Dandelion_@_

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2019
Messages
40
Location (City and/or State)
New Hampshire
Hi all!

Little update on my little bean.

When I first got Tortillini I was feeding him a diet of mostly grocery store greens. The occasional tortoise pellets soaked and mixed in. Mostly escarole, chicory, some spring mix, small amount of red and green lettuce maybe some spinach, some turnip or collard greens... basically whatever I read on these forums that was okay to serve.

Now that most of my seed mixes and plants have started to grow in TORTILLINI HAS EVOLVED into the next stage of his life.

First we started with the broadleaf and testudo mixes. He kinda shunned them at first, so I would mix them in with escarole or chicory (his fave) and he would slightly nibble on the homemade stuff. It was super frustrating though because he mostly only seemed to wanna eat the grocery store stuff.

Then I introduced hostas to him. The ones I started growing are tiny and inferior to the ones my mom has growing in her garden, so I opted for those. They were HUGE compared to mine. He was slow to them but now LOVES them.

Exhibit A- View attachment 296526

Seeing him eat these was super inspiring to me because I feel like this was his first big step transcending to the world of non grocery store greens.

I read on here mulberry leaves and the spineless cactus pads are also super good for russians so I scoured all the markets around me for the cactus pads but no luck rip. Also I can’t find a mulberry tree??? anywhere in my yard. So I ordered these cactus pads off etsy, 200+ 5 star reviews and pictures of other little torts enjoying these pads, so I bough them.

Safe to say, he’s loVING THEM.

Exhibit B- View attachment 296527

When I bring him his food in the morning I usually hand feed him whatever new piece I have with me or his favorite green. It’s cool cause now he starts seeing me as the food bearer and will walk over to me every morning. It’s really the only time in the day I get to spend with him because I leave for work and he’s usually asleep when I come home at the end of the night. After I hand feed him one or two things, I set his food pile down and he’ll go to eat that.

Okay last thing. I have no idea what the heck or where the heck mulberry trees are. Research still pending. In the meantime I bought some off ebay and let me tell you... this little guy LOVES THEM.

Exhibit C-
View attachment 296528

I’m just really excited because i’ve gone from about 100% of his diet being grocery store greens to about 25%. He now eats a healthy portion of weeds and leaves, and now cactus pads too! I’m hoping to find a more sustainable place to get cactus pads from as well as the mulberry leaves. Perhaps I’ll trying growing the pads but we’ll see.

-Julia R (Happy tort mom who feels like one of those moms who gets their kids to eat brocolli for the first time)
I grow prickly pear in NH, USA outside no problem. It overwinters on its own and comes back strong. It doesn't fruit, of course, and it doesn't grow as fast as it would in the South, but it is a reliable grower in cold climates, so you should plant it if you can.
Also, my neighbor grows mulberry trees, which remain well under 20 feet tall, respond well to pruning, and come back strong after every winter, so if you can try these things in the ground or even on containers you can grow your own :)
 

turtlebean

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2020
Messages
190
Location (City and/or State)
Connecticut
I grow prickly pear in NH, USA outside no problem. It overwinters on its own and comes back strong. It doesn't fruit, of course, and it doesn't grow as fast as it would in the South, but it is a reliable grower in cold climates, so you should plant it if you can.
Also, my neighbor grows mulberry trees, which remain well under 20 feet tall, respond well to pruning, and come back strong after every winter, so if you can try these things in the ground or even on containers you can grow your own :)
I think when I get done procrastinating I would like to try growing both!! My little tort would probably be so happy with me if I did :)
 

Krista S

Well-Known Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
1,364
Location (City and/or State)
Saskatchewan
I’ve got a few growing in my tortoises bedroom that have just started to sprout new pads too. It takes time, but is definitely possible. Cactus pads are impossible to find here where I live in Canada. I had to order these from a guy in a different province. He mailed them in an envelope across the country and I put them in cactus dirt and water them every now and then...doesn’t get much easier then that. They weren’t happy where I initially placed them, but they really perked up once they got moved into the warmer and more humid tort room. It’s too cold to have them outdoors so I’m hoping they can really start to flourish indoors.
 

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turtlebean

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2020
Messages
190
Location (City and/or State)
Connecticut
I’ve got a few growing in my tortoises bedroom that have just started to sprout new pads too. It takes time, but is definitely possible. Cactus pads are impossible to find here where I live in Canada. I had to order these from a guy in a different province. He mailed them in an envelope across the country and I put them in cactus dirt and water them every now and then...doesn’t get much easier then that. They weren’t happy where I initially placed them, but they really perked up once they got moved into the warmer and more humid tort room. It’s too cold to have them outdoors so I’m hoping they can really start to flourish indoors.
Love that you have a bedroom for your tortoise that is the cutest thing lol!! I’ll keep you guys posted on how it goes when I try growing :)
 
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