingest. To make sure your tort gets enough vitamin D3, give your tortoise quality indoor lighting that provides both UVA and UVB, and weather permitting, let it spend some time outside whenever possible for natural sunshine, exercise, and fresh greens that have not been sprayed with chemicals.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I feed mine exactly the same as my Russians. This site has a good list of food for them: russiantortoise.org