Diet:
Hibiscus leaves
Hibiscus flowers
Dhaniya(coriander)
Mulli ke patte(radish greens)
Gajjar ke patte(Carrot green)
Kheera(normal cucumber)
Kakdi(the thin light green cucumber)
Methi(Fenugreek)
Romaine Lettuce (seeds available online)
wheat grass
Grass
Kadi patta/ curry tree/ Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii(sometimes only)
Bhindi/Okra(sometime)
Grape Leaves
DO NOT FEED:
Tomato(can be given as a treat once a month)
Cabbage
Spinach
Beans
Sweet fruits
citrus fruits
you've got plenty to choose from, it just takes an initiative from your side to gather all these stuff... they are not hard to get or grow. if you have really decided to take care of such fragile and delicate creatures then you should be committed to hard work as well to gather the proper requirements.
POINTERS:
=>NO need of external supplement
=>NO need of UV Bulbs
=>Natural Sunlight is sufficient
=>Sunlight should be direct and not from window glass
=>Hydration is a must
=>Water should be available is a container which the tortoise can go in and come out of easily.
=>Soak at least once a day for medium to large tortoise (15 min) twice for babies(10-15 min)
=>The water level should not be above the lower jaw of the tortoise
=>Moisten/Hydrate the shell once-twice a day by spraying it
=>Use lukewarm water in the winters for soaking and reduce soaking to alternate days and avoid spraying the shell in winters
=>Keep the tortoise in heated Room or at least where there are a lot of humans(more humans more heat) at night in winters
=>Just covering the tortoise with blanket/sweater/woollen cloth won't do anything in winters because tortoises are reptiles and reptiles are cold
blooded animals so they can't generate heat, so insulation is useless when there is no source of heat.
=>provide a sufficiently large enclosure for the tortoise ( 4 by 4 feet for small tortoise, 8 by 8 feet for medium and a garden(or 14 by 14 feet) for
adult these are the minimum dimensions if you want to keep your tortoises 100% healthy.
=>Use soil/Garden Soil as a substrate in the enclosure/house and it should be at least 4 inches deep
=>DO NOT Keep the tortoises on NEWSPAPERS
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises on uncovered(without soil substrate) glass aquarium throughout the day(they require earthy substrate bellow their
legs)
=>DO NOT keep them in plain plastic containers.
=>DO NOT keep them on naked concrete surface.
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises in plain cardboard boxes throughout the DAY. (If you can't provide a basic enclosure with proper substrate then you
shouldn't be keeping the tortoises in the first place)
=>DO NOT keep tortoises on the tiles of your homes(letting them roam free in the whole house) they can get hurt.
=>Designate an area specifically for tortoises with minimal disturbance and noise(as minimum as possible)
=>Avoid unnecessary handling of the tortoises.(Picking them, turning them on their back etc)
=>Do not take your tortoises to gardens, public gardens, public places in INDIA (THEY ARE BANNED) and one more reason is the garden might be fertilised using chemicals.
TORTOISES ARE NOT DOGS, CATS, HAMSTER, BIRDS etc(Conventional Pets) SO DO NOT TREAT THEM LIKE ONE.
KEEP TO THESE BASIC POINTERS AND YOU WON'T NEED:
SUPPLEMENTS
UV BULBS
CUTTLE FISH BONES
and hopefully a VET
(Because it is near to impossible to find qualified Vets who treat reptiles and besides Keeping tortoises is not allowed in INDIA)
Hibiscus leaves
Hibiscus flowers
Dhaniya(coriander)
Mulli ke patte(radish greens)
Gajjar ke patte(Carrot green)
Kheera(normal cucumber)
Kakdi(the thin light green cucumber)
Methi(Fenugreek)
Romaine Lettuce (seeds available online)
wheat grass
Grass
Kadi patta/ curry tree/ Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii(sometimes only)
Bhindi/Okra(sometime)
Grape Leaves
DO NOT FEED:
Tomato(can be given as a treat once a month)
Cabbage
Spinach
Beans
Sweet fruits
citrus fruits
you've got plenty to choose from, it just takes an initiative from your side to gather all these stuff... they are not hard to get or grow. if you have really decided to take care of such fragile and delicate creatures then you should be committed to hard work as well to gather the proper requirements.
POINTERS:
=>NO need of external supplement
=>NO need of UV Bulbs
=>Natural Sunlight is sufficient
=>Sunlight should be direct and not from window glass
=>Hydration is a must
=>Water should be available is a container which the tortoise can go in and come out of easily.
=>Soak at least once a day for medium to large tortoise (15 min) twice for babies(10-15 min)
=>The water level should not be above the lower jaw of the tortoise
=>Moisten/Hydrate the shell once-twice a day by spraying it
=>Use lukewarm water in the winters for soaking and reduce soaking to alternate days and avoid spraying the shell in winters
=>Keep the tortoise in heated Room or at least where there are a lot of humans(more humans more heat) at night in winters
=>Just covering the tortoise with blanket/sweater/woollen cloth won't do anything in winters because tortoises are reptiles and reptiles are cold
blooded animals so they can't generate heat, so insulation is useless when there is no source of heat.
=>provide a sufficiently large enclosure for the tortoise ( 4 by 4 feet for small tortoise, 8 by 8 feet for medium and a garden(or 14 by 14 feet) for
adult these are the minimum dimensions if you want to keep your tortoises 100% healthy.
=>Use soil/Garden Soil as a substrate in the enclosure/house and it should be at least 4 inches deep
=>DO NOT Keep the tortoises on NEWSPAPERS
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises on uncovered(without soil substrate) glass aquarium throughout the day(they require earthy substrate bellow their
legs)
=>DO NOT keep them in plain plastic containers.
=>DO NOT keep them on naked concrete surface.
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises in plain cardboard boxes throughout the DAY. (If you can't provide a basic enclosure with proper substrate then you
shouldn't be keeping the tortoises in the first place)
=>DO NOT keep tortoises on the tiles of your homes(letting them roam free in the whole house) they can get hurt.
=>Designate an area specifically for tortoises with minimal disturbance and noise(as minimum as possible)
=>Avoid unnecessary handling of the tortoises.(Picking them, turning them on their back etc)
=>Do not take your tortoises to gardens, public gardens, public places in INDIA (THEY ARE BANNED) and one more reason is the garden might be fertilised using chemicals.
TORTOISES ARE NOT DOGS, CATS, HAMSTER, BIRDS etc(Conventional Pets) SO DO NOT TREAT THEM LIKE ONE.
KEEP TO THESE BASIC POINTERS AND YOU WON'T NEED:
SUPPLEMENTS
UV BULBS
CUTTLE FISH BONES
and hopefully a VET
(Because it is near to impossible to find qualified Vets who treat reptiles and besides Keeping tortoises is not allowed in INDIA)
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