Hi! New tortoise owner from North Yorkshire..

Zara

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Hi, my daughters and I are the proud new owners of a 1 year old Horsfield tortoise. We are just getting used to each other but she seems very happy in her new home... Any advice and tips (about feeding) very welcome!
 

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Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum. You'll certainly get all the help you need from the experienced and friendly people in this forum. Good luck.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Hello to you and Zara, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum!
Re the diet, tomato is not great for your tort, no fruits are, she should be eating broad leafed greens like dandelion.
Tomato is ok as a very occasional treat.
Have a look at the caresheet pinned to the top of the Russian tortoise section underneath the Mediterranean Tortoises Forum here and you will find a list of great foods for your Zara.
Also check out 'thetortoisetable.org.' to check what your girl can and can't eat.
Good luck.
 

Zara

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Hi - thanks everyone!! It's not a tomato in the picture - it's red pepper - I've had to ration her as it's the only thing she'll eat at the minute!! We've got dandelion in her food dish and broccoli and a bit of carrot but she doesn't seem bothered... I'm not too worried yet as she has really active sessions then burrows down and sleeps for a bit. We've put a cattle fish in for her and she enjoys bathing in the water too. Fingers crossed she'll eat more soon..
Sarah
 

Lyn W

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Welcome to Zara and her family. She's probably just settling into her new home. As Tidgy's Dad said the care sheets will give you lots of info - forget what any pet shop tells you they are often out of date or completely wrong, The folks here have tons of experience between them and only the interests of torts at heart so if you follow the advice here you should have a very happy, healthy tort for a long time.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Sorry, my bad eyesight.
However pepper stem, roots and leaves are toxic, so be careful.
Small amounts only of pepper can be fed, as it is too high in sugar and has a bad calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Broccoli isn't toxic, but contains goitrogens that mess with thyroid function and can cause kidney or liver damage. Best not to feed.
Carrot is ok, in small amounts.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Thank you :) All advice appreciated!! Oh and I meant cuttle fish(not cattle!)
Cuttlefish is good, for calcium and wearing down the beak, but can only be absorbed with D3 from uvb rays.
Some torts don't like to bite it, so scrape a little on the food once or twice a week if Zara ignores the bone.
 

Richabi

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Welcome zara and family I To just bought a horsefield Toby is 1 yr old I'm feeding floret crispy salad with dandelion and cress Intil my seeds of wild flowers comes he really likes it you've chosen a great forum really helpful people here got any picture of your set up guys can give you some advice on it for you
 

Zara

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Welcome zara and family I To just bought a horsefield Toby is 1 yr old I'm feeding floret crispy salad with dandelion and cress Intil my seeds of wild flowers comes he really likes it you've chosen a great forum really helpful people here got any picture of your set up guys can give you some advice on it for you

Hi - thank you - we are really pleased that Zara ate a lot this afternoon - she even tried the dandelion - then she was really active for quite a while - even giving herself a little bath!!
I've spent ages on here today just looking around and getting loads of hints and tips - so pleased I found it!
Is Toby your first tortoise too?
 

Richabi

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Ye done lots of research prior to buying one there is so much conflicting information out there on how to set up the bulbs I was supplied was wrong the substrate and his bowls were lighting I found was a keyfactor Toby was sleeping in his hide all the time when I put the right bulb in he came alive what bulb u using for basking and uvb
 

Lyn W

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Welcome zara and family I To just bought a horsefield Toby is 1 yr old I'm feeding floret crispy salad with dandelion and cress Intil my seeds of wild flowers comes he really likes it you've chosen a great forum really helpful people here got any picture of your set up guys can give you some advice on it for you
Be careful if you are using those packs of wild flower seed mixes Richard, they may contain plants that are toxic to torts. Unless it is a tortoise mix of course.
 

Zara

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Ye done lots of research prior to buying one there is so much conflicting information out there on how to set up the bulbs I was supplied was wrong the substrate and his bowls were lighting I found was a keyfactor Toby was sleeping in his hide all the time when I put the right bulb in he came alive what bulb u using for basking and uvb
We've got a heat mat in there which is on constantly and a 75w heat bulb with a fluorescent tube for lighting - those are on all day and switched off overnight. She seems to have settled really well - eaten lots again today :)
 
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