Leopard Diet

[Laurence]

I understand how grasses, hay and flowers should consist the majority of my tortoises diet but those are not readily available for me to purchase. Most people here in the Philippines feed greens as the main food which is not recommended according to my research. What do you guys think?

 

[Maggie3fan]

If you gave Spring Mix in your produce section...or baby greens... you can gradually add to his diet to make it better

 

[Laurence]

If you gave Spring Mix in your produce section...or baby greens... you can gradually add to his diet to make it better

But can greens consist of majority of his diet for good and not encounter any health problems?

 

[Tom]

I understand how grasses, hay and flowers should consist the majority of my tortoises diet but those are not readily available for me to purchase. Most people here in the Philippines feed greens as the main food which is not recommended according to my research. What do you guys think?

Avoid grocery store produce when possible. Grocery store greens are not the best tortoise foods. They tend to lack fiber, calcium, and some of them have deleterious compounds in them. If you must use foods from the grocery store, favor endive and escarole as the main staples. Add in cilantro, arugula, collards, turnip and mustard greens, lettuces and many others for variety. You will also need to add some sort of amendment to improve the quality as tortoise food. Calcium is good to add a couple of times per week and soaked horse hay pellets are a good way to add fiber for any species. Soaked ZooMed tortoise pellets of any type are good to add, as is Purina Organic Lay Crumbles for chickens, oddly enough. When possible skip the expensive grocery store greens and use a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and succulents, that are all free.

Its green year round where you are. You just have to learn what plants are good to feed out, and you can also grow your own.

 

[Laurence]

Okay I understand thanks. Ill be sticking to a variety of fresh produce from local markets though since hay, weeds, leaves and flowers are impossible to get in this area which I understand are free in other places.

 

[Tom]

Okay I understand thanks. Ill be sticking to a variety of fresh produce from local markets though since hay, weeds, leaves and flowers are impossible to get in this area which I understand are free in other places.

How is it impossible to get weeds and flowers in a tropical country? Even if you live in the middle of the city, there is still greenery everywhere. Can you not get some pots and potting sold and grow some of your own? Are there not decorative hibiscus bushes anywhere?

Grocery store foods can work, but add calcium, fiber and variety to them with one or more of the methods I mentioned. Do the pet stores in your area carry ZooMed products? Get some "Flower Topper" and "Grassland Tortoise Food" pellets. Find a place that sells horse supplies and get some horse hay pellets. A huge bag of horse pellets is cheap and will last you a very long time. Soak a few pellets and mix that in with the greens. How about Mazuri? Either type can work. Soak it and mix it in.

 

[Laurence]

How is it impossible to get weeds and flowers in a tropical country? Even if you live in the middle of the city, there is still greenery everywhere. Can you not get some pots and potting sold and grow some of your own? Are there not decorative hibiscus bushes anywhere?

Grocery store foods can work, but add calcium, fiber and variety to them with one or more of the methods I mentioned. Do the pet stores in your area carry ZooMed products? Get some "Flower Topper" and "Grassland Tortoise Food" pellets. Find a place that sells horse supplies and get some horse hay pellets. A huge bag of horse pellets is cheap and will last you a very long time. Soak a few pellets and mix that in with the greens. How about Mazuri? Either type can work. Soak it and mix it in.

Im in a city and those flowers i see on the internet part of a tortoises diet arnt normally seen here except hibiscus which is getting rarer to find nowadays so i would have to grow my own which takes time.

Mazuri pellets are available but my tortoise doesnt eat it. Horse hay pellets is impossible.

Thanks for the response, Ill consider growing my own.

 

[Tom]

Mazuri pellets are available but my tortoise doesnt eat it. Horse hay pellets is impossible.

People have horses in the Philippines. They have to feed them every day. It is not impossible to find horse food there.

In regards to the Mazuri and any other new food: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they have eaten before. Any new food must be slowly and gradually introduced. No tortoise will just walk up and start eating a pile of Mazuri or any other new food the first time they see it. You have to spend weeks or months slowly introducing it. Start by soaking a small broken piece of a single Mazuri pellet. When it turns to mush, mix that in thoroughly with the day's big pile of chopped greens. There should be so little that the tortoise hardly even knows it is there. Keep doing that until the tortoise readily eats it pile of food every day. Let the tortoise go hungry for a few days if it refuses to eat the pile. You aren't starving it. They can eat anytime they want. Be more stubborn than the tortoise. Over time, add more and more of the new food as the tortoise begins to accept it and see it as food.

Grocery store greens by themselves are not an adequate diet and feeding your tortoise nothing but that will eventually cause problems. Take the time to learn and figure out what will work in your part of the world to add fiber, calcium and variety to your tortoises diet. If you don't like my suggestions, figure out something else that will work for you and your tortoise.

 

[TammyJ]

You have got great advice! Please take the time to try to follow it for your tortoise's benefit. Then you'll know that you are truly doing the best you can.

 

[Laurence]

I

People have horses in the Philippines. They have to feed them every day. It is not impossible to find horse food there.

In regards to the Mazuri and any other new food: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they have eaten before. Any new food must be slowly and gradually introduced. No tortoise will just walk up and start eating a pile of Mazuri or any other new food the first time they see it. You have to spend weeks or months slowly introducing it. Start by soaking a small broken piece of a single Mazuri pellet. When it turns to mush, mix that in thoroughly with the day's big pile of chopped greens. There should be so little that the tortoise hardly even knows it is there. Keep doing that until the tortoise readily eats it pile of food every day. Let the tortoise go hungry for a few days if it refuses to eat the pile. You aren't starving it. They can eat anytime they want. Be more stubborn than the tortoise. Over time, add more and more of the new food as the tortoise begins to accept it and see it as food.

Grocery store greens by themselves are not an adequate diet and feeding your tortoise nothing but that will eventually cause problems. Take the time to learn and figure out what will work in your part of the world to add fiber, calcium and variety to your tortoises diet. If you don't like my suggestions, figure out something else that will work for you and your tortoise

People have horses in the Philippines. They have to feed them every day. It is not impossible to find horse food there.

In regards to the Mazuri and any other new food: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they have eaten before. Any new food must be slowly and gradually introduced. No tortoise will just walk up and start eating a pile of Mazuri or any other new food the first time they see it. You have to spend weeks or months slowly introducing it. Start by soaking a small broken piece of a single Mazuri pellet. When it turns to mush, mix that in thoroughly with the day's big pile of chopped greens. There should be so little that the tortoise hardly even knows it is there. Keep doing that until the tortoise readily eats it pile of food every day. Let the tortoise go hungry for a few days if it refuses to eat the pile. You aren't starving it. They can eat anytime they want. Be more stubborn than the tortoise. Over time, add more and more of the new food as the tortoise begins to accept it and see it as food.

Grocery store greens by themselves are not an adequate diet and feeding your tortoise nothing but that will eventually cause problems. Take the time to learn and figure out what will work in your part of the world to add fiber, calcium and variety to your tortoises diet. If you don't like my suggestions, figure out something else that will work for you and your tortoise.

Thanks for this, ill most certainly try it out.

 

[Laurence]

You have got great advice! Please take the time to try to follow it for your tortoise's benefit. Then you'll know that you are truly doing the best you can.

Agree. I will, thanks.