How much to feed at one time?

TortMom6

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I have a gender unknown leopard tortoise whose shell is approximately 4 inches measuring from head to tail. I have had him for 1 year, but I do not know how old he was when I adopted him.

I am looking for advice on how much to feed at one time.

I feed every other day right now. I am having a hard time finding out the quantity of food to feed at a sitting. He is not a very picky eater, he particularly loves greens.

I decided it would be good to know how much to feed at one sitting for all the tortoises/turtles I have.

Thanks for the advice!

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Kaliman1962

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they need to eat every day, all day food must be availible, they are grazers. go to the store & buy a bag of Spring mix minus the spinach
 

T Smart

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I'm not familiar with Leopards or their diet, but the general guideline for tortoises is to let them eat as much as they want, as long as the right food is being provided. The result is usually a little bit of leftover food at the end of the day.
 

Kaliman1962

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nope, you can't over feed them. try to get dandelion greens, bok choy, endive lettuce, swiss chard, mix it up
i also feed cactus pads & some zuccinni
i have 3 baby leopards
 

TortMom6

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nope, you can't over feed them. try to get dandelion greens, bok choy, endive lettuce, swiss chard, mix it up
i also feed cactus pads & some zuccinni
i have 3 baby leopards

Dandelion Greens are a favorite and they are all fond of the cactus pads. I don't think I have tried Swiss chard yet, I'll get some next time I am at the grocery store.
 

Minority2

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Care sheet information and dietary needs are addressed here:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Feed young Leopards primarily broad leaf weeds, flowers, and succulents. Grasses and hay when they're older. Limit the amount of store bought greens if possible. Too many types of store bought greens belong to the same plant classification and will contain harmful properties that may cause severe kidney and liver problems if fed in excess.
 

TortMom6

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Citrus Heights, California, USA
Care sheet information and dietary needs are addressed here:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Feed young Leopards primarily broad leaf weeds, flowers, and succulents. Grasses and hay when they're older. Limit the amount of store bought greens if possible. Too many types of store bought greens belong to the same plant classification and will contain harmful properties that may cause severe kidney and liver problems if fed in excess.

The sulcata diet is OK for a leopard tortoise?
 

Minority2

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The sulcata diet is OK for a leopard tortoise?

Yes. Sulcatas and Leopards have similar care and dietary needs. They are still considered completely separate species with different behavioral patterns. The biggest difference in diet is that it takes more effort to get Leopards to eat grass and that they may still not be interested enough to eat hay no matter how old they become. Sulcatas on the other hand, will happily graze and destroy both when of age.
 

wellington

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The sulcata diet is OK for a leopard tortoise?
Yes the sulcata diet is okay for a leopard. The care is the same for both except a sulcata gets bigger. Feed as big a variety as possible. House in a closed chamber with high humidity and temps no lower then 80 day and night with basking 95-100. Feed daily and add more if he eats it all and soak daily in warm water for 20-30 minutes.
 

Robber

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If they are kept inside where they aren't grazing on this and that, they should be fed every day, especially when young. I like to try to feed twice a day - I come home for lunch most days so I usually feed before I leave for work and then if(when) it's all gone, I feed more at lunch time. If I see they are still active and walking around after I get home, I may even feed a little more at that time. I think it helps keep them active this way, instead of them having a huge pile of food in the morning and that's it. It also helps you gauge the amount and you won't have large amounts of leftover food. It is of course not always feasible for everyone to do this. When they are outside during warm months, I generally toss in small amounts of this and that throughout the day just to supplement and ensure variety as they will naturally graze on things.
Also, amounts needed vary depending on what the food item is; a 4 inch tortoise may eat a huge pile of leafy greens but fill up more quickly on foods like mazuri or cactus or veggies.
 
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