I guess I messed up

[Renee_H]

When Leonora came home last summer her favorite food was romaine. She was accustomed to eating fresh salad daily. I introduced grasses leaves and cactus and it was a slow transition. Once she took to orchard grass hay I basically stopped buying any grocery store greens and switched over to adding my tortoise toppers to the grass hay. Well now she steps on lays on poops on any fresh greens so I feel like I’m working backwards. Her diet isn’t all that varied anymore I’ve gone in reverse. She’s basically only eating orchard grass, nopales, rose and hibiscus leaves, Saint Augustine and OG mazuri. My landscapers cut down all the weeds I grew for her from seed and they didn’t recover. I do have a small raised garden growing some lettuces and edible flowers but she ignores the lettuces in there in favor of cilantro and fresh dandelions.

I want permission to just stop feeding lettuces and greens and to just let her eat as she is. Will anyone give it to me? Or do I need to start buying romaine and such at Costco again? This whole varied diet thing isn’t as easy as I thought. I took the easy way out and I can admit it. Tossing some hay mazuri and a handful of leaves became an easy habit. I cut off new nopales a few times a week. Scold me, tell me it’s fine. Which ever you find most appropriate.

 

[jaizei]

Mazuri has a recommended amount, something like 2-4% of bodyweight iirc. Feed that along with the other items you listed. She will be fine.

 

[RandyTortoise]

When Leonora came home last summer her favorite food was romaine. She was accustomed to eating fresh salad daily. I introduced grasses leaves and cactus and it was a slow transition. Once she took to orchard grass hay I basically stopped buying any grocery store greens and switched over to adding my tortoise toppers to the grass hay. Well now she steps on lays on poops on any fresh greens so I feel like I’m working backwards. Her diet isn’t all that varied anymore I’ve gone in reverse. She’s basically only eating orchard grass, nopales, rose and hibiscus leaves, Saint Augustine and OG mazuri. My landscapers cut down all the weeds I grew for her from seed and they didn’t recover. I do have a small raised garden growing some lettuces and edible flowers but she ignores the lettuces in there in favor of cilantro and fresh dandelions.

I want permission to just stop feeding lettuces and greens and to just let her eat as she is. Will anyone give it to me? Or do I need to start buying romaine and such at Costco again? This whole varied diet thing isn’t as easy as I thought. I took the easy way out and I can admit it. Tossing some hay mazuri and a handful of leaves became an easy habit. I cut off new nopales a few times a week. Scold me, tell me it’s fine. Which ever you find most appropriate.

Personally, I like the Arcadia optimized 52. I would
Take the foods you want her to eat and chop them up and mix it into her entire bowl of food. Eventually she will eat it and you can change the mix to add more of the stuff you think is good over time. She will not, I guarantee you, starve herself.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

When I first put Optimus Prime outside last year I still kept adding the grocery store greens. It was less but I did it. She started eating less and less of them. This spring I asked if I should stop cold turkey or wean her off. The replies I got were a bit mixed. I was going to cut back bit by bit. Make it easier on me. Well she had other plans. The yard was lush and full of foods she wanted. She would eat any radicchio I put out there but that was all. SO I gave up and decided no more store bought food until winter. So go ahead and stop the store bought stuff and enjoy the much healthier options she has outside.

 

[zovick]

When Leonora came home last summer her favorite food was romaine. She was accustomed to eating fresh salad daily. I introduced grasses leaves and cactus and it was a slow transition. Once she took to orchard grass hay I basically stopped buying any grocery store greens and switched over to adding my tortoise toppers to the grass hay. Well now she steps on lays on poops on any fresh greens so I feel like I’m working backwards. Her diet isn’t all that varied anymore I’ve gone in reverse. She’s basically only eating orchard grass, nopales, rose and hibiscus leaves, Saint Augustine and OG mazuri. My landscapers cut down all the weeds I grew for her from seed and they didn’t recover. I do have a small raised garden growing some lettuces and edible flowers but she ignores the lettuces in there in favor of cilantro and fresh dandelions.

I want permission to just stop feeding lettuces and greens and to just let her eat as she is. Will anyone give it to me? Or do I need to start buying romaine and such at Costco again? This whole varied diet thing isn’t as easy as I thought. I took the easy way out and I can admit it. Tossing some hay mazuri and a handful of leaves became an easy habit. I cut off new nopales a few times a week. Scold me, tell me it’s fine. Which ever you find most appropriate.

Yes, if your tortoise is outside, you may just let it eat what it wants and toss in the other items you mentioned once in a while for a bit of variety.

 

[Renee_H]

Mazuri has a recommended amount, something like 2-4% of bodyweight iirc. Feed that along with the other items you listed. She will be fine.

Thank you!

 

[Renee_H]

Yes, if your tortoise is outside, you may just let it eat what it wants and toss in the other items you mentioned once in a while for a bit of variety.

Ok sounds good!

 

[Renee_H]

When I first put Optimus Prime outside last year I still kept adding the grocery store greens. It was less but I did it. She started eating less and less of them. This spring I asked if I should stop cold turkey or wean her off. The replies I got were a bit mixed. I was going to cut back bit by bit. Make it easier on me. Well she had other plans. The yard was lush and full of foods she wanted. She would eat any radicchio I put out there but that was all. SO I gave up and decided no more store bought food until winter. So go ahead and stop the store bought stuff and enjoy the much healthier options she has outside.

Thank you. I guess I was worried I wasn’t providing as much variety as I should be. It’s nice to know she’s not the only one not interested in having a human made salad. Lol

 

[Renee_H]

Personally, I like the Arcadia optimized 52. I would
Take the foods you want her to eat and chop them up and mix it into her entire bowl of food. Eventually she will eat it and you can change the mix to add more of the stuff you think is good over time. She will not, I guarantee you, starve herself.

That’s how I started by making these massive mix of things. But then settled with mostly orchard grass and the leaves growing on our roses and hibiscus. I just add some nopales occasion flower and mazuri. As I find a day with more time and try to make her something including endive escarole and romaine she turns her nose up to it. She won’t even go for any carrot tops etc. she just walks over it or lays on it and then walks off to eat grass in her yard. It was reverse last summer. She’d pick out all the lettuce greens and leave “the good stuff” untouched. I’m not concerned about anything she’s eating on its own. Just more that bulk is only 3 items. (Grass/leaves)